Dynamic Range Day

Dynamic Range Day

Dynamic is the new Loud - NO MORE Loudness War !

Dynamic Range Day 2019 - LIVE

September 18th, 2026 BY Ian Shepherd

Watch the webcast replays for all the latest DRD news plus the announcement of the Award-winner here:

(Click the Play button to see a count-down before the broadcast starts)

I kicked the day off chatting to Mike Hillier on Facebook Live - watch it again here:

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Louder always sounds better ?

September 18th, 2026 BY Ian Shepherd


Change my mind 🙂

#warningcontainssarcasm

(For all the evidence you need, click here)

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Dynamic Range Day 2017 is on March 31st - Start NOW !

September 18th, 2026 BY Ian Shepherd


 
Dynamic Range Day 2017 is at the end of March - if you'd like to be involved, please take action now.

Every year I encourage people to write blog posts, take the challenge, share memes and interact, and this year is no different.

What is different is that I'd like you to start doing all those things now.

Don't wait

If we wait, the risk is there's a flurry of activity on the day, people get interested... and then it's over. Opportunity missed.

Because if you start talking about it now, there's time for word to spread, and for even more people to be actively involved on the day.

Which is what it's all about.

(If you don't know what it's all about yet - click here to get up speed)

Commit

So, stop what you're doing, right now !

First - share this post somewhere - anywhere - with a message saying you support the event.

Next - look at your calendar. Pick a time this week, and mark in some time for "DRD promo". Whatever you can spare - an hour here, an hour there - whatever.

And then...

Act

When the time comes, do something. Email some friends, post on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, record a short video clip on your phone saying what DRD is and why you support it, why you're taking the challenge, whatever - and share. Spread the word about what you've done as far as you can, and post it on the DRD Facebook page so we can re-share it.

That's it ! Job done.

Except - before you go - maybe pick another time in your calendar, and do it again ?!

And of course, create a huge, dynamic online on the day itself 🙂

Thanks for reading, and thanks for being part of this.

Please share this page far and wide !

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YouTube versus the Loudness War – and why music wins

September 18th, 2026 BY Ian Shepherd

Youtube have started using “loudness normalisation” – so that everything plays back at a similar volume, no matter how hard it was pushed in the recording, mixing or mastering.

It’s like having your own personal DJ, making sure you don’t have to keep reaching for the volume control.

And it cancels out the effects of the loudness war in a single stroke.

Read more:

YouTube versus the Loudness War – and why music wins.

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YouTube just put the final nail in the Loudness War’s coffin

September 18th, 2026 BY Ian Shepherd
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If louder sounds better...

September 18th, 2026 BY Ian Shepherd

For a slightly more detailed explanation, click here.

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Even Skrillex sounds better with more dynamics ! (And even on mobile phones)

September 18th, 2026 BY Ian Shepherd
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Do broadcast loudness meters matter in mixing and mastering ?

September 18th, 2026 BY Ian Shepherd

"Now and in future, our music's loudness is going to be measured and controlled by computer algorithms, and this affects the way it sounds in comparison to everything else. So we need to measure it and listen to the result"

- Ian Shepherd in Audio Media International magazine, Feb 2015

Read the full article.

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Ian Shepherd and MeterPlugs release Perception Plug-in

September 18th, 2026 BY Ian Shepherd

Ian Shepherd and MeterPlugs have announced the release of Perception, a new loudness-matching plug-in in VST, AU and AAX formats for Windows and Mac OS X.

Here's what they say: "Loudness changes our perception of music, often deceiving us into thinking something is better when in fact it's simply louder - and in some cases actually sounding worse as a result of excessive processing. Perception allows you to hear past this "loudness deception" and find the loudness "sweet-spot" for your music."

Perception is a "one click reality check" for mastering and mixing, allowing synchronized, realtime "before and after" comparisons of any audio processing chain, loudness-matched using the new EBU R128 standard.

Read more.

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Excuse the Pun, Have the Loudness Wars Peaked? - Article from CE Pro

September 18th, 2026 BY Ian Shepherd

"More conclusively however, Shepherd’s diligence appears to be paying off. His Dynamic Range Day is growing. With sponsors as diverse as TC Electronic, Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), Solid State Logic (SSL), NAD, Harrison Consoles and Fluid Mastering, an increasing cross section of consumer electronics and pro audio companies are getting behind this initiative."

Excuse the Pun, Have the Loudness Wars Peaked? - Article from CE Pro.

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