Posts
I first heard of compression a few weeks ago now, while reading an interview in Stylus with 65daysofstatic front man Joe Shrewsbury and since then, it’s been something I haven’t been able to get out of my mind every time I listen to a CD.
Compression is a form of music production which alters the overall sound of a record to make it a lot louder. In a nutshell, the idea is to squash down the crescendos and boost the quieter troughs, to create an even level of sound, which can then be boosted up to a louder volume. This is because every band on the radio is aiming to be the loudest band out there so their song will stand out above all the rest. A band wanting to stand out isn’t exactly a new development though; I mean what band doesn’t want that? But compression isn’t the best way to be going about it. With entering into this ‘loudness war’ the songs end up losing all the depth and quality they started out with and as a result, all their individuality and heart. And isn’t that the reason bands form in the first place? To create something uniquely them that they can be proud of, not something that will conform to earn them the most money or radio play.
Compression may be useful for the radio and iPods, but music was initially made to be heard live and loud, listening to the intricate details and distinguishing different instruments and sounds, not mashing it all up into one. Hearing all the different frequencies and the guitars fading off into the back as the drums kick in, not the mention the anticipation of a good build up and the buzz felt when the climax of a song kicks in.
So when I had researched this technique, my first port of call was to listen again to ‘The Destruction of Small Ideas’ the latest album from much loved post rock band 65daysofstatic, which completely went against this idea of mastering with compression. And, listening to it at full deafening volume, you hear the quality and beauty of the sound return, and it reminds you what music, no matter the genre, could and should sound like.
Compression is a form of music production which alters the overall sound of a record to make it a lot louder. In a nutshell, the idea is to squash down the crescendos and boost the quieter troughs, to create an even level of sound, which can then be boosted up to a louder volume. This is because every band on the radio is aiming to be the loudest band out there so their song will stand out above all the rest. A band wanting to stand out isn’t exactly a new development though; I mean what band doesn’t want that? But compression isn’t the best way to be going about it. With entering into this ‘loudness war’ the songs end up losing all the depth and quality they started out with and as a result, all their individuality and heart. And isn’t that the reason bands form in the first place? To create something uniquely them that they can be proud of, not something that will conform to earn them the most money or radio play.
Compression may be useful for the radio and iPods, but music was initially made to be heard live and loud, listening to the intricate details and distinguishing different instruments and sounds, not mashing it all up into one. Hearing all the different frequencies and the guitars fading off into the back as the drums kick in, not the mention the anticipation of a good build up and the buzz felt when the climax of a song kicks in.
So when I had researched this technique, my first port of call was to listen again to ‘The Destruction of Small Ideas’ the latest album from much loved post rock band 65daysofstatic, which completely went against this idea of mastering with compression. And, listening to it at full deafening volume, you hear the quality and beauty of the sound return, and it reminds you what music, no matter the genre, could and should sound like.
If you want to read the Stylus interview you can find that here:
http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/interview/65daysofstatic.htm
Or, for you technoheads out there, a more in-depth article on compression can be found here:
http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/weekly_article/imperfect-sound-forever.htm
