[MLA] ***SPAM*** Re: Not either or

[Bob Katz]

Eelco pointed out the symmetry of vocal levels when album normalized. 
I'll go one step further which I have pointed out several times: Album 
normalization introduces the mastering engineer's center of gravity so 
that albums even of different genres can be shuffled. Once the loudest 
track in each album has been set to the same target, the ear's center of 
gravity takes over. Soft songs sound right...   Of course there are many 
exceptions due to the acoustic advantage.... if you play a harpsichord 
solo album and normalize its loudest track (if there is any loud track 
for a harpsichord, perhaps when they play both manuals) to the target, 
it will sound way too loud compared to a a symphony or a rock album, 
because of the acoustic advantage. But the vast majority of playlists 
that the majority of listeners will compile will sound just right to 
them with album norm, and often dramatically wrong with track norm, as I 
illustrated at the AES Convention at Thomas's workshop this year.

So this means that if you are in production, radio production included, 
and you hold your monitor gain at a consistent point, then you will 
automatically perceive when soft material is just right, etc. I do not 
have absolute reference ears, but they are very close to reference, and 
within 1 or 2 dB on any given day without looking at a loudness meter, I 
can tell if any track that I listen to is going to fit into an album at 
the gain provided. Out of context!

What this means is that Thomas's well-meaning intent about production 
integrity can and should be turned around in my opinion:

With proper production practices in radio, television, especially film, 
etc. the loudness of tracks can be well made OUT OF CONTEXT done. 
Singles pop mastering to full scale or to a loudness target is an 
*artificial construct.* If you take a pop ballad and issue it as a 
single, when it has been normalized to the target level it will sound 
too loud. Especially in an album-normalized stream. That is the last 
frontier and I don't want to get into it now. it's something we will 
have to live with perhaps forever.

Even years ago I proposed that engineers not master an album of ballads 
or harpsichord solos to full scale or it would sound wrong when 
shuffled. This was in the days of CDs and no one listened to me.* Maybe 
once album normalization becomes the norm, and engineers/producers 
become center-of-gravity aware, and also start using a fixed monitor 
gain---- all these problems will go away. I can dream, can't I?


Bob K.


* When I once proposed that idea, Bob Ludwig gave me a big question 
mark, saying that you have to normalize to full scale. The idea that you 
have to peak normalize the compact disc has always puzzled me, given its 
dynamic range. I know it can be argued, "only 16 bit" etc. But now that 
we're in a 24 bit world, thank god, no one should argue that you have to 
normalize to full scale.


On 12/13/17 8:14 PM, Ian Shepherd wrote:
> Hi Thomas,
>
> Thanks for the extra details. Just to clarify:
>
>> b) Album reduces production transparency, a hard-fought feature of BS.1770
>
> Do you mean you’re concerned people won’t be able to predict the final playback loudness because it depends on the context within an album ? I’m not sure why this would be the case, since surely people will always know which other songs will be grouped together in an “album”, and so can calculate the offset themselves ?
>
> Sorry if I’m missing something,
>
> Ian
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-- 

If you want good sound on your album, come to Bob Katz 407-831-0233 
DIGITAL DOMAIN MASTERING STUDIO Author: *Mastering Audio *Digital Domain 
Website <http://www.digido.com/> No trees were killed in the sending of 
this message. However a large number of electrons were terribly 
inconvenienced.

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