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New Post 4/3/2008 7:32 AM
  Rip Rowan
78 posts
10th Level Poster




CONTEST: Most Overcompressed CD 
Modified By Rip Rowan  on 4/4/2008 11:37:33 AM)

Hello everyone,

I'm preparing a follow-up to the "Over the Limit" article, and I need your help.  I want to find examples of the most abusive mastering to use in the article.

So, folks, let's put it out there.  Give an example of what you consider to be the most overcompressed, overlimited CD in your collection, and document it here for the world to see.

In your example, please be sure to include the following:

  1. Artist & album name
  2. Song title of song used in example
  3. Mastering engineer / facility
  4. The following audio statistics (these can be gathered using most editors, like Wavosaur, Audition, Wavelab, and others)
    - RMS power
    - # clipped samples
    (use a 10-second representative sample)
  5. Images of clipped transients (use a screenshot from your editor).  See this post for instructions on uploading images to ProRec.


Contributors whose examples are chosen will be credited in the article to be published later in the year!  As you know, the Over the Limit article was the basis for the Wikipedia topic "Loudness War" and was reprinted in modified form in Wired, so we're sure that the follow-up will create a bigger splash.  Be a part of audio history by participating!

Please post your contributions as replies to this thread.


Rip Rowan - ProRec Editor-in-Chief
 
New Post 4/3/2008 6:46 PM
  kdevries
31 posts
No Ranking


Re: CONTEST: Most Overcompressed CD / Worst Mastering Engineer 

Rip,

Perhaps the title, "Worst Mastering Engineer" is not the best subtitle for this effort.

I got an email from Prorec.com today asking me to spread the word about your latest article, which I did.  I posted the request on TheGearPage.net in the recording forum, hoping to get some input from the many folks that hang out there.  Their main objection, and one to which I may agree,  was that the problem of poor mastering was most likely due to the label execs insisting on the loudness of the CD to the detriment of the music.

Many of the readers of the the forum to which I posted your newsletter object to blaming the mastering engineers directly for the poor sound quality.  Perhaps you could explain a bit about this to clarify the issue.

I have been a reader of ProRec.com for some time and have come to know this site to be one of integrity and an excellent resource for those wishing to increase their knowledge of recording.

Cheers,

Ken


www.kennydevries.com
 
New Post 4/4/2008 9:40 AM
  Rip Rowan
78 posts
10th Level Poster




Re: CONTEST: Most Overcompressed CD / Worst Mastering Engineer 

Kenny - having read your comments, I've decided to remove the objectionable portion of the post's title.


Rip Rowan - ProRec Editor-in-Chief
 
New Post 4/18/2008 9:04 AM
  darjama
29 posts
No Ranking


Re: CONTEST: Most Overcompressed CD 

Would music purchased as MP3 be eligible? Truth be told, I've been buying most of my music thru emusic.com for the last couple of years. A couple of those albums are tragically overcompressed.

 
New Post 4/21/2008 4:04 AM
  ajuk
1 posts
No Ranking


Re: CONTEST: Most Overcompressed CD 

May I suggest Franz Firdinand's You Could of had it so Much Better as a good example, not because its particulally bad or even because it has an ironic name, but because Franz Firdinands self titled debut is just about the only rock album from the past few years that has not been destroyed in participation of the loudness war, and it still sold millions and won lots of awards, while the second album was brick wall limited anyway, and it didn't do so well.

Also Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future is a pretty awful example.

 

 

 
New Post 4/21/2008 4:31 AM
  Rip Rowan
78 posts
10th Level Poster




Re: CONTEST: Most Overcompressed CD 

I don't know what to think about purchased MP3s.

On the one hand, MP3s have more than enough dynamic range to support the needs of rock/pop music without all the compression.  So it's no more necessary to overlimit an MP3 than a CD.

On the other hand, I forsee a lot of people questioning the legitimacy of an article that talks about mastering in terms of MP3 creation.  They'll wonder if statements made about an MP3 apply to the CD.

And, while almost all MP3s are simply extracts of the CD, it's certainly possible that there are MP3s out there that are mastered differently from the original CD, so that statements made about the MP3 wouldn't apply to the CD.

I'm curious what other readers think??


Rip Rowan - ProRec Editor-in-Chief
 
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