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Loudness compression, loudness wars.. What exactly it is and why is it happening?

MRC01

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AudioQuest Jazz & Blues recordings from the 1990s have excellent dynamic range. They were analog recordings released on vinyl, and later on CD. For example, these are from high quality digital recordings I made from the LPs:

Scan Dir: /media/mclement/MUSIC/music/all/Earl-Beard-1996-Blues Union
01-Lay for Me Sometimes.flac: DR 17
02-Just to Be With You.flac: DR 17
03-I Count the Days You're Gone.flac: DR 16
04-Sinners Prayer.flac: DR 17
05-Sally Mae.flac: DR 12
06-Feets Out in the Hall.flac: DR 17
07-Think.flac: DR 16
08-Telling it Like it Is.flac: DR 18
09-Late in the Evening.flac: DR 14
DR = 16

Scan Dir: /media/mclement/MUSIC/music/all/Earl-Katz-1993-Still River
01-Blues for the West Side.flac: DR 15
02-Time to Remember.flac: DR 15
03-Kansas City Monarch.flac: DR 21
04-Soul Serenade.flac: DR 15
05-Equinox.flac: DR 17
06-Chili be Hugh.flac: DR 14
07-Rego Park Blues.flac: DR 16
08-Derek's Peace.flac: DR 15
DR = 16

Scan Dir: /media/mclement/MUSIC/music/all/Katz Band-1992-Crescent Crawl
01-Crecent Crawl.flac: DR 16
02-Just An Expression.flac: DR 17
03-Contrition.flac: DR 18
04-BK's Broiler.flac: DR 16
05-Buzz Cut.flac: DR 15
06-One Way Ticket.flac: DR 16
07-Boomer's Thing.flac: DR 18
08-Beast.flac: DR 16
09-Will It Go 'Round In Circles.flac: DR 16
10-Just A Closer Walk With Thee.flac: DR 14
DR = 16
 
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maty

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Frank Zappa - Over-Nite Sensation (1973), Vinyl, Pallas 180 gr 2013, Germany

The Mothers - Over-Nite Sensation (Vinyl, LP, Album) | Discogs



DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR13 -1.78 dB -17.41 dB 3:58 01-Camarillo Brillo
DR12 -0.62 dB -16.59 dB 3:34 02-I'm The Slime
DR13 0.00 dB -15.41 dB 2:57 03-Dirty Love
DR12 0.00 dB -13.70 dB 6:09 04-Fifty-Fifty
DR12 0.00 dB -14.29 dB 5:09 05-Zomby Woof
DR12 -1.68 dB -16.09 dB 6:02 06-Dinah-Moe Humm
DR14 -2.06 dB -18.57 dB 6:33 07-Montana
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 7
Official DR value: DR13


CD, 2012 DR 10

Over-Nite Sensation by Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention on Amazon Music - Amazon.com

dr.loudness-war.info Frank Zappa - Over-Nite Sensation
 

maty

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When you think you have seen it all in audio...

Santana - Africa Speaks (2019) DR4

81ih-02mZtL._SL1200_.jpg


http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list/year?artist=Santana&album=Africa+Speaks

-> http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/view/163586

DR3 0.00 dB -4.81 dB 5:43 02-Batonga (feat. Buika)
DR3 0.00 dB -7.58 dB 9:08 05-Blue Skies (feat. Buika)
 
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MRC01

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Looks like the recording engineers squashed the life out of that music, consistent with modern standards.
Great to see these warnings, which say "Do not buy"!
 

RayDunzl

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Track 1 of Random Access memories from CD

Foobar DR Meter says "9"

1559972321467.png


CD played back and recorded in-room

Foobar DR Meter says "13"

1559972434198.png
 

danadam

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Track 1 of Random Access memories from CD
Foobar DR Meter says "9"
CD played back and recorded in-room
Foobar DR Meter says "13"
Or, in Audacity, lower volume by 3 dB and apply high pass filter at 5 Hz with with rolloff 48 dB per octave -> DR12
 

Sal1950

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When you think you have seen it all in audio...

