I think it would have been nice for this guy to have at least introduced himself to the board / band before shitstorming the mastering of their albums, but hey, that's just me.
Yeah, I can see how it was somewhat tactless. Being a metalhead, I'm somewhat below average at interpersonal relationships
Quick belated introduction for those interested: I'm a 21 yr old student. I stated listening to metal 4 years ago and that's pretty much the only thing I listen to these days. I like every genre of metal except metalcore/deathcore. My favorite ND album is The Novella Reservoir. TPHD and TWTF are nice. I haven't really checked out the older albums.
Yeah, though still, what is all this mumbo jumbo about "loudness wars" and how this ultimately equtes to more album sales?
For the best info you can read the first link of my first post. I'll summarize here:
Because of psychoacoustics, the human ear perceives loud sounds as better. So if you don't touch the volume knob, the loud album will be perceived as better. Also, since it's louder, it will stand out compared to quieter albums. So many bands and/or labels wants to have the loudest CD so that it stands out, therefore catching the attention of listeners (buyers). The cycle continues, and every year since the introduction of the CD format, the loudness of new releases increase. Since there come a point in the CD format where you cannot increase the volume anymore, it's gonna be interesting to see what happens after that.
Psychoacoustics also explains why you need to compare loud and quiet CDs by playing them back at their average volume (the volume perceived by the ear) and not by the volume knob on the CD player.
Alright, something is very wrong with this, at least on a fundamental level. When fans actually complain about mastering??? COME ON...
We all bought oldschool albums, some (on reflection) have the sound quality of ASS or very near it - yet we still love them (someone give me some comparisons - I be's at work). So what's the deal??? You get a band like ND who cares enough to seek out the industries top ears to tweak material's recording to high quality audio and you cant find anything to bitch about as far as the music goes so you attack the mastering?? I understand everything said comes from an opinion, but an opinion that comes down to lack of understanding that the band likes how the stuff comes out. Sorry, guys - that post was just inflammatory and I found it quite obnoxious......
Yes, I only bitch about the mastering. Isn't it wonderful that the songwriting, the recording and the mixing are all perfect?! (even then, I'm only objecting to *one* aspect of the mastering - dynamic range. The rest is good). Also, I bought the album, doesn't that entitle me to some feedback?
My post was not inflammatory. I didn't start a flame war, nor was it my goal posting here. In retrospective, I can see it was kinda condescending to the mastering engineers thought. I think I would have upset less people if I made my post more like an inquiry and less like a recommendation.
The fact that I come "bitch" here is a sign I care about the music (though I realize it's pretty much the worst way to show my appreciation). If I didn't love ND's music do you think I would be here?
As I battle with this daily, I feel I should chime in. First of all, yeah what a cool way to kick off a thread on our forum! Haha you might as well come backstage and eat all our eggrolls during soundcheck to REALLY stick it to us! I agree, the loudness war is out of hand ... the clipping doesn't bother me half as much as the loss of dynamics. I think there is a line to bring it to, but not cross depending on the song. A good aggressive limiter can add a really cool ferociousness to the sound as well as 'loudness' as well, THAT's the reason it's done. If the point of music was to be as accurate and pristine as possible, what's the point of distorting the guitars? It's the clipped (distorted) guitars that are big and dramatic... can you imagine metal without that sound?
BESIDES, a lot of kids these days don't listen on audiophile systems. They listen on laptops, iphone earbuds and crappy car stereos. Limited mixes sound better on those systems. A full dynamic mix sounds dull on a little piece of shit stereo speaker system. Maybe someday there will be CDs that have limited AND dynamic mixes included on the release, so whiny little complainers can choose the one they like the best!
i'm SO sick of this topic
uke:
Why are you here if you're sick of it? May I make you even sicker by asking you what job or hobby causes you to "battle with this daily"?
I'm not complaining about limiting the guitars. This is what make metal METAL. I'm against limiting the whole record, drums especially. Although you may think so, I'm not a fanatic. A little limiting is OK, but it's worsening year by year...
Loudness wars be damned!!! 
