In the press and on the Web, the backlash is growing against the ‘loudness war’, the practice of trying to make recordings sound as loud as possible, so they are perceived as ‘hotter’ than rival releases.
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We’ll find out whether recent music is really louder, and whether it’s really less dynamic. We’ll also consider the hypothesis that loudness may be a stylistic marker for specific recent music styles, instead of being a bad habit only motivated by despicable commercial reasons.
Anyone who cares about how music sounds is aware of the “loudness war.” But do you understand exactly what happens when a record producer pumps up the volume of a recording? This article goes into great detail about loudness and audio compression, why it can be good, and why it can be excessive.