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Disgusted about modern sound.

M

makkE

Jan 19, 2010
585
9
Normandie, France
#1
It sucks! This loudness craze is killing it.

I grew up musically in the 90ies, and we used to think it was better than sliced bread if the waveform resembled an unchanging block of sound. Well, probably, our young ears could still take it, and it was a new thing, or whatever.

But in recent years I have come to passionately hate this way of mixing. It hurts the ears and is tiring, and it kills the sound.
There are albums I love for the musical content, but I can't listen to more than 3-4 songs until I have to pull the plug, because it is simply physically annoying my ears. And it doesn't even help to turn the volume down a bit, because that just makes it mushy.

Just a minute ago, I tried to listen to Audioslave's "Be Yourself" - a song that I used to love a few years ago. Now I have to turn it off after 4 bars, because it sounds like utter crap. All just blown up beyond repair, it's sad, sad, sad.

When will this end?
We're living in a sad era when it comes to sound quality.
Who's with me?
 
#2
That's the trouble with today's music. there's no innovation, there's no creativity, and most of all they're just not trying hard to come up with an awesome song. what they need to learn is that great song writings takes time. they need to take the time to shape up their music and lyrics. when they do that, their music would sound more decent. unfortunately, some people didn't take time to make their music sound good. and that's why there's crap playing on the radio. however, there are unsigned bands out there who makes awesome music. I would know because I have done shows with those bands and they oftenly do a great show. it's bands like them that needed to be heard.

I also would agree that making music louder doesn't guarantee better sound quality.
 
#3
I'm with you, as are all the good engineers I know.

It started subtly enough but has gotten worse through the years as producers and labels wanted their songs to be louder over the air, so compressing the you-know-what out of it became the norm.

It sucks. Hopefully as radio and labels become more irrelevant, artists and engineers will revert to dynamics and mastering music that sounds good and forget about volume. I think it will.
 
#4
Couldnt agree more. I work with many young people ( 18-24), and because of the music they are exposed to in todays mass market, its almost as if they can only relate to binary or digital information! Anything with life, space, breathing room or organic qualities completely throws them.
I put on some Coltrane the other day for fun;), and they couldn't handle the inconsistency and dynamics of this beautiful music! Made em' right squirrley! Haha. The same applies to the type of mixing you are describing. If its not white noise they cant relate. I feel sad for them.
I know we all have to move along to some degree with technology etc (case in point, typing on this computer), but to not have any appreciation for music that isnt auto tuned to perfection ( or to cover for a lack of ability), or compressed to hell is just lost on me.
 
#5
There is some new music that I like. I'm not stuck in 1965 ;). But over and over, when I buy something new from iTunes or CD, the recording and engineering is often an abomination, especially when listening with good headphones. It's horrible. It baffles me how anyone involved in the chain of these productions thinks these recordings sound good.
 
#8
I agree in part. Most "new" music seems to be hellbent on delivering a "wall of sound" with just a few instruments. It gets old and makes them all sound the same, despite what I'm sure is their desperate attempt to sound different. Still, there are bands making new music that excel at dynamics and an organic sound. Mogwai (one of my favs) pops to mind.
 
#14
Hi-Fi is taking a back seat ATM. Right now we're on a portability tip - and that mp3 needs to be loud to be heard on the subway through your cacky ipod headphones.

What i find really sad is that this...

Link Removed

Has been replaced with

3619461238_327a9b5469.jpg



Seriously, gangs of kids walk around now rocking out on their phones!!
 
#16
ugly_bassplayer said:
It's the mastering that brings the levels up, not the mixing.
Click to expand...

The overall smashed sound does often happen in mastering but the lack of dynamics for individual instruments starts in mixing.

I agree with Steve Albini when he points to the 80s and the introduction of the big SSL consoles as being the first step in the loudness wars. Before that there was not a compressor on every single track. All the sudden people have a compressor for every track and they start using it. Then they use a buss compressor across the mix buss which flattens the whole mix. Then they send it to the mastering house where it often gets flattened more.

To make matters worse so many records are mixed in the box today and most digital compressors (most not all) act as a level control with out changing the sound in a pleasing way. Many of the sought after vintage compressors and the compressors that have been based on these compressor lent a pleasing quality to the audio passing through them. Most studios pre 80s only had a few compressors per room and used them on certain things.
 
#17
slaps76 said:
I'm just curious, do you guys think the multi layers of guitar/bass tracks, ect., is part of the problem, or is this something bands have always done?
Click to expand...

I dunno. Layering tracks has been done for a long time. I guess it depends on how it's done. Jane's Addiction had many layers of guitars in their recordings, but each track was different. Smashing Pumpkins layered up to 30 or so guitar tracks, all playing the same. The sound of each is different, but I think the OP is referring more to the "big" compressed sound from each instrument as well as the overall songwriting style than recording multiple tracks. Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
#18
I actually like the Waves Renaissance Comp plugin. But there is definitely a potential for abuse, and I'm sure I've done it. So lately I've taken to eliminating all compression from my recordings except from my lead vocals, which I absolutely have to have it because my voice is all over the place for loudness depending on what range I'm singing in. I think they're 100% the better for it.
 
#19
Gasman said:
I dunno. Layering tracks has been done for a long time. I guess it depends on how it's done. Jane's Addiction had many layers of guitars in their recordings, but each track was different. Smashing Pumpkins layered up to 30 or so guitar tracks, all playing the same. The sound of each is different, but I think the OP is referring more to the "big" compressed sound from each instrument as well as the overall songwriting style than recording multiple tracks. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. I really don't know much about the mixing process, ect., so was just wondering what the issues were from. I read Chinese Democracy had some ridiculous amount of layers too.
 
#20
Crystalman85 said:
That's the trouble with today's music. there's no innovation, there's no creativity, and most of all they're just not trying hard to come up with an awesome song.
Click to expand...

I love how you say that like it has anything to do with what the OP said. All he's complaining about is the loudness of modern music. He never said that modern music isn't creative.

This "loudness war" has ruined a lot of great music. For example, I've never been a big fan of Red Hot Chili Peppers's Californication because of the way it was mixed for loudness. I recently found a "premixed" version of the album that sound great. The songs have a lot more airiness to the sound. Even classic albums are being ruined through the "remastering" process. These two video link below are what got me to really start paying attention to the loudness of music.

Why I Don't Buy "Remastered" CDs. - YouTube

The Loudness War - YouTube
 

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