Santana - Africa Speaks (2019) DR4
WOW, really. I'm just finding that hard to believe
Incredible waste of a technology we would have killed for in 1965.
I gave it a quick listen on Spotify and wouldn't pay $0.10 ten cents for it either
technically or musically.
A sad day for Santana fans.
 

g29

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View attachment 13014

Another interesting graphic...

As much as I would like to believe the loudness war is over or subsiding, my recent purchases of modern music in the rock, R&B and alt categories show otherwise. I just took a quick snap of a few tunes from 2017-18 and unfortunately still unacceptable DR:

View attachment 13015

What are you gonna do eh?

PS @DonH56 - thanks for the kind words. I did not make the video, credit goes to Matt Mayfield, in which he did a fantastic job in not only showing the difference, but one can easily hear the difference, even over Youtube, with its own compression and listening on laptop speakers.

Here is a flash from the past with a wee bit of DR.

Flim and the BBs Tricycle.jpg


Here is track #1, [ 43dB to 105.8dB ] in room response.

Dynamic Range Flim and the BBs Tricycle.jpg
 
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mitchco

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@g29 Cool! I have that recording too. I sometimes use my "Dad rock" list with higher DR's from the past to eval gear:

dynamic range examples.png
 

maty

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Just now, SACD vs XRCD vs Vinyl.

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/music/6958-playing-listening-post5818899.html

The Japanese 1975 vinyl mono reissue has lower DR but it has the better sound without any doubt!


Sonny Rollins – Saxophone Colossus (1956), Vinyl, mono, Prestige 1975, Japan

Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus (Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Mono) | Discogs



DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 -0.61 dB -16.38 dB 6:49 A1 St Thomas
DR12 -2.19 dB -16.92 dB 6:33 A2 You Don't Know What Love Is
DR12 -1.66 dB -15.94 dB 5:15 A3 Strode Rode
DR13 -2.73 dB -19.08 dB 9:59 B1 Moritat
DR14 -3.15 dB -22.00 dB 11:11 B2 Blue Seven
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 5
Official DR value: DR13
 

maty

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Bruce Springsteen - Western Stars (2019) (HDtracks) {24-96} [FLAC]

Western Stars | HDtracks - The World's Greatest-Sounding Music Downloads



DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR9 -0.09 dB -11.56 dB 3:37 01-Hitch Hikin'
DR7 -0.09 dB -10.22 dB 4:18 02-The Wayfarer
DR6 -0.10 dB -8.06 dB 3:31 03-Tucson Train
DR6 -0.09 dB -10.32 dB 4:41 04-Western Stars
DR7 -0.08 dB -8.26 dB 3:14 05-Sleepy Joe's Café
DR7 -0.09 dB -10.46 dB 4:17 06-Drive Fast (The Stuntman)
DR7 -0.09 dB -10.53 dB 5:03 07-Chasin' Wild Horses
DR7 -0.10 dB -8.76 dB 3:18 08-Sundown
DR8 -0.10 dB -12.01 dB 1:53 09-Somewhere North Of Nashville
DR7 -0.08 dB -9.16 dB 4:45 10-Stones
DR6 -0.09 dB -7.69 dB 4:05 11-There Goes My Miracle
DR6 -0.10 dB -8.35 dB 3:56 12-Hello Sunshine
DR9 -0.10 dB -11.45 dB 4:16 13-Moonlight Motel
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 13
Official DR value: DR7


CD, 2019

Bruce Springsteen - WESTERN STARS - Amazon.com Music
 

bennetng

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maty

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Donald Fagen - The Nightfly (1982), Vinyl, MoFi Ultradisc One Step Remastered 2017, 45 RPM, US

Donald Fagen - The Nightfly (Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue, Remastered) | Discogs

