There has been some discussion and much grumbling about how the record industry has pushed the loudness controls to their maximum limits thereby eliminating much of the dynamic range we experience in vinyl and early cds. Well a group of folks have decided to put deeds and action behind their dissatisfaction and formed the
“TurnMeUp” organization. I applaud them for walking the talk but I don’t think they can stop this phenomenon, because they are playing catch up to what has taken over most if not all control rooms. The vast majority of the listening public appear to accept the loudness mastering because most of their listening is done via iPod ear plugs and car stereos. What’s your thoughts? Will this effort grow legs and make a difference or never get off the ground?
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TurnMeUp! - Founded by Grammy-winning engineer/producer Charles Dye, alternative indie artist John Ralston, and studio-owner/podcaster Allen Wagner, Turn Me Up!™ is a non-profit music industry organization working together with a group of highly respected artists and recording professionals to give artists back the choice to release more dynamic records.
To be clear, it's not our goal to discourage loud records; they are, of course, a valid choice for many artists. We simply want to make the choice for a more dynamic record an option for artists.
Today, artists generally feel they have to master their records to be as loud as everybody else's. This certainly works for many artists. However, there are many other artists who feel their music would be better served by a more dynamic record, but who don't feel like that option is available to them.
This all comes down to the moment a consumer hears a record, and the fear that if the record is more dynamic, the consumer won't know to just turn up the volume. This is an understandable concern, and one Turn Me Up! is working to resolve.”
http://www.turnmeup.org/index.shtml