Poor sound of new CD's

I found the following article describing some of the possible causes of poor sound in new pop CD's. It certainly gells with my experience and what I have seen when looking at the WAV files in Sound Forge. Way too much compression and the wave forms clipped on the CDs!

http://www.zero-distortion.com/downlaod/current_trends_in_the_recording_format_arena2.pdf

 

More of the same by way of /.

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/08/01/1533235&mode=thread&tid=141&tid=188

Rip Rowan over at prorec.com did an analysis of 5 different Rush CD's released from 1984 to 2002. The results show a definite trend in the recording/mastering style from each album. Rip contends that louder is not necessarily better as the record execs believe. The artist however, is often left with little choice in the matter.

http://www.prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/files/8A133F52D0FD71AB86256C2E005DAF1C

 

Maybe someone can answer for me why they do this??

I mean I understand the need for compression. Especially on some instruments and if used correctly it can actually make some things sound better than without. Like on a vocal, if you use it right it can make the vocal run more smoothly and helps it to blend into the mix without loss of quality.

However compressing the entire stereo mixdown to that extent just seems weird to me!! Does it actually make it sell more CDs? I don't know anyone at all who buys CDs on how loud they are. Even if they do listen to it in their car, going boom boom boom

If you want an example of highly compressed music take a look at Linkin Park! However in their case I do feel it kind of adds to the trance like effect of the music.

I think older recordings form the time of Supertramp, Pink-Floyd and Dire Straits had the mixture about right.

 

As apart of my audio assignmen we need to produce a radio interview with background. We have studies compression in some detail but nothing in depth so there will be people here that know much more than me on the subject.

However I believe compression is used to make music sound better on cheaper stereo systems such as car radios portable cd players etc. However what tends to happen is the entire wave form gets compressed which means on a decent HIFI system the music can sound very flat as the amptlitude of the frequency stays pretty much the same, which is the exact oposite of a live recording.

As for clipping well there is no excuse for that with todays modern software such as Adobe Audition and Sound Forge it takes 5 minutes to sort that out.

I think the problem we have because its so easy to edit sound waves now is that a lot of record producers are becoming lazy and just compressing everything when in reality its the only the extreme peaks in the music that may need compressing.

I have noticed that some modern pop tracks sound pretty awful, I find a lot of NOW ones tend to be pretty compressed but also sounds a tad harsh at the same time.

 

Sorry, a bit OT

Strange - in that first link (the zero-distortion.com one), they say that SACD and DVD-A have six full range channels: front left, front right, centre, rear left, rear right, and overhead! Is that right?? I've never heard of this overhead channel before! Is that like a height channel?

Dunc

 

Worst CD I have with digital clipping is the Zwan album Mary Star of the Sea. Apparantly Billy Corgan wanted it to sound clipped like many 70s records were, but of coarse they were clipped analogue, not digital...doh!

 

Digital clipping is nasty!! The Tact usefully had an indicator on the front panel to show when discs were clipping and the audible effects were clear.

Basically the digital sound that many attribute to CD is largely the result of clipping in the digital domain, a harshness and splashy treble.

Some CD's don't clip fortunately, but I can assure you they are in the minority. A good example is the opening track on Madge's Ray Of Light. It starts to clip as soom as the acoustic opening comes to an end. If you put that track on you will hear it, the opening few bars are stunning, then it just goes downhill!

 

To me compression and clipping are two different problems.

Sometimes compression is not a bad thing - in the car I like my radio channels compressed because of the background noise. At home, sometimes, compression can be of benefit when the dynamic range is too great and without compression this would mean that the vast majority of the recording was too close to the noise floor.

Clipping can be beneficial too - but only when making the music (overdriven guitar being an example) and only when the artist wants to use it as part of the desired performance. In replay/reproduction clipping is NEVER a good thing, be it digital or analogue. However, didital clipping always sounds harsh and unpleasant whereas analogue clipping CAN be relatively inofensive.

 

I thought the point of compression and limiting is to prevent clipping!?

I have quite a few CDs where you can hear it is limited or has too much compression, but I am not sure I have any that actually clip. If a signal clips it goes into distortion right?

Are you guys sure you mean clipping and not just too heavily limited?

Dunk, maybe the overhead is the rear center? and what of the sub..? Strange!

 

I was aware that DVD-A & SACD lack an LFE channel (they're not 5.1), but I had assumed they were just five full-range channels... never heard of an "overhead" channel in either format.

Dunc

 

People cut as loud as possible to give the track more punch on the radio or in a nightclub. Its basic competition, if your record makes the one either side sound quiet and weedy the punter is more likely to stick their hand in their pocket and buy it. Simple marketing!

Tony.

 

I bought that album on vinyl a few weeks ago and it sounds terrible. i'd also read about the intentional distortion thing, but they didn't get any good retro effects, just a decent album with shite sound quality.

 

Sadly Tenson if you listen to modern pop/rock, the majority of your CD's will exhibit digital clipping, the ones that don't are those that have a low level, and many think these are recorded to quiet!! Turn 'em up and you will be rewarded, Leftism is a very good example.