cdmasteringservices.com — Ever gone into the mall and noticed that the music blasting out of all the pop-culture stores is never recent? That's because no-one listens to current music, good or bad, these days, and here's why.
Mar 16, 2006 View in Crawl 4
smerndmgyMar 16, 2006
That and the fact that songs about "Hos frontin on da cheddahz fer shizzle" only appeal to the stupidest of stupid people.
armandomMar 16, 2006
I got as far as the point where they started calling copyright infringement via filesharing "thievery and stealing" Too bad, might have otherwise been a decent article.
maram500Mar 16, 2006
Are we sure that this article belongs here? I mean this in the nicest, most sincere way, too: this really isn't technology news. This belongs on some Digg-type site created for music and all sorts of music-related stuff.
amillionandnineMar 16, 2006
Really? Who would have guessed.
chrisgrangerMar 16, 2006
I'd much rather have excess dynamic range potential than audible clipping. A quieter CD can be turned up and made louder, while a CD that clips can't be fixed with the volume control.
thelastknowngodMar 17, 2006
while i cant disagree at all, what he is saying to totally honest and true, it almost sounds like the old "in my day, music was music! none of this crazy stuff you kids listen to."i dont know maybe its just me.
zumpiezMar 17, 2006
Here's a novel concept. Listen to music because you like it, not because you get off on the fact that it's not mainstream.
eli_lillyMar 17, 2006
I don't know what kind of stores this guy is in, but even stores as generic as Old Navy rarely play cuts that are more than a year old. Also, the referenced article is a rehash of material from Bob Katz book "Mastering Audio".
knightcrawler75Mar 17, 2006
What you people that like old music don't remember is all the crap. Not all bands were good in fact most were not. But after you sold all your crappy tapes and 8tracks at the local flee market you forgot they even existed. Go to Itunes and look at the top 50 from any year and you see a lot of crap. Its not easy finding a copy of Xanadu at Best Buy. Just look at the 90's. You may remember Nirvana but Ace of Base probably slipped your mind. And I agree it is good to have excellent quality music with your $5000 stereo equipment but it all sounds the same on those little ipod speakers.
sinembarg0Mar 18, 2006
Ok this is seriously wrong. Most people on digg like higher quality audio. But digg is not the typical population, and this dynamic range and compression are not the reasons why most people aren't buying cds. Look at iTunes, which sell music at 128k. That is quite bad quality, and I am sure at least 3/4 of digg users encode at higher than that, yet Itunes has still sold 1 billion songs. It's more people's taste in music, and right now, its all over the board. People don't like a specific kind of music, so the old stuff sells, the new stuff sells, etc.
yngwiegilbsteenMar 19, 2006
This article has some very valid points, but misses some others. Modern music, on the radio, XM, or wave file format IS too compressed. It IS noise. However, most people don't listen to Cd's anymore. People are so concerned with finding uses for their computers that they hop on-line and download music (in a compressed format) and then load it onto their I-pods (further compressing it), or they click on FM or XM radio. They never actually hear what the producer intended on the original CD. Much of the digital clipping artifacts and compression you people are describing is wave file compression consumer audio compression (Sony, magnavox, pioneer etc...) and blow-out protection, not studio mastering. Professional audio compression, even if used drastically, doesn't create "noise". In fact, Pro-Tools, Sonar, and other pro-audio suites, are designed to raise audio just under clipping and not past it. A good ear does the rest. Playback is a serious problem, also. Most consumer speakers and power amps today have no mid-range, muddy bass, and harsh high end. To pin the problem on just one aspect of mastering is a bit short-sided. There are some good qualities about modern production. Certain textures and blends, particularly between distorted guitars and bass instruments are seamless. Never before have we had that "wall" of a mix that's so powerful for rock and metal. Besides, if you want to complain about "noise," the various and constant pops, clicks and hissing that we got from analog wasn't musical either.The general public can barely determine differences in pitch, much less know whether or not an audio track is too compressed. Most people don't know what compression is, or even why it is needed. Therefore, to say that people aren't buying modern music because of compression is a big assumption. The "scooped and harsh" consumer audio products are coloring the sound way more than the professional mastering process. The truth is, there are several other alternatives to buying Cd's today. Not to mention the fact that most song writing today is very poor. A good song goes a long way. For all those who are tempted to say, "People don't have to know what compression is to know it's not good," I say this: People are force-fed everything they know and believe from birth. There are plenty of things that we do, as a society, that aren't good for us. Microwaved meals, cigarette smoke and an economy that's completely dependent upon fossil fuels, to name a few. Many people today think we live "correctly" because that's what they're told. They have no idea what they're listening to, or even if it's bad, or good. In fact, they probably think it's great. Compression in the music industry is our last worry
tolkachiMar 19, 2006
This account has been closed by the user
yngwiegilbsteenMar 19, 2006
One more thing. The reason the radio is so difficult to listen to because of the "noise with a beat" problem is largely an EQ problem. Most radio sucks the life out of music in the midrange, boosts the bass and adds piezo-like high end. Then, after it's pushed out of your scooped speakers and then further eq'ed by individuals (people always scoop more, no matter how scooped to begin with) it is very hard to listen to. You can't hear detail in music with no midrange. That's eq, not compression.
bodarkMay 30, 2007
You must be reading a different article than the rest of us. The authors position is supported by data. Neilsen SoundScan information, loudness level chart, and a link to another article with examples of how music is being destroyed. Also, where did you get your data regarding the age of the author. You called him an "old fart." Please share your research on this. Reveal his age to the rest of us. If you can't, perhaps it's you that needs to do some research.
bodarkMay 30, 2007
No, it wasn't Duke Ellington. It was engineer and equipment designer, Joe Meek. By all means, if music with no dynamics, a lack of clarity, and digital distortion sounds good to you, then by all means, buy it.
bodarkMay 30, 2007
Check the article again. The author doesn't say 14dB. The figure you're referring to in the article is -14dB (that's minus 14dB). Commenting using incorrect information just makes your comments seem foolish.
bodarkMay 30, 2007
May I also add that missing something as obvious as this, disqualifies you as someone who can comment intelligently on the music business. Your attack on the author only serves to discredit him. What did he ever do to you? Simply write something you didn't like? You need to grow up and do a little more research while respecting others.
theone3Jun 5, 2007Submitter
I love pitchforkmedia! I'm talking about current *popular* music - i.e. the crap put out by the traditional music establishment.