But the big difference is that the love/hate of the music way back had to do with a music STYLE (not in any technical method of recording/mastering). An old fogey might hate Elvis Presley or Black Sabbath or The Clash, regardless of how it was recorded.

There are some recent recordings that I absolutely can’t stand listening to, but I LOVE the music. Huh?? But what about horrible quality recordings from the past? Surely they existed before??? Yes… I have some awful sounding cassette recordings of crapily recorded music. There is so much “wrong” with the sound quality, but I can definitely stand listening to it. Loud even. For a long time. The “badness” of those old recordings just doesn’t have the physiological effect of making me turn it down or off.

But a modern ultra-compressed recording will grate the nerves even at modest volumes. It sounds a bit like listening to FM radio when the station isn’t quite tuned in properly… you hear lots of noise. I know it isn’t literally like that, but it comes close in the “annoying” factor.

I had always assumed that this was due to some declining capacity on my part, but I’ve recently come across this “loudness war” controversy, and a lightbulb has gone off over my head! The symptoms of “ear fatigue” are exactly what I feel when I listen to modern albums. Even though I like the music, I physically/psychologically/whatever-it-is cannot listen to it very long. I’ve never had the budget for hi-fidelity equipment, so issues like dynamic range are less apparent for me, but the brickwall phenomenon applies on any equipment!

I wish there was an easy way to know whether an album was produced this way… Can anyone recommