after the discussion in the music of 2008 thread, i got to thinking about some albums that are ridiculously loud. these albums are great albums, sometimes classic, but still too loud.







just to name a few

PLZ TO ADD OTHERS TO THE LIST

9/24/2008 1:44:57 PM

9/24/2008 1:46:27 PM

there's no such thing as too loud

and the original mix of raw power isn't loud at all

9/24/2008 2:16:54 PM

9/24/2008 2:20:15 PM

I used to think that too, but now over the past few years when comparing recordings I've drastically changed my mind. On the output side it doesnt really matter if you have a good setup. But on the input/recording side, there is DEFINITELY/unquestionably a "too loud" imho.

one thing I dont like about most albums that I consider "too loud" is the seemingly capped/ceiling loudness such that there isnt much of a difference in the loudness over the course of the album. These swells in volumes have a dramatic effect when used effectively and they almost certainly get lost on records that are recorded too loud.

Loudness to an extent is great, dont get me wrong. Im used to hearing it a lot, heck our album is pretty loud (slightly more than I wanted really), but there certainly is a "too loud" aspect to a lot of recent albums, to my ears at least

[Edited on September 24, 2008 at 2:26 PM. Reason : ]

9/24/2008 2:26:03 PM

doesnt seem to matter what volume, but it always seems to sound like it's too loud, being more with the way your ears distort shit when things are too loud

but i'm pretty sure that's part of the point

9/24/2008 2:29:51 PM

every Melvins album ever made... but I still love them

9/24/2008 2:35:00 PM

this album and the times new viking album are way louder than most other things on my ipod.. shit always scares me when i'm listening to music on shuffle at my office job

9/24/2008 3:07:09 PM

ELECTRIC WIZARD - DOPETHRONE
well, less loud more bassy as hell. Feels like you're being dragged through a swamp


I'm walls1441 and i approved this message.

9/24/2008 3:54:26 PM

9/24/2008 8:04:17 PM

i remember reading an article about how, at the time, definitely maybe was the loudest album ever. something to do with how it was recorded and mixed. i don't really know what i'm talking about.

9/24/2008 8:32:08 PM

i feel like the only albums i agree with in this thread are the woods and raw power--they make my speakers crackle. i haven't noticed that with definitely maybe or oracular spectacular.

9/24/2008 8:39:53 PM

^^ it was (What's the Story) Morning Glory?

there isnt anything to have to know about it relaly, its not hard to control the level your disc is recorded, mixed, and mastered at. its just that normally there were kind of standard levels used for awhile and theyve continued to creep up, ESPECIALLY in the past few years.

9/24/2008 9:13:46 PM

^^ You wouldn't know that The Locust were cracking your speaker until it blew up with all the craziness.

9/25/2008 10:37:39 AM

Metallica's Death Magnetic. Literally one of the loudest albums ever.

Quote :

"Waveform of song "My Apocalypse" by Metallica, in a comparison: top is the regular CD version, bottom is the downloadable version for Guitar Hero III. Done with Audacity."

The guitar hero rip sounds a ton better.

9/25/2008 12:03:14 PM

yeah, what's the story morning glory is insanely loud. when liam's vocals kick in on wonderwall, you almost always have to turn down the volume a few notches.

I remember reading in the "getting high" book about how Liam always thought his vocals were too quiet and was always trying to get noel to crank em up

9/25/2008 12:06:06 PM

wow that waveform looks like a solid line--that is some killer compression, wonder what it sounds like

9/25/2008 12:14:07 PM

[Edited on September 25, 2008 at 12:19 PM. Reason : bad tags]

9/25/2008 12:18:26 PM

oasis discussion reminded me of their new album coming out, bingo

9/25/2008 12:56:13 PM

^^ terrible haha. I went on a mini rant in the metallica thread. But the recording sounds as bad as youd think it would after seeing that

9/25/2008 12:57:31 PM

boris does not equal metallica yo!

9/25/2008 1:47:38 PM

ah dangit, aimorris snuck a post in before me that I didnt see. should be 3 ^ instead of 2

9/25/2008 1:52:58 PM

i don't think oracular spectacular is loud in general as much as its loud moments are really loud...the dynamics seem to be a lot wider than you normally see these days, and that all tracks back to oasis and the loudness war and all that

the two things that come to mind are that opening swell in "electric feel" and the high keyboard riff in "kids" (though that might just be the timbre of the keyboard)

9/25/2008 3:31:37 PM

yea, see i think that is great. being loud isnt bad when used well, but when the entire album is cranked up, thats when you dont have a lot of room to really reach into those loud parts and make them stand out. I havent heard that specific album though.

[Edited on September 25, 2008 at 3:42 PM. Reason : ]

9/25/2008 3:42:00 PM

Quote :

"there's no such thing as too loud "

the problem, as others have mentioned, is the compression that results.

9/25/2008 5:27:14 PM

9/25/2008 5:29:09 PM

oh yeah:

the jesus and mary chain - psychocandy

9/26/2008 8:14:08 PM

Party of Helicopters - Please Believe It

9/27/2008 10:19:18 AM

with regards to the MGMT comment, I would think it was intentional seeing that every mgmt show leaves the audience freaking deaf.

9/28/2008 1:11:10 PM