R-11026431-1509007916-3160.jpeg.jpg


DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR15 -0.32 dB -17.64 dB 6:04 A1 IGY (International Geophysical Year)
DR16 0.00 dB -19.12 dB 3:42 A2 Green Flower Street
DR16 -0.53 dB -20.09 dB 5:39 B1 Ruby Baby
DR16 -1.40 dB -20.25 dB 3:50 B2 Maxine
DR16 -0.61 dB -19.49 dB 6:22 C1 New Frontier
DR17 0.00 dB -19.67 dB 5:47 C2 The Nightfly
DR16 0.00 dB -17.90 dB 4:50 D1 The Goodbye Look
DR16 0.00 dB -18.22 dB 2:39 D2 Walk Between Raindrops
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of tracks: 8
Official DR value: DR16


Donald Fagen - The Nightfly 180g 45RPM 2LP Box Set

Donald Fagen's "The Nightfly" — Mobile Fidelity Does the Digital One-Step | Analog Planet

https://www.amazon.com/Nightfly-DONALD-FAGEN/dp/B071FL9MDN


dr.loudness-war.info Donald Fagen - The Nightfly

(mini LP) [SHM-CD], 2017 DR13, three dB less
 
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maty

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Today, in the last Archimago's post:

LISTENING: Fully battery-powered wireless streamer & amplifier system (Yeeco - TI TPA3116D2, TalentCell 12V battery)

http://archimago.blogspot.com/2019/06/listening-fully-battery-powered.html

It's rather sad and maddening that in 2019, the record companies don't seem to understand that the poor sound quality of these recordings are likely hurting sales and driving music fans away from artists and their music in general. Despite hi-fi technology improving over the years, the technical qualities of mainstream music have as a whole diminished...
 
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Wombat

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Most releases are for the profitable mass market that apparently likes it that way
The rest of us(small market) need to just get over it, after these many years, and support the many acceptable releases that are available(old and new) in various formats and maybe be less 'picky'.
 
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Wombat

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DKT88

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The mix of The Raconteurs track checked on Jack White's car radio. That's the target market.
I checked the DR of their new release Help Us Stranger. Its really compressed. DR6 and 7 except for one track at 9.
 

Wombat

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I checked the DR of their new release Help Us Stranger. Its really compressed. DR6 and 7 except for one track at 9.

As intended. ;)
 

maty

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Bruce Springsteen - The Rising (2002), Vinyl x2, Columbia 2020, Europe

Bruce Springsteen - The Rising (2020, Vinyl) | Discogs



DR Peak RMS Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR12 -0.40 dB -14.13 dB A1 Lonesome Day
DR13 -0.57 dB -16.01 dB A2 Into The Fire
DR12 -0.76 dB -14.52 dB A3 Waitin' On A Sunny Day
DR13 -1.41 dB -15.87 dB A4 Nothing Man
DR12 -0.30 dB -14.35 dB B1 Countin' On A Miracle
DR12 -0.50 dB -14.28 dB B2 Empty Sky
DR12 -0.59 dB -15.67 dB B3 Worlds Apart
DR12 -0.65 dB -14.33 dB B4 Let's Be Friends (Skin To Skin)
DR11 -0.53 dB -13.01 dB C1 Further On (Up The Road)
DR13 -0.65 dB -15.89 dB C2 The Fuse
DR12 -0.52 dB -15.35 dB C3 Mary's Place
DR13 -1.22 dB -16.50 dB D1 You're Missing
DR12 -0.40 dB -15.10 dB D2 The Rising
DR12 -6.40 dB -21.10 dB D3 Paradise
DR12 -0.54 dB -15.34 dB D4 My City Of Ruins
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of files: 15
Official DR value: DR12


CD, 2002

https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Bruce-.../dp/B00006B1OO


dr.loudness-war.info Bruce Springsteen - The Rising DR8, four dB less!!!
 
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