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Insider with Robert Harley — The Loudness War

Insider with Robert Harley — The Loudness War

The Loudness War: A Must-View YouTube Video

Jan 4 – It’s no secret that record companies crush the dynamic range of rock and pop releases in order to make their records sound louder during radio play. By compressing the music’s peaks, the average level can be boosted so that it sounds more “impressive” on a car stereo or boom box. Moreover, record producers feel that their levels need to be “competitive” with other “product” so that their record doesn’t sound wimpy. The resulting situation has been dubbed “The Loudness War.”

Unfortunately, removing music’s dynamic range kills the life, drive, and impact of music.

The Loudness War is brilliantly explained in a short YouTube video. The video shows you aurally and graphically what dynamic range compression is and how it destroys music. This video is a “must-view” for anyone who cares about music. Send it to your friends and perhaps we can generate a public outcry over this absurd practice.

Robert Harley

By Robert Harley

My older brother Stephen introduced me to music when I was about 12 years old. Stephen was a prodigious musical talent (he went on to get a degree in Composition) who generously shared his records and passion for music with his little brother.

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