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YouTube puts the final nail in the loudness wars' coffin

productionadvice.co.uk

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Re: YouTube puts the final nail in the loudness wars' coffin

#82

Post by JeremyBanks »

anigbrowl wrote: post #5
rl3 wrote: post #2

> And if you’ve spotted the big problem with the way it works, you know it needs to be discussed. Anyone know what he's alluding to? > But the loudness won’t be lifted if clipping would be caused in the process That would have been my first guess, thankfully it isn't the case.

I don't know what he's alluding to, even though I'm very familiar with the issue and quite familiar with the ITU loudness standard. I posted mainly because I had noticed the change myself over the last few months. Maybe he means the fact that if you don't have an adblocker YouTube ads seem to be as loud as the ones on TV used to be. It might be that this will now fall under the aegis of the FCC :) but I'm not really…

So should they stop advertising, and take down YouTube?

Re: YouTube puts the final nail in the loudness wars' coffin

#83

Post by rlx0x »

ptaipale wrote: post #61
rlx0x wrote: post #56

Doesn't the process of compression (to make it seem louder) destroy some of the information? I always assumed this was a irreversible process?

Yes it does. That is (partly) why those who love music often hate (too much) compression.

then the premise of the article is inherently flawed :(

Re: YouTube puts the final nail in the loudness wars' coffin

#84

Post by pfunk »

rlx0x wrote: post #83
ptaipale wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes it does. That is (partly) why those who love music often hate (too much) compression.

then the premise of the article is inherently flawed :(

If YouTube compensates for this (lowers the volume of tracks that have been mastered loud), then it removes the original motivation for doing so.

This is why the 'Happy' YouTube mix is less loud than the CD version linked to - the author asserts that the studio has done this because the incentive to apply dynamic compression on YT is now gone...

Re: YouTube puts the final nail in the loudness wars' coffin

#85

Post by crowbar »

72deluxe wrote: post #26
polshaw wrote: post #22

>[on YT] Everything plays at a similar loudness, regardless of how it was mastered. And no-one has noticed. None of us noticed; it seems like the labels and sound engineers may have; take this image comparing the dynamic range of the CD and youtube releases of Pharrell's "Happy"[1]- I thought at the time it might just have been a mishap or random occurance, but now it looks like it was a very deliberate move. So, rat…

I noticed! I am a bass player who now happens to write software in the audio industry (I work for a company that makes hardware). But I noticed before coming here. Some of the worst CDs in my record collection are: 1. Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full (this is the worst album I own - considering Sir Paul left The Beatles over the mix of The Long and Winding Road, he should leave his own band over his master of this…

Fellow bass player here too, though I'm still learning!

Just out of curiosity, did you ever listen to the Vapor Trails remaster that came out last year or so? What were your thoughts on that?

Re: YouTube puts the final nail in the loudness wars' coffin

#86

Post by elarkin »

smcl wrote: post #12
djloche wrote: post #4

I don't mind the actual tracks having various mixing/mastering. I do mind when a commercial is compressed/mastered with the intent to be perceived louder to stand out from the actual music/video that you are watching.

I don't think we (the consumers\audience) are ever going to win that war.

Actually, it's already illegal in the US: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_Advertisement_Loudne...

Re: YouTube puts the final nail in the loudness wars' coffin

#87

Post by pdx »

This makes me happy. My daughter watches a lot of youtube and it's a pain to constantly jump up to turn up the volume or turn down the volume after every video change. Especially if you go to sleep to a video and the next video in the playlist blows you out of your slumber because it's mix is hot compared to the previous one.

This is a good move. Sorry music guys, but on the whole, this is a win.

Re: YouTube puts the final nail in the loudness wars' coffin

#88

Post by Karunamon »

elarkin wrote: post #86
smcl wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think we (the consumers\audience) are ever going to win that war.

Actually, it's already illegal in the US: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_Advertisement_Loudne...

In theory, yes, in practice, that just means the commercials are compressed to the single loudest part of the TV show they accompany. Net effect: Nil. The commercial still sounds louder than everything else.

Re: YouTube puts the final nail in the loudness wars' coffin

#89

Post by stolio »

pearjuice wrote: post #47

And as you would expect from any monopoly, they can do this without anyone doing anything against it.

Not sure why this is downvoted and at the very bottom of the thread.

If the article is true, youtube/google is using their market power in one sector to limit artistic and creative decisions in another sector. If mastering houses simply make a youtube mix next to their CD mix than the title is wrong.

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