This is what I like to call a ‘dynamic edit’ of “We Might as Well Be Strangers” by Keane! *Hopes and Fears* is pretty dynamically-compressed (not to be confused with data compression, which concerns MP3s and such) oddly enough, given the album delves quite a bit into light piano balladry.
For those not in the know, the Loudness War is a phenomenon beginning in the mid-90s onward, in which music was mastered louder and louder, with the underlying reasoning being that louder music sells better. As with any medium, however, there is a peak loudness a signal can reach, so dynamic range compression (which makes the louder parts of the signal quieter while keeping the quiet parts quiet) and sometimes even clipping (attempting to push a signal beyond its peak) were used to make music as loud as possible. I don’t believe this album clips, thankfully (clipping can produce audible distortion, often manifesting as hiss).
Music that has faced a high degree of dynamic range compression in general can also be fatiguing to the ear. I attempted to fix up the compression on this release with a program called “Perfect Declipper”, can not only help alleviate clipping, but also much of the dynamic range compression that occurs during mastering! The result is much more dynamic. In this case, I was able to turn the dynamic range of the album from 6 into 10!
You can see a few examples of my edits here:
In my edits, it’s important to note that the dynamics are not being restored with the "Perfect Declipper" program that I use, but rather, they are being approximated. While one may not be able to "declip" an album as one would be unable to "unbake a cake", I find the results here to be a convincible attempt at doing so. Only in the most extreme examples have I heard the program produce odd artifacts that would appear unintended in the album’s mix. I also want to present this all with the caveat that dynamic range compression is not inherently a bad thing. Compression can be used to tighten up performances, provide color to mixes, and to achieve hard, punchy sounds.
My edits are sourced from the stereo DVD version, which I believe is mastered by Doug Sax (though it may be mastered by Ted Jenson; it’s unclear). The DVD version is slightly more dynamic than the CD version, with songs around 0.5dB quieter, but both version are extremely similar.
I produce many more dynamic edits on this channel as well as further descriptions in posts over on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/TopConcern/posts/
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