httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRyIACDCc1I

The Wall Street Journal posted a column titled ‘Even Heavy-Metal Fans Complain That Today’s Music Is Too Loud!!!‘. It’s about time the loudness in modern day recordings is creating legitimate noise.

“Some fans are complaining that “Death Magnetic” has a thin, brittle sound that’s the result of the band’s attempts in the studio to make it as loud as possible”

“Metallica and the album’s producer, Rick Rubin, declined to comment. Cliff Burnstein, Metallica’s co-manager, says the complainers are a tiny minority. He says 98% of listeners are “overwhelmingly positive,” adding: “There’s something exciting about the sound of this record that people are responding to.”

Ted Jenson who mastered ‘Death Magnetic’ agrees with the fans by claiming, “Believe me, I’m not proud to be associated with this one.”

Unfortunately, many today’s music executives believe a louder record will generate more sales. “Nobody really wants to have a record that’s not as loud as everybody else’s” in an iTunes playlist, says Mr. Jensen’s business partner and a fellow engineer.

I think it’s important that we learn from this situation. Music lovers are finally aware that many albums lack dynamics caused by engineers abusing technology. “Digital technology made it possible to squeeze all of the sound into a narrow, high-volume range,” says Bob Ludwig, a veteran mastering engineer. Hence, ending the loudness war is vital.