





Dynamic Range Day is March 20th, 2010

That’s TODAY !

Actually, that was years ago, now.

Dynamic Range Day has been so successful that it’s become an annual event, with it’s own website – for all the latest information, click here.

If you’d like to get involved, please “Like” the Facebook page for regular updates.











Thanks, and see you soon !

Now just for the record, here’s the original text of this post, dead links and all, edited on the day…

Join us in a day of protest against the CD “Loudness Wars” – more info below

Use the Twitter hashtag #DYNAMICRANGEDAY on March 20th to try and get this issue “trending” on everyone’s Twitter page

It’s easy to take part – just SHOUT (type in all caps) ALL DAY, EVERYWHERE !

And when people ask, tell them why you’re shouting

Read the full story here: Dynamic Range Day – The Idea

What are the Loudness Wars ?

Watch this video:

Latest News

20/04/10 NEW Join us at 9pm GMT on Twitter to try and get this issue trending !

20/04/10 NEW Read my Dynamic Range Day post here

20/04/10 Dynamic Range Day gets off to a fantastic start, with a huge evening of activity on Twitter

19/03/10 Dynamic Range Day is global, and has just started in some time-zones !

18/03/10 Over 2000 guests confirmed to the Facebook event already – still climbing

18/03/10 Pleasurize Music Foundation support Dynamic Range Day

25/02/10 Dynamic Range Day Banners available for download

25/02/10 TurnMeUp.org adds a Dynamic Range Day banner to their front page

Check back soon for more updates

More Information about the “Loudness Wars”

Music is getting louder, and sounding worse.

Engineers and artists are using modern technology to push the average level of recorded music up and up and up against the “brick wall” maximum level of the CD format. This results in distortion, lack of punch and a flat, two-dimensional, lifeless sound.

If you’ve ever wondered why you feel tired and get a headache listening to recent CDs, but not discs released back in the early nineties, the Loudness Wars are probably to blame.

The most famous example in recent years is Metallica’s “Death Magnetic”, which made the headlines when over 20,000 fans signed a petition asking for the CD to be remixed or remastered. CDs have a maximum dynamic range of over 96dB (decibels).

Until recently, the loudest CDs had a dynamic range of 8dB or more, even at their very loudest points. Much of “Death Magnetic” has a dynamic range of only 2dB, and most people agree that it sounds terrible as result. Dynamic Rangeis a measure of how much contrast there is in music, how much light and shade, how exciting it sounds.

It’s a two-edged sword, though. Too much, and rock won’t rock, pop won’t pop, and you’ll have to keep adjusting the volume. Too little and you’ll get sick of listening to even your favourite music far quicker, and probably end up with a headache.

Sadly, by 2010 this trend has affected almost every genre of music. You can hear it for yourself by listening to the audio examples in the short interview I did for BBC Radio 4 soon after “Death Magnetic” was released – click the grey arrow in the box over there on the right !

Or, check out this YouTube video comparision of the released CD version of Death Magnetic, and the much lower-level version used on the Guitar Hero game soundtrack

Metallica “Death Magnetic” CD vs. Guitar Hero Video





What Can We Do ?

Join in on March 20th 2010 – Dynamic Range Day ! Taking part is simple

Just SHOUT ALL DAY !

(For non-nerds, typing in ALL CAPITALs is know on the internet as “shouting”)

Why SHOUT all day ? Because over-compressed, distorted, unnecessarily high-level Loudness-War-Casualty music sounds as if it’s shouting at you, all the time. IT’S LOUD AND IT STAYS LOUD AND IT’s ONLY LOUD AND VERY SOON IT WEARS YOU OUT. AND GETS BORING !

So if we SHOUT all day on March 20th – on Twitter, on Facebook, in our emails – everywhere – if we shout and explain why we’re doing it when people ask, by linking to this post, or TurnMeUp.org, or the Dynamic Range Foundation, then hopefully we’ll spread the message far and wide:

NO MORE LOUDNESS WAR

So please, sign up for the Facebook Event to stay updated. If you have a blog, write a post explaining why you support Dynamic Range Day, and a Dynamic Range Day Banner.

Tell your friends – talk about #DYNAMICRANGEDAY on Twitter and see if we can get it trending. Simon Howes has set up a mySpace page – tell all your friends about it !

Lets get this issue everywhere.

Show your support – sign up now.





If you enjoyed this post and would like to get free updates by email, here’s a widget:

Or click here to subscribe to the free RSS feed

Original logo idea by Matthew Vince