The DijonStock Digital Home Recording Support Forum

Just pinched these quotes from a forum where mastering engineers discuss their particular problems and views. Usually the discussion is quite technical and well above my amateur head, but they sometimes have discussion about the "loudness" question, in regards to mastering. thought some of you may be interested.

"As recording, mixing and mastering engineers, we have to reduce original dynamics to a range that works in playback, that keeps a listener engaged when the visual and visceral elements of a live performance are not present"

and in response another commentator wrote

"Engaged? Hardly!
We’re in the background muzak business today providing “hip” sonic atmospheres for people to identify with.
Engaged listeners want dynamics but we left most of them behind with the L.P."

To which the response was ...

Can't tell how much tongue is in that cheek, Bob. Can only say that for a recent latin big band project, the producer asked me for a hot, "commercial" mastering of the album. Did that. Then after listening for a few days, he apologized for the misdirection, and asked me to relax the presentation a bit to be less aggressive and try to seduce the listener instead of attacking. Knew he had to pay for the re-mastering. Did that. Happy producer. Project sounds great. It will never be mistaken for sonic atmosphere. I definitely compressed the overall dynamics somewhat, but it makes real demands on the listener. And that's the listener he wants. Bless his heart.

and then ... in response ...


... The "portable music" market is a
replacement for what people do with radio and not the "trend" in the record
industry many people assume. Today's artists are often lemmings who get
caught up in the aesthetic values of portable background music and then
wonder why nobody becomes engaged enough to want to buy their recordings.
Recordings need to be tailored to specific audiences and to what those
people do with their recordings. Too many artists have lost touch with
fulfilling the desires of actual engaged music fans. It's all simple
marketing 101 stuff."

_________________
Byron