(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:
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.
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)
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...
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 !
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:
"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
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.
"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.
For all the details on tonight's live webinar, click here
Please invite your friends ! Either on G+ or by sending them this link:
See you there !
Learn the surprising secret of 'how to sound loud in the 21st century' - as demonstrated by U2:
U2′s surprising secret for sounding loud in the 21st century.
To watch Ian Shepherd's full presentation at AES Mexico last year, click here.
Bob Katz, a respected audio engineer, reckons the Loudness War will soon be over because of the launch of iTunes new streaming service iTunes Radio. The default setting on iTunes Radio is for every song to be normalised to the same volume settings, meaning that whatever level a song was mastered at, it will play at the same volume as the song before it.
I wanted to learn why some songs are produced to be louder than others, so I talked to audio engineer Ian Shepherd from Dynamic Range Day. Click to read full article.
HAS THE LAST BATTLE OF THE LOUDNESS WAR BEEN WON ?
“The debilitating loudness war has finally been won,” said mastering engineer Bob Katz on the eve of the Audio Engineering Society AES Convention in New York City. The last battle will be over by mid-2014.”
“I have just completed loudness measurements of iTunes Radio using iTunes version 11.1.1. Tunes Radio’s audio levels are fully-regulated, using Apple’s Sound Check™ algorithm. This is a very important development,” Katz said.
via Digital Domain.
"We overcooked it," bassist/singer Geddy Lee tells Rolling Stone now. "The mixes were really loud and brash. The mastering job was harsh and distorted."
Eleven years after the album came out, Rush fixed the situation by hiring producer David Bottrill to remix the album. "He understood what it should sound like," he says, "so I'm very pleased with the end result. I think he's finally brought some completion and some justice to some of those songs we'd put so much of our heart and soul into."
Rush Remix Their Polarizing Album Vapor Trails - Premiere | Music News | Rolling Stone.
Great rection to Ian Shepherd's talk at the AES Mexico Convention:
Lust For Level - audio perception and the battle for great sound
Afterwards there is a 40-minute Q&A on DRD, the loudness wars and mastering in general.
The Dynamic Range Day Webcast is online, now - share this link with your friends !
Only one hour left until the DRD Webcast - please share this image and link:
So, Justin Bieber is louder than Motorhead, AC/DC and The Sex Pistols… – wait, WHAT ?
The Dynamic Range Day Webcast is at 10pm GMT tonight.
I'll be announcing the winners of the Award and Competition, as well as demonstrating "Perception", a brand-new plugin I'm developing with MeterPlugs which is highly relevant to the issue of the loudness wars...
Invite your friends - spread the word ! Share this link:
And if you're on G+, invite everyone in your circles !
And do some more of the 11 Things 🙂
Spread this image far and wide !
Please include this link: https://dynamicrangeday.co.uk/about/
Find more Things You Can Do to promote Dynamic Range Day here !
The loudness war is actually a huge opportunity for people who want their music to stand out !
Share this link to spread the word - and check it out yourself, if you haven't already:
Learn the Loudness War secret that will give YOUR music an edge
- and feel free to try a few of our other 11 Things To Do On Dynamic Range Day !
If you've been doing all the Things we suggest to help promote Dynamic Range Day today, then the chances are your friends and followers are starting to say "DRD ? WTF ?" - or, words to that effect !
Matt Mayfield's "Loudness War" Youtube video is seven years old already - and it's still the single best short illustration of the problem with the loudness war !
Share it with your social networks so people understand the problem with "wimpy loud" ! You can use this link:
- and here are some more Things You Can Do !
It's amazing what the offer of free stuff can do ! And there are still a few hours for people to enter the competition - with a selection of superb prizes from out amazing supporters !
Tell people to enter now - and then watch the webcast tonight at 10pm GMT to see if they've won !
Another Thing in an hour's time - and here are some other Things You Can Do !
Please share this image with the link - and check out the page, if you haven't already !
Here are some other Things You Can Do
Another Thing coming soon...
