If dynamic range compression on songs is well known to lessen the quality if the music, then why does it continue to be done?
In: Technology
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There are a few reasons:
* Lost of listening is still done on the radio and that means it can happen in noisy places. Dynamic compression is a huge help in making the sounds of the music audible in noisy environments.
* Some producers are still fighting the loudness wars.
* At concerts an other live-sound events, compression is an essential tool. Screeching vocals and guitar riffs would be super unpleasant. Dave Rat (sound guy for the Red Hot Chili Peppers) uses a *ton* of compression at their live shows. Check out his YouTube Videos, they are fascinating.
Is it known to lessen the quality?
Most listeners respond positively to compression. Objectively speaking, this means it *improves* the quality of the music. Of course, individual tastes are very different.
I imagine a combination of many people don’t like silence, and automation.
If I’m listening to music and the artist decides that this next bit should be 2x as loud, im going to be annoyed as I set the volume to the level I, the listener, want. If I really want to sit and enjoy the music as intended that’s one thing, but its much more common I just want it playing in the background where I would rather it all be about the same loudness
In summary people don’t want the music to suddenly get really loud
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