Weekly Reflection March 27- April 3

After showing the class a snippet of my project last week, I was excited to go on and finish the mixing process and begin the mastering phase more completely. Based on the small piece of the video that I showed to the class, I received positive feedback. The mixing was rather straightforward this time around. The levels from last mix were only slightly changed and some more panning and effects were added. The key, however, was to keep the sounds as natural as they could be sonically. It needs to be evident where these sounds came from, and I cannot alter them too much, which was a mistake the first time around. I also mixed through the mastering chain (limiter, compressor, mid/side EQ) this time around in order to bring the piece to a “commercial loudness level.” All in all, I would say this was a productive week.

Speaking of mastering, I found this article which portrays perfectly the struggle of modern engineers as they fight the “loudness wars.” You see, back in the days of vinyl and analog equipment, there was actually a push to keep the dynamic range of the instruments in a mix. It was seen as natural and organic, and it was also preferred. Nowadays, however, in order to catch the listeners’ attention and to “bump in a club,” engineers are being forced to make their music louder and louder. Now, how does one make something louder than 0dB? Simple… they compress and limit the living hell out of it! This squashes the dynamics and allows the total perceived volume of the track to sound as loud as possible. It is often seen as blasphemy among purist engineers, however over the years it has become a necessity to get work. This is especially true in the pop and electronic genres which define much of modern music we hear on the radio and in television and film. Bottom line: sometimes if you cannot beat them you have to join them!