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<p>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. <br>
</p>
<p>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!</p>
<p>What this means is that Thomas's well-meaning intent about
production integrity can and should be turned around in my
opinion:</p>
<p> 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 <b>artificial construct.</b> 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. <br>
</p>
<p>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?</p>
<br>
<p>Bob K.<br>
</p>
<br>
* 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. <br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 12/13/17 8:14 PM, Ian Shepherd
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:07329FE2-607D-4867-8417-BAA255655BBB@mastering-media.co.uk">
<pre wrap="">
Hi Thomas,
Thanks for the extra details. Just to clarify:
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">b) Album reduces production transparency, a hard-fought feature of BS.1770
</pre>
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<pre wrap="">
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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</pre>
</blockquote>
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