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Posted: |
Mar 9, 2015 - 1:42 PM
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By: |
Octoberman
(Member)
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I just want to make sure we are assigning blame to the correct bad guy. So I think it bears reminding that compression in itself is not necessarily a undesirable thing.
Remember, regardless of whether the source is pop, jazz, blues, classical, ethnic trad or what-have-you, music performed live has tremendous dynamic range and without some form of compression in the chain, it would not only be difficult to record--it would be difficult to listen to. Blown-out speakers AND eardrums.
Setting the balances during the recording, mixing and mastering can be as challenging as any art form. Some are really good at it, some not.
It's also important to remember that there is a vital difference between compression and clipping. Not that I'm a slave to waveforms, but when you look at one that resembles mountaintops with the peaks chopped off... that's not compression--that's clipping (for which the audio engineers should have THEIR "peaks" chopped off!  ).
Additionally, not all transient peaks are intentional--some are just unavoidable noise that was captured on the equipment.
There is also a disturbing trend emerging whereby a recording is both compressed AND clipped, and then the master volume is lowered, making it appear as though the recording has not been bricked--though in reality it actually was.
All of this is almost as though record companies have a hate-on for earbud users, and are determinded to slowly deafen them (earbud users being those most at risk).
I don't use earbuds, but such musical vandalism sounds no less criminal on my hifi.
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Posted: |
Mar 19, 2015 - 6:03 PM
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By: |
Rozsaphile
(Member)
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Remember, regardless of whether the source is pop, jazz, blues, classical, ethnic trad or what-have-you, music performed live has tremendous dynamic range and without some form of compression in the chain, it would not only be difficult to record--it would be difficult to listen to. Blown-out speakers AND eardrums. Setting the balances during the recording, mixing and mastering can be as challenging as any art form. Some are really good at it, some not.
That's certainly true of orchestral music. Nobody would want -- few could even imagine -- the "actual" sound of a symphony orchestra in one's living room. It would be like trying to fit a whale into a canoe. But what about solo instruments and chamber music? I would like to think that fully realistic dynamics ought to be the goal in such repertoire. In any case, you can see why film music, which often includes both large and small ensembles in diverse genres, might pose particular problems for the engineers.
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