Radio compression…AHHHH!!

[beats me]

I’m a little spent on my library, podcasts, and talk radio so I decided to fire up some terrestrial music radio to see what is being forced on people these days. Actually I liked a lot of what was being forced on me, but holy shit, the compression made it almost unlistenable. It’s like all low end with some mud and mumbling. The phasing on highs and hats is unbelievable. I don’t know if it’s always been this way or at some point the radio industry went “Nobody is listening anymore, so fuck it. Let’s focus on the morning zoo crew.”

[ohigetbywithalittlehelpfrommyfriends]

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[beats me]

I also checked out a classic R&B and Funk channel and while not as painful as the new shit, it still sounded horrid. I assume it’s a shit compression for all situation.

[mikemc]

I’m a little spent on my library, podcasts, and talk radio so I decided to fire up some terrestrial music radio to see what is being forced on people these days. Actually I liked a lot of what was being forced on me, but holy shit, the compression made it almost unlistenable. It’s like all low end with some mud and mumbling. The phasing on highs and hats is unbelievable. I don’t know if it’s always been this way or at some point the radio industry went “Nobody is listening anymore, so fuck it. Let’s focus on the morning zoo crew.”

horrible confession time: i was once employed by a company that would produce reel to reel tapes for automated radio stations (pre-digital, pre-computer/software).

An automated station has a bank of reel to reel recorders and cartridge players (cartridges look like 8 track tapes but are only stereo). There was a 25Hz tone just before the song would fade out, that 25Hz tone was used to signal the automation to do the next thing it was set up to do: it might play a cart with an ad or station ID, or kick off another song.

Part of the job involved compressing the crap out of the music. Because "dead air" is a sin in radio, and dead air is defined as falling below a certain dBV level for more than x seconds. Compression helps the signal reach further, hence increase market, hence increase station value.

It was dismal. I would mess around, and pump the levels on the bass drum slightly to the beat

[slatepipe]

^^^ nice

the only radio i listen to is the today programme on bbc radio 4, john humphrys always sounds crisp as fuck to me

[beats me]

mikemc, all up in The Lounge.

But for how long this time.