Twitter and Facebook are great ways to do this - just send them the video and link from "Thing the First" and ask if they would like to share it with their followers and fans.
Hints & tips:
Here are some other Things You Can Do
This year the theme of Dynamic Range Day is "Turn it up to eleven".
So, every hour from now, counting down to the webcast tonight, I'm going to ask you to do one of eleven simple things to help get the message out there.
Just paste in this link:
And maybe add this one too:
And you're good to go !
Now try some of the other Things to Do - click here...
People outside the music industry just don't understand the Loudness War.
When I explain it to them, when I get to the end, they always look at me in bewilderment and say:
"Why ?"
Why do people make master music at super-high levels when listeners set the volume, when broadcast and players and online streaming remove the differences ? Why ?
And the answer is something that no-one likes to say out loud.
It's fear.
(more…)
"Having a show returned for being out of spec costs valuable time and money, so I count on NUGEN Audio’s VisLM visual loudness meter and LM-Correct loudness analysis and correction tool to ensure we’re CALM-compliant. Since I started using VisLM and LM-Correct, PBS has not rejected or returned any of the programs I’ve delivered." - David Hough, Austin City Limits
Loudness War presentation at the 133rd Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention in San Francisco
The future is on the way - Cubase 7 now includes loudness metering as standard.
Read more
The Music Loudness Alliance is a group of audio technical and production experts whose mission is to inform and educate the audio community about Loudness Normalization and suggestions on how to implement it on various platforms, such as computer music players and standalone audio players.
Read more:
Many audio professionals believe the days of hyper-compressed recordings may soon end. Ian Shepherd, a British mastering engineer, says broadcast audio standards may help expedite the process.
Read more:
Loudness Wars Coming to an End? - CE Pro Article from CE Pro
Hats off to Ray Staff @ Air Mastering - the new release of "Ziggy Stadust" will NOT be a victim of “desk-smashing diginess” !
The total number of hits to the DRD website doubled in comparison to last year, while more than 2,000 people entered the online competition.
Reflecting on DRD12, Ian Shepherd - mastering engineer and DRD founder - tells PSNEurope: “The response from the industry has been fantastic and 100% positive... The whole thing is taking on a life of its own [and] it’s genuinely hard to find people who disagree with the message we’re putting across.”
DRD web interest ‘doubles’ as war on loudness continues - Story | PSNE Magazine Online & In Print.
The title of the talk was
I'm demonstrating the new Nugen VisLM loudness meter to students at Northbrook college, here in the UK, and I switch between "My Name Is" by Eminem (DR9) and "Turn Out The Lights", by Kanye West (DR3).
Just listen to the audience reaction !
That's what people think of the "loudness war" sound when playback volumes are equal - and that's how it's going to sound in the near future. You can try the same comparison yourself in this Spotify Playlist.
(Make sure the "Set the same volume level for all tracks" preference setting is still checked - it's the default, so probably will be)
As I said in the talk - this is the future. New loudness standards being introduced in broadcast all over the world mean that soon, this is how the majority of listeners will hear the "loudness war" sound.
(I also love the fact the John Cage is on the wall behind me - coincidence ?!?)
So - that's my favourite moment - what about the bigger picture ?
...Though I do say so myself !
We more than doubled the number of hits to the website comapared to last year; we more than doubled the number supporters on both Facebook and Twitter; and over 60,000 people read my interview on the CEPro website just in the few days around DRD alone.
Over 2000 people entered the competition and over 1200 people have watched the webinar with Al Wagner and grammy-winner Charles Dye from TurnMeUp, which includes a much more complete demonstration of loudness metering. You can watch the webinar replay here.
As if all that isn't enough, we had 49 global MeetUp events taking place all over the world - in London, Cambridge, Berlin, Lima, Novi Sad, Mexico City, Bangkok, Bogota, Brooklyn, Bucharest, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Johannesburg, Miami, Sydney, Sheffield, Warsaw, Sao Paulo and more…
This picture is from just one of the MeetUps, at Azul studios in Mexico.
