The Death of High Fidelity

This article from Rolling Stone pretty much nails the state (sonically, at least) of the recording industry.  iPods, ProTools, compression and AutoTuners have all conspired to make music sound really different than it did just a few years ago.

It's a really good article, and from my perspective it's pretty much spot on.  Whoever did the article did their homework - the first couple of paragraphs I was thinking "yeah, but all these records sound loud because they're overcompressed."  Then comes a whole paragraph about compression.  Then I'm thinking about  Oasis' What's the Story Morning Glory  as being the first record I recognized as sounding "different" and how everybody in that era started going for that "Britpop sound" and lo and behold they mention that too. 

Honestly I don't really mind it to a point.  For most rock music, "loud is good".  What also bothers me  is how so many car and home stereos have these God-awful EQ settings or faux surround modes that you can't turn off.  You basically never hear an album the way it was recorded. 

I do wonder if everything being made right now is going to sound REALLY dated in a few years... 

(Via the observant Jabob Ward)

Comments

[Mark Lee]

They actually make a turntable with a USB jack. It's the best of both worlds. And you could burn your records to mp3 and compare...

Here's an example:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/mp3/90a0/
(I have no idea if this is the best - I'm just putting the link to show you what I'm talking about)

[MrsJason]

After some serious conversation on this topic,(mostly one-sided b/c as you know, I am musically retarded) we set out tomorrow to buy a turntable...something about hearing jazz music the way God and Coltrane intended.

[Corey]

What kills me more than recorded compression is compression used in live shows. More often than not, I see gig racks that have several high end outboard effects processors that are then supplemented by a $60 Beringer gate/compressor that just chops the top of the sound off in a very rough and non-creative way. Sure, you can then push 105dB instead of 99dB out of the house loudspeakers but is that really worth it when it sounds muddy and unintelligible?

I realize it's a live show and will be somewhat different than the album but the two should not diametrically oppose one another. And, having been to a lot of live rock shows, I will say that the last time I saw Third Day was some of the best live sound I've ever heard.

[cool dad]

We recorded with an engineer who expressed the same concerns about over-compression and the loudening of music. His setup was analog and refused to conform to the modern volume standards.

I applaud him for his convictions, but unfortunately, our recording just sounded less professional than most of what's out there. I guess I've bought into the loudness illusion as well.

[Paula]

Would that be Jason Morant's 'Open'? I love that album. We played it constantly in the store for three weeks and we still love it!

[Brad]

I loved the part where Jeff Buckley's mom actually made them re-master her late son's album "Grace" so the nuances could be heard. Good for her. It is one of my top 10 albums of all time.

Wilco did a great job on their latest, as they always do. They are great musicians and they do such an amazing job of taking the music from a whisper to a roar. They were on Austin City Limits and I swear there are parts where you can hear the amps humming the back while they "bring it down." They also create an atmosphere which is unsurpassed, IMO.

Jason Morant has a great album that isn't "on 10" that is worth checking out.

[Dennis]

A friend and i were talking about this very phenomenon yesterday at lunch. The compression on most 'modern' music is ridiculous - and sounds horrible. I think thats part of the reason vinyl has stayed semi popular - and even seems to be making a come back in some ways - it has a much warmer, more 'real' sound to it.

Not all new music is horribly compressed - you really notice it when an album is well recorded - the last 2 Wilco albums come to mind - and Radioheads stuff - they sound so much better than the overly compressed stuff.