The Loudness War

It's a fact that people respond more positively to louder audio stimulation. With the progression of technology, the music industry has always tried to capitalize on this, resulting in the "loudness war." It originated with the introduction of the compact disc, which doesn’t have the same dynamic limitation that vinyl does. The call for a louder listening experience in the analog era ultimately resulted in a loudness “arms race” upon the emergence of the digital music format, due to competition between radio stations and recording studios to create louder, more powerful records. Because maximum dynamic levels are available in digital recording, increasing the overall loudness of a track will eventually saturate the audio, creating a sound that is uniformly loud throughout.

Destroying the loudness range actually takes away from the emotional power of the music, instead creating what is called "listener fatigue," and exceeding the saturation point has the tendency to create clipping, or unwanted distortion, in a recording, destroying the quality of the audio. Additionally, radio stations and MP3 players have audio equalizers and volume control; the purpose of the loudness war has therefore been defeated – and has arguably resulted in turning off more listeners than it has attracted. The production quality of albums such as “Memory Almost Full” by Paul McCartney and “Death Magnetic” by Metallica has received criticism for being muddy and annoyingly loud. “Death Magnetic,” in particular, has been characterized for being distorted and musically undefined. As of June 2009, an online petition calling for its re-release without dynamic range compression has been endorsed by over 20,000 people. Whether or not calls from fans and within the industry will result in the death of the “loudness war” remains to be seen.

Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory? is generally seen as a catalyst, mixed louder for crowded pubs. Masterer Vlado Meller later mastered Red Hot Chili Peppers' Californication, which was criticized for being atrociously loud. Nowadays, artists like The Strokes, Kanye West, and Katy Perry have louder records than the Megadeth releases of the 80s. On the other hand, many indie and post-punk artists like The Cure, Hot Hot Heat, and Nine Inch Nails have retained creative control and avoided the "loudness war" phenomenon.