Once again we had fantastic industry support from the sponsors of the competition - Solid State Logic, Bowers & Wilkins, TC Electronic, Fluid Mastering, Harrison Mixbus, Home Studio Corner, Audiofile Engineering and Audio Issues, plus NAD Electronics and PSB Speakers, who organised their own DRD listening event.
The Dynamic Range Day Award was chosen by DRD supporters voting on Facebook this year, and was awarded to Bjork, for "Biophilia". Her management posted updates on her Twitter account and Facebook pages, where they were seen by literally millions of followers.
And finally there were hundreds of Twitter updates, Facebook shares talking about the event and blog posts, incuding coverage by Tape Op Magazine, Sound On Sound and Pro Sound News.
So, once again we'd like to say Thank You to all our supporters, and to everyone who took part - and we'll see you next year !
Unless the war is already over by then...
Ian Shepherd
Thanks to everyone whom attended the webcast this year - and if you weren't able to be there, enjoy the replay !
Click here: Dynamic Range Day 2012 Webcast
To help celebrate Dynamic Range Day, CE Pro asked Ian Shepherd to explain what forces are driving the loudness wars and what can be done to stop them.
Dynamic Range Day: Inside the Loudness War - CE Pro Article from CE Pro.
A passion for better sound quality is slowly creeping into the consumer audio market, propelled by the growth of headphone and computer audio, expanding computer bandwidth and memory capacities, and a siren heard around the audio world from Neil Young proclaiming his disdain for MP3s
As I'm writing this the third Dynamic Range Day is less than 16 hours away - so:
What's happening, exactly, and when ?
Well…
It's fantastic ! At the time of writing there are 41 MeetUps planned for Dynamic Range Day tomorrow, literally all over the world:
London, Cambridge, Berlin, Lima, Novi Sad, Mexico City, Bangkok, Bogota, Brooklyn, Bucharest, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Johannesburg, Miami, Sydney, Sheffield, Warsaw, Sao Paulo and more...
Which one will you go to ? Click here to get involved !
Loudness recommendations [will] adhere to EBU R128, which Burrows sees as becoming standard. "Theres a fair bit of equipment out there now complying with R128 so it seemed sensible to stick with that," he says.
Allen Farmelo writes on the Tape Op Blog:
I'm really not open to discussion on this topic because I am, simply, choosing not to be at war. I really love dynamic music and 99% of the time keeping dynamics alive is appropriate for the music I'm working on.
Read more:
Conclusion:
Most people don’t notice the effects of “loudness”
Most people who do, don’t like it
“Loudness” has no effect on sales or chart placements
In the near future, all music will play back at a similar level, regardless of how “loud” it is
The prize in a competititon intended to raise awareness of the loudness wars is… acompressor ?
Exactly the kind of tool that was used to make many of those crushed, distorted “casulaties” in the first place ?
Right.
Because...
DRD goes global for latest skirmish in the loudness war - Pro Sound News
After a highly successful 2011 edition, this year’s Dynamic Range Day promises a further 24 hours of online activity designed to raise awareness of excessive loudness and the impact that it is having on the sound of recorded music.
The organisers of Dynamic Range Day 2012 have published an open letter to the music industry.
The letter asserts that most people don't like the effect the "war" is having on the music they listen to, and that new standards and legislation will soon make the effects of high average level - so-called "loud" music - irrelevant.
The letter is approved by both Dynamic Range Day and TurnMeUp.org
Mastered for iTunes offers the opportunity for music to sound great again - will artists, labels and engineers seize the day ?
Dynamic Range Day this year is on 16th March, starting at 12:00 GMT.
Show your support by signing up to the Facebook Page and Event !
To organise your own local event, click here.
If you are interested in sponsoring DRD12, please click here.
Lefsetz Letter » Sound Quality.
And nobody’s doing anything about it. Because they’re just not shooting high enough. They want better laptop sound. Higher resolution MP3s. No, what we want is uncompressed audio played through high end systems. This will sell, if someone would just lead the way.
