Volume/Loudness

Wumbo · 2010-06-04T16:51:14-04:00

As lovers of music we're often guided by our feelings rather than by our conscious decisions. The volume knob is one of those things that often goes up or down without thought, but maybe it is something that deserves thought. When listening to something, we often perceive a louder sound to be clearer, and easier to distinguish. As a member of some 'audiophile' communities, I can tell you that it is vital when testing equipment for everything to be volume matched. Furthermore, when we are in an emotional, or energetic mood, we sometimes turn up the volume because we feel it better matches the intensity of our feelings. These are things we do when we are not thinking about volume. But I want to suggest reasons we should make a conscious decision to listen at a quieter volume. The most obvious and boring reason is that we need to protect our hearing. If you are trying to overwhelm a noisy environment with your music, you can be sure you are damaging your hearing. A much more compelling reason is that you are paying less attention when the music is very loud. If everything is right in your face, the dynamics of music are lost. Your ears do not strain at all to hear quieter segments, and the louder segments are simply numbing and unrealistic. Yeah, if the singer were in your ear shouting it would sound that loud, but in reality you are listening to him on a stage or something, from a fair distance away. It should also be considered that a studio album is not a live performance. A studio album is designed to be listened to at a reasonable, comfortable volume, because they know people will be listening to it in the comfort of their own homes. It may be more realistic to a live show to have your music at max volume, since they really try to blast the front row's ears off just to make sure everyone can hear, but I think that is distinguishable as a once in a while performance. The studio album is an art form, and like film, it should be enjoyed, rather than consumed. Anyway, I'd be interested if anyone could bring points about the pros and cons of different volume levels. I would also be happy if those who are used to listening at very loud levels would give quieter volumes a try. I think you will find it very rewarding, and a much more involving experience when quiet sounds are actually quiet. The focus it forces upon you helps to appreciate everything surrounding the album.

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Poll: What level do you listen to your music at?

As loud as possible:	50%	[7]
As quiet as my environment allows:	35%	[5]
I prefer to listen to music when it's quiet:	14%	[2]

Total Votes : 14

purple

[quote="dp39"]My girlfriend complains its too loud. So I turn it up more.[/quote]

YES, mine is always telling me to turn it down and that I'll go deaf.

anyway, you have to listen to music loud or you won't hear the full texture of a good artist. Some good examples of music you have to listen to loud to hear this are Closer and Laughing Stock

Wumbo Profile

I think this poll may provide some insight as to why studios started mastering albums as loudly as possible lol. It's weird to see the other half of the coin that actually caused this trend.

maxperenchio Profile
Chicago

I don't always blast it, but I think rock and roll should be played loud.

SquishypuffDave Profile

Wumbo wrote:

I think this poll may provide some insight as to why studios started mastering albums as loudly as possible lol. It's weird to see the other half of the coin that actually caused this trend.

😠 Don't get me started on that...

Wumbo Profile

By all means, do 😄 I would go on a rant about it, but I don't want to deal with the blacklash of people who've never played an instrument in their lives.

Here's some fuel: "Drums don't sound like drums anymore!" 😉

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