So, the radio brutalized my tracks...

[Ermz]

I was tuned in last night to a radio program where they interviewed a band I had recently worked with. In the breaks they played some tracks from the album and the radio compression absolutely tore the mixes a new one in every conceivable way.

Now... the master of that album was left intentionally quieter to allow for more transient punch, but it seemed to backfire because whenever there was a transient the radio compressor would duck the entire mix. So the level was constantly all over the place.

In contrast the more brickwalled mixes they played after handled it a lot better.

So my question is.... is this radio station an anomaly? Is mastering quieter for better radio tone a myth? Should I fire the mastering engineer?

 

[colonel kurtz]

no, radio stations all smash the life out of their tracks

think about it...when was the last time you ever had to reach for the volume knob while listening to the radio, even if it goes from a led zep song to nickelback or something...

 

[HandsOfDespair]

no, radio stations all smash the life out of their tracks

think about it...when was the last time you ever had to reach for the volume knob while listening to the radio, even if it goes from a led zep song to nickelback or something...

then would doing 2 masters, one brickwalled and one quieter, be the thing to do? and use the brickwalled for radio and maybe myspace(?), and the quieter for the album?

 

[Morgan C]

Of course somethings that already compressed/limited to hell is barely going to be affected by the radio limiting, compared to a relatively dynamic mix. Think about it.. a mastering engineer is focusing on your songs in essentially 'perfect' listening environments and things still don't turn out great (new LOG album for example). Radios are just slapping on a preset on a limiter to get the songs the same volume.

One quick test if you want a quiet mix that'll adapt well to radio would be to slap a limiter on at the end, smashing the shit out of it until its at radio-volume. I can almost guarantee that it'll sound way worse than the string of compressers, clippers and limiters used in loud mastering, though. I think that mastering quieter for better radio tone is a complete myth (unless for some reason you've got radios limiting to lower volume levels than the standard CD.. for some insane, unknown reason).

 

[Nebulous]

Knowing that there would be one of two radio stations doing this, and that they are both community based ones may be some of the problem (wide variety of music, not very specific limiting chains, etc).

Having said that, when you hear for example, Enter Sandman on the radio, you do find the same thing happening as with your mix. The drums on that mix are so loud, so over the radio it pumps. You can even hear it on a car stereo, so it's not subtle.

 

[Machinated]

On one of the albums I did last year, I mastered it quite a bit quieter than normal (which the label was cool with too ). One of the tracks got played on the Radio 1 rock show and I was surprised how cleanly it came through considering what should be happening to the tracks. To be honest I haven't noticed problems on any of the radio stations I have had mixes played on (kerrang, xfm etc). On kerrang it sounded a little different - the compression they were doing was definitely more noticable, but it certainly didn't destroy the mix.

No idea really, unless its different between radio stations.

 

[poidaobi]

On one of the albums I did last year, I mastered it quite a bit quieter than normal (which the label was cool with too ). One of the tracks got played on the Radio 1 rock show and I was surprised how cleanly it came through considering what should be happening to the tracks. To be honest I haven't noticed problems on any of the radio stations I have had mixes played on (kerrang, xfm etc). On kerrang it sounded a little different - the compression they were doing was definitely more noticable, but it certainly didn't destroy the mix.

No idea really, unless its different between radio stations.

Yeah down in Australia our songs get played backwards.

 

[Machinated]

hahaha

 

[sparkyness]

I'm more surprised they stopped playing Chisel for five minutes....