On November 4, 2010, Earl Vickers presented his research paper at the 129th AES Convention in San Francisco with clear evidence that there is no connection between loudness and sales.
Don’t believe me ? Just watch the video...
To find out more, click here
There is a myth that in order to stand out on the radio, your song needs to be louder than anyone else’s.
Bollocks.
Maybe this was true during the first Loudness Wars, back when every Motown release was louder than the previous one, but not any more – not for a long time...
Here’s something you might not expect to hear from me:
The Loudness War is your friend
Why ? Because it offers an easy opportunity to let your music stand out from the crowd...
Learn the Loudness War secret that will give YOUR music an edge.
Red Hot Chile Peppers – ‘I’m With You” vinyl sounds better than CD.
And I made a video to demonstrate it
Truly excellent Loudness War analysis in Sound On Sound magazine - STOP PRESS:
"There is no doubt about it: contrary to general belief, there has been no obvious decrease in loudness range due to the loudness war, and brickwall limiters have not reduced the loudness range in music production."
In fact, the article argues convincingly that "dynamic range" is so poorly defined that's it's pretty much useless as a way to discuss this issue.
Does this mean we don't have to worry about the Loudness War after all, or that it's NOT making modern music sound worse ? No. Over-use of limiting and compression tends to cause...
"...reduced crest factor, envelope modifications... and in the worst cases, distortion. Common sense suggests that although there is nothing wrong with these characteristics as such, they shouldn’t be on virtually all records"
The fight goes on...
Read the whole article: ‘Dynamic Range’ & The Loudness War and my commentary on it's findings here:
SOLID STATE LOGIC SUPPORTS DYNAMIC RANGE DAY
SSL offered the X-Desk mixer for this year’s DRD competition because it is an appropriate prize; X-Desk, like all SSL SuperAnalogue™ technology offers greater headroom and sonic clarity, enabling a greater dynamic range to be enjoyed.
A new Loudness War Research page has been added to the Dynamic Range Day site.
The goal is to provide a resource of objective evidence that the driving beliefs behind the Loudness Wars are wrong.
Click here to read more: Loudness War Research
Craig Kallman, Atlantic Records CEO and Chairman... is passionate about improving the sound of music...
Perhaps the new high-resolution releases should include mixes with less compression and processing... Kallman was open to the idea, so we'll see if wider quiet-to-loud dynamic range is incorporated in Warners high-resolution formats
via Warner gears up to release high-resolution music | CNET News.
TurnMeUp.org is proud to announce that Ian Shepherd has been added as a member of the Board of Directors
Allen Wagner says, "Ian is a perfect match for our organization. He has been actively advocating bringing dynamics back to popular recordings, both online and offline. Furthermore, his credibility as a professional mastering engineer is a welcome addition."
Wagner continues, "One of Ian's most powerful projects in pursuit of the goal of more dynamic music is his creation of the online event Dynamic Range Day, now in its second year. Together we'll be looking to take this event into the offline world as early as next year."
Bury five-piece Elbow has scooped the trophy – awarded for the best-sounding dynamic mix of 2010/11 – for its critically-acclaimed fifth studio album, Build A Rocket Boys!.
The announcement of the award provided a climax to a full 24 hours of online activity designed to raise awareness of excessive loudness and the effect that it is having on the sound of recorded music.
via Elbow wins 2011 Dynamic Range Day mixing award - main-content | PSNE Magazine Online & In Print.
On IHR #87 – an interview with Ian Shepherd about mastering and Dynamic Range Day, hosted by Dave Chick
via IHR #87 – Dynamic Range Day (Enhanced) | Inside Home Recording.com.
“Every playback device in the world has an output gain control on it. Record and master the music at musical levels and allow the listener to play it as they wish. Do not fall slave to making all music sound equally loud on iPod Shuffles or the iTunes program itself !”
Think music these days doesn't sound as good as it used to? Here's why.
