Modern Records Slammed For Being Too Loud

Bob Dylan calls them 'atrocious'...

by Scott Colothan
Monday, June 04, 2007

Modern Records Slammed For Being Too Loud

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Record labels have come under fire for making some contemporary CDs too loud for listeners.

Recent research into the subject claims that the production houses set the automatic CD volume too high, which can lead to serious distortion of sound.

Amongst the artists heavily criticised in the study are Red Hot Chili Peppers, Arctic Monkeys, Oasis and Lily Allen.

Speaking to the BBC, Peter Mew, senior mastering engineer at Abbey Road Studios, said: Record companies are competing in an arms race to make their album the loudest.

“The quieter parts are becoming louder and the loudest parts are just becoming a buzz. This could be the reason CD sales are in a slump.”

Even Bob Dylan has waded into the argument, saying: "Modern records are atrocious. There’s no definition of anything — just static.”

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ah yes, oasis - inventors of ”concrete sound” - recording everything permanently in the red. Cos that’s ”rock and roll” of course, not simply ”shit production”.
~ by Stick Gandhi | Send Message | 6/4/2007
He’s right, you know. If you listen to a RHCP track next to almost anything else on your ipod, it’s about 5db louder. And five times shitter, too.
~ by robwatson | Send Message | 6/4/2007
What a load of bollocks. Then again, I’ve never listened to the fucking chili peppers on CD.
~ by Temple 6/4/2007
Nah that’s garbage. It’s scarcely deafening and if it’s too loud for you, then TURN IT DOWN.
~ by theverve | Send Message | 6/4/2007

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It’s not about turning it up or down. The labels are turning the tracks into crap. The sound levels are pegged so the sound is all distorted at any volume. There is no ”warmth” left in the music. Lily Allen’s release would be OK if the whole thing wasn’t distorted. I know when to utilize a volume control Mr. Record Label Executive, and utilize cash, if you don’t let me control on I WILL control the other!
~ by 64flair 6/4/2007