What Is Happening To Our Music?

[StevieC]

I am refering to the way in which some so-called "remastered" CD's are being produced. Enough bass to punch holes in walls and so much treble even the dog's put her paws over her ears. Is this being done to make things sound "better" to kids listening on MP3 players? Or does the music business think we actually want our music to sound like that? For instance, how much bass do you expect from an acoustic duo for God's sake?

OK, so I've got one or two old vinyl albums that sound a bit dull and lacking in brightness. A little tweak on the treble control soon sorts that out (my amp is normally set for a flat frequency response). I went out to see a local band the other night and fully expected it to be loud and "in my face" which it was. But it's not the sound I want at home on a Sunday morning.

I've also come across a few other odd things, such as left and right channels being swapped over - accidental or deliberate? If deliberate what's the point? Then there are the songs (or in some cases complete albums) that originally started off at a low level then gradually increased in volume as the track progressed. The subsequent CD issues are at the same volume all the way through, completely ruining the dynamics.

And I really can't figure out what happens to a download. Example: I download a song (from a legit source so we can't blame a suspect upload). Later I buy a CD that has the same song on it. So I pop the CD into my computer, load the song up and convert it to MP3 at exactly the same bit rate as the download. So the two will sound the same won't they? Er, no they don't, and I've actually done this to prove a point.

So has anybody else got any thoughts on any of the above or is it all in my mind, the record companies are all wonderful and I need some sort of therapy?

Thanks, Steve

 

[Rick1979]

Hi steviec

I'm far from an expert on this but i bought Abbey Road remastered and the only difference i can hear is bass has been turned up, in fact i prefer the original version. What a waste of money that was, don't think i'll be getting anymore. Complete con in my eyes.

 

[daveloc]

This ring any bells (or eardrums)? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war

 

[Sizzers]

I have a remaster of "Some Girls" by the Rolling Stones, and I wish that it DID have the bass to bring the walls down and, if I did have a dog, it would cover it's ears at the treble. It's COMPLETELY lifeless and indistinct, and it reminds me of how the old 78's used to sound.

 

[Anonymous]

I am refering to the way in which some so-called "remastered" CD's are being produced. Enough bass to punch holes in walls and so much treble even the dog's put her paws over her ears. Is this being done to make things sound "better" to kids listening on MP3 players? Or does the music business think we actually want our music to sound like that?

Put yourself in their shoes. You're a record producer. Make your music sound good to 99% of people listening to it on Skullcandy headphones through an iPod Touch, or make it sound good through a Bryston amplified, Wadia sourced B&W Nautilus setup?Doing the former will get you more money, and that's all they want.

 

[dannycanham]

Yeah but they all sound better when an ipod is on shuffle. When every track/album/band/genre is just as loud and in your face as the next, it all sounds like the same album. Probably even rips to an mp3 type format better too. Apart from getting really obsessively geeky about it, I don't know how to avoid the worst offenders either.

Prays for a day where I can purchase a license to own an album, with the ability to choose the format & mastering from a selection.

 

[The_Lhc]

Prays for a day where I can purchase a license to own an album, with the ability to choose the format & mastering from a selection.

You can do just that if you get the 24-bit version of Band On The Run.

 

[Anonymous]

Prays for a day where I can purchase a license to own an album, with the ability to choose the format & mastering from a selection.

I agree. Why do they make it so hard to buy the non-remastered version of The Wall for example? It's a nightmare for us who care about sound, not so much those caring about sales.

 

[Native_bon]

Well, well said. their are really bad recordings out there. i know cause i got a recording studio. I play some of the cds and analyse the frequencies & it just pure sound horror on disc. Some are so bad even just playing them on a good system shows all the bad stuff.

 

[shooter]

Well, well said. their are really bad recordings out there. i know cause i got a recording studio. I play some of the cds and analyse the frequencies & it just pure sound horror on disc. Some are so bad even just playing them on a good system shows all the bad stuff.

I'd be interested to see some screenshot's of remastered stuff if you can put them up.

If you have Radiohead In Rainbows put Weird Fish's through the analyser (well any song), it is an OMG moment!

 

[shooter]

I'm afraid the record companies and/or masterers are ruining most releases be it normal or remasters, honestly, it is a disgrace.

The remaster of any original recording should be fully dynamic with no compression and no clipping and this just isn't happening. There is some pretty awful stuff out there which seems to be targeted at the "normal" punter that listens through MP3 player's, car audio the radio etc that hard limit to compressed dynamics and boost the high frequencies both to make it loud, nice. The remaster market should be aimed at the audiophile that wants quality audio that is free from any negative master, it's not hard to do and what's the point of it otherwise?

The trouble is that the normal punter buying the normal CD doesn't really care to much about how the disc was made, just that it's available but the audiophile does and the above mentioned seemed to have forgotten this.

I must add though it's not all terrible some of it can be good but how do we know the wheat from the chaff, unfortunately we don't unless we buy an audio level analyser like Audioleak but then that would be so anal and beyond musical enjoyment. You would probably loose all faith in human kind if you did though.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, well said. their are really bad recordings out there. i know cause i got a recording studio. I play some of the cds and analyse the frequencies & it just pure sound horror on disc. Some are so bad even just playing them on a good system shows all the bad stuff.

I'd be interested to see some screenshot's of remastered stuff if you can put them up.

If you have Radiohead In Rainbows put Weird Fish's through the analyser (well any song), it is an OMG moment!

You can do it yourself on your PC using Audacity 8) . Might not be 'as' accurate as a proper oscilloscope or such, but its good enough to spot a loudened remaster.