My office for the day. Engineering the new Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band record at Blue Jay Studios in Carlisle, MA.
Back at the office after a much needed break.
The Loudness Wars: Why Music Sounds Worse
Though it’s a few years old, this NPR article is one of the best mainstream examples that is bringing attention to the Loudness Wars. The PDF Infographic on the left is a great visual that outlines how Peak and RMS levels in popular music have been steadily creeping higher and higher over the years.
I had the pleasure recently of attending a mastering session at M-WORKS with the talented Jonathan Wyner. We, along with the artist, decided to retain as much of the original dynamics as possible instead of playing into the loudness battle. The end result is an incredibly punchy record with excellent depth that can be listened to at loud volumes without being fatiguing.
A great example of this is Bob Ludwig’s work on Guns ‘N Roses Chinese Democracy. Ludwig discusses how the band chose a master he printed that contained NO compression that was used for loudness. He also discusses a similar approach when mastering Tool’s 2006 release, 10,000 Days.
Some of my favorite records over the past few years that have had great commercial success, while also maintain a fairly wide dynamic range:
Imogen Heap’s home studio is one of the coolest designs I’ve ever seen. Completely on board with the idea that control rooms and home studios should be personalized for ultimate comfort while at the same time still sounding great.
Love the Dynaudio surround system too.
Classical guitar in the studio today. (Taken with Instagram at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall)
This might be my favorite piece of recording gear in the studio. (Taken with instagram)
Mastering Matt Nakoa’s debut record at M-Works in Cambridge, MA by the wonderful Jonathan Wyner.
Fathead II and a Royer 121 on violin. AEA R88 on piano.
Mix revisions with Matt Nakoa.
Recording Bach - St. Matthew Passion with Grace Design’s m802 and m902.
Microphone setup as follows:
Decca Tree L, R: DPA 4006
Decca Tree C: Schoeps MK21 Wide Cardioid
Choir: Schoeps Figure 8 - Faulker Array
Choir Wide: Sennheiser MKH20
