[linux-audio-user] anti-compressing?

[Mr. Spock]

On Wed, Apr 14, 2004 at 02:33:50PM +0100, Steve Harris wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 14, 2004 at 02:12:35PM +0100, Anahata wrote:
> > There is a case for compressing music when it's listened to in a noisy
> > environment. Sadly that's almost everywhere these days, but in a car is
> > is good common example of an environment where sound compression is
> > really helpful. I've tried it with a minidisc of some chamber music, and
> > while the result isn't terribly musical, at least it's nearly all
> > audible while driving.
> 
> I've had exactly the same experience, I'd prefer it is car minidisc
> players and FM radios (MP3 and DAB now I guess :) had builtin compressors,
> and music wasn't so compressed at source. Sadly "louder is better" to
> humans. 
> 
I should first of all like to sympathize with Ron for having
to put up with such requests from his client; we all know his
professionalism from the excellent thoughts he continually pours
into this list. So I am in no way criticising him for making
loud music louder; he's just at the whim of the client.
I hope they were happy in the end.

The only times I actually *want* compression is:
 a) when driving on the motorway ("Wir fahren auf der Autobahn..." ;-)
 when the road noise overpowers the quietest sections of music, and
 b) late at night when I don't want to disturb my neighbours, but
 just have a peakless oozing ambient wash of sound.

Just hearing on the radio thw other day a 1968 recording of Paul
Hamburger's wonderfully soft piano intro accompanying Janet Baker
in Strauss' "Morgen" made me reach for the volume control to turn
it up with sublime anticipation... It made me think:

  The best tunes make you want to turn them *up*.
  The lame tunes make you want to turn them *down* (or off!).

Hopefully producers and musicians will soon realise this and the
current artificial fad for squashy CDs will become passe.


> Radio 3 in the UK makes very little use of compressors, but they are
> the only one I know of.
> 
Bravo!


Malc