--- In
motm@yahoogroups.com, "Les Mizzell" <lesmizz@s...> wrote:
>
> :: What really annoys me is the routine over-application of
> :: levelling soft- or hardware to EVERY DAMN CD I'VE BOUGHT
> :: FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS AT LEAST. I mean "dynamic" does not
> :: necessarily mean everything at the same level, right?
>
> I do a LOT of music editing for many local and regional dance
companies, so
> I get to look at the waveform displays on a lot of CDs. There are
many that
> still have a pretty good dynamic range - the "Cirque du Soleil"
music for
> example. Take something like Tori Amos though - sheesh! It's a solid
> perfectly smooth thick black line! You're hard pressed to even see
bass drum
> or snare hits in the display without scanning back and forth
through the
> waveform to hear where it is....
>
> Jezz....
Maybe this is causing my aural fatigue. I will put on a CD, and
after a bit, I will just stop it much to my relief. Now, I am not
talking any kind of grinding, head-splitting, noise puke. It is any
number of regular CD's. It is weird, and the best way to describe
it is "my ears get tired". Does not happen on all CD's, does not
happen with live music, does not happen with TV (lo-fi) music.
There seems to be a level of subtle boringness I cannot clearly
identify. When I stop the CD it goes away, and I am glad stopped
the music.
This did not happen with old analog vinyl records. This could also
be natural aging going on, however if that was the case all music
would sound like this.
Well for now, I am going with the smoothing theory. I guess it is
like removing all the bright colors from a painting, or the sparkly
spices from food. The end result is bland and dull.
Andy