Auditory Cortex
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- Feb 3, 2024
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One of my favorite albums of all time, Homogenic, originally released in 1997, has one of the worst Masterings when it comes to Dynamic Range, since the limiting is used so heavy that the dynamics got compromised (another victim of Loudness War). Not only that, but there are even instances where you can hear the distortion of the Limiting effect being pushed so hard that it distorts (soft-clipping in this case). For example, in the song "Bachelorette" you can hear such distortion at:
However, I forgot that there was a Dolby Atmos version of these releases, and since Dolby Atmos has a technical requirement of loudness that forces music to have a much better dynamic range,t hen I supposed it would get exactly what I was looking for.
I got the files and played them Downmixed in Stereo. From what I can hear, there is no Binaural effects or any 3D surround sound, which is better for me since I only want to enjoy the music in its original stereo image but with the improved loudness and dynamics.
I was very happy to listen and enjoy the music in their best shape, no heavy compression, no destructive limiting, no moments where you could hear the distortion I was talking about at the beginning, and the intense moments when the climax of the songs happen are intact and can be really felt and enjoyed.
Here you can see the improvement:
That's a screenshot of the loudest part of the song Bachelorette, and indeed, no more fatiguing annoying brickwall waveforms like the one above, the peaks are recovered below and there is a clear distinction of where the most climactic part of the song is.
I also measured the Dynamic Range with DRoffline MKII and with foobar2000, and both now give an Album DR of 10:
I finally felt goosebumps again when listening to my favorite album at full volume, it's amazing.
Unfortunately it's not completely perfect. I noticed some minor issues compared to the original album.
1. The EQ curve is inconsistent across the different tracks. In general you may want to increase the Highs/Treble by 3-4 dB, however in the song "5 Years" needs +10 dB !
(By the way, I also thought that because of the original heavy compressed mastering the original album lacked of Bass too, but here in the Atmos version I can see that the album actually is like this, so I personally also increase the Bass by +4 dB)
2. The reverberation effects are a little diminished, so what I did was to add a Stereo Imager effect and increased it by around 140%.
I also recommend checking her other albums, especially those who were heavily compressed before such as Vespertine or Vulnicura, which they now sounds incredible, and from what I have listened, they don't need extra EQ besides your personal preferences.
- 02:53.759
- 03:00.952
- 03:01.658
- 03:03.199
- 03:50.500
- 03:52.822
- 03:59.925
- 04:26.738
However, I forgot that there was a Dolby Atmos version of these releases, and since Dolby Atmos has a technical requirement of loudness that forces music to have a much better dynamic range,t hen I supposed it would get exactly what I was looking for.
I got the files and played them Downmixed in Stereo. From what I can hear, there is no Binaural effects or any 3D surround sound, which is better for me since I only want to enjoy the music in its original stereo image but with the improved loudness and dynamics.
I was very happy to listen and enjoy the music in their best shape, no heavy compression, no destructive limiting, no moments where you could hear the distortion I was talking about at the beginning, and the intense moments when the climax of the songs happen are intact and can be really felt and enjoyed.
Here you can see the improvement:
That's a screenshot of the loudest part of the song Bachelorette, and indeed, no more fatiguing annoying brickwall waveforms like the one above, the peaks are recovered below and there is a clear distinction of where the most climactic part of the song is.
I also measured the Dynamic Range with DRoffline MKII and with foobar2000, and both now give an Album DR of 10:
I finally felt goosebumps again when listening to my favorite album at full volume, it's amazing.
Unfortunately it's not completely perfect. I noticed some minor issues compared to the original album.
1. The EQ curve is inconsistent across the different tracks. In general you may want to increase the Highs/Treble by 3-4 dB, however in the song "5 Years" needs +10 dB !
(By the way, I also thought that because of the original heavy compressed mastering the original album lacked of Bass too, but here in the Atmos version I can see that the album actually is like this, so I personally also increase the Bass by +4 dB)
2. The reverberation effects are a little diminished, so what I did was to add a Stereo Imager effect and increased it by around 140%.
I also recommend checking her other albums, especially those who were heavily compressed before such as Vespertine or Vulnicura, which they now sounds incredible, and from what I have listened, they don't need extra EQ besides your personal preferences.
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