Email from an Audient

02008-07-25 | Music | 4 comments

I bought the Cd ‘The Scent of light’ last night at the Dallas House of Blues Show. It is a very good disk but I am concerned that the over all recording level is much lower then the rest of my CDs. The volume is low enough that when other disks in rotation are over I have to turn up ‘Scent’ and then turn it back down when the next disk comes on.

Are they aware that this is how the disk was mastered? I have tried this on four different systems and the volume is down on all of them.

To this I am a little bummed out valuing the quality of such a fine recording when playing with others disks at the same time on rotation in my art studio.

Please bring it to someones attention, it does have a ruining effect for me.

I love the disk, just not the ‘levels’ it was mastered in.

My reply:

Thanks for your note which was forwarded to me.

We use less compression in the mastering process which allows my music to have more dynamics. It simply sounds better.

Here are a few links for you to understand what extreme compression, sadly very common in mastering these days, does to music:

https://ottmarliebert.com//?p=2141
https://ottmarliebert.com//?p=3080
https://ottmarliebert.com//?p=2967

Our albums may never be as loud as many of your other CDs. That is NOT because ours CDs are mastered too low. It is because their CDs are mastered too loud, depriving you of any dynamics and clipping the fidelity.

4 Comments

  1. stephenduros

    Who listens to CD’s in rotation any more these days?

    Reply
  2. stephenduros

    p.s. well, except for my Grandparents. Although, when I visit, I have to spend 15 to 20 min. figuring out how to work the machine. I think it’s a 10,001 CD changer but they only have 3 or 4 CD’s in there. Hoping to change them over to iTunes soon.

    Reply
  3. dave

    He would probably notice the same thing with cd versions of old LP’s, such as Pink Floyd. Most of today’s cd’s are too loud, which I find a bit annoying.

    Reply
  4. Gerry

    Dave is right, I have a number of 70’s albums on cd,
    I just turn them up.
    ‘Scent’ sounds beautiful on my system (my amp is 30 years old!), as I turn it up it just gets better and better.
    Ottmar, I think you may be right – this album could be your best. ‘Silence’ is a masterpiece.

    Reply

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