Up to 11: The problem with modern music - Story - Entertainment - 3 News.
This is a short little improvised theme I wrote for (or was inspired by) Ian Shepherd and his Dynamic Range Day 2011 project and challenge (@DynamicRangeDay and #DRD11 on Twitter)
via Theme for Ian by siggidori on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free.
Friday (25 March) will see a full programme of online activity designed to make people more aware of over-compression during mixing and mastering, and the effect it is having on the sound of recorded music.
via Dynamic Range Day this week - main-content | PSNE Magazine Online & In Print.
We're also mentioned in the March issue - under "Soundbites", on the left.
The folks behind Dynamic Range Day have declared war on the loudness war and nominated March 25th as a day to bear in mind the dynamics of your music...there's a bunch of info over at their site, including a nifty competition... Go. Now!
On March 25th, the world will celebrate Dynamic Range Day. Admittedly, my parents won't; I'm not sure my children will learn about it in class and, all jokes aside, there's a decent chance that some artists and mastering engineers will also ignore it. This week, I'd like to explore why it would be great if we all paid the subject of dynamics and their sad decline from so much recorded music due heed.
When you say “I’m doing this thing called Dynamic Range Day, would you like to be listed as a supporter ?” – suddenly all you get is wide eyes, muttered excuses and un-returned emails.
People don’t want to stick their necks out on this issue
Why is that ?
This week we talk to Ian Shepherd and Allen “Big Al” Wagner about Dynamic Range day 2011
If you're of the mind that the Loudness Wars have gotten out of control with today's music, then check out Dynamic Range Day!
Ian Shepherd is a mastering engineer with over 15 years experience in the business, and also a significant voice speaking against the Loudness Wars.
Ian was kind enough to join me for a chat about Dynamic Range Day which will be celebrated on the 25th March this year.
Against the loudness war by ~xTom on deviantART.
In an effort to bring awareness to the loudness wars, March 25th is Dynamic Range Day in the UK and it’s being supported by some major manufacturers and engineers.
You can win an SSL X-Desk, Bowers & Wilkins CM-1 speakers or a mastering session at Fluid Mastering
via Mix Magazine
THE LOUDNESS WAR STOPS HERE; RACE TO HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE AUDIO WITH US
Our first full-length release, Sounds From The Treeline, takes a stand against what is pejoratively known as “The Loudness War“
via The Loudness War stops here; race to high dynamic range audio with us | Lakefield.
Heres a little picture I made to show how Loudness war-style mastering ruins music.
Public awareness of the so-called ‘loudness war’ has been increasing of late, thanks to exposure in publications like The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal, and also because of initiatives like Dynamic Range Day.
via Sound On Sound
A day of online activity on 25 March will seek to make people more aware of over-compression at the mixing and mastering stage and the effect that it is having on the sound of recorded music.
via Pro Sound News
If you commit to the Dynamic Range Day Challenge, then we’ll publicise as many of those commitments as possible. So, if you send us an email, link, or tweet we’ll post it – on this site and also on Facebook and Twitter.
If you send us a video, we’ll include as many as possible in the Live Stream on the evening of March 25th.
Just listen to three different masters of the same song, and identify which one is the most dynamic for the chance to win one of these fantastic prizes !
An SSL X-Desk
Bowers & Wilkins CM-1 speakers
Exclusive Shure mobile recording kit, inc. PG42 & PG27 mics
...and more !
Judged by a panel of industry experts, this will be awarded to a high-profile, successful act who have had the courage to ignore the Loudness War “fairy-tales” and release great-sounding, dynamic music.
The nominees will be listed on this page, and the winner will be announced on
Dynamic Range Day – March 25th
The so-called “Loudness War” is a modern myth – a fairy-tale built on nonsense that has some-how hypnotised the entire music industry for the last ten years – and is permanently damaging the music we listen to.
Hello ! The main point of this blog will be to keep a record of posts related to Dynamic Range Day on other sites - so, there will be a curated RSS feed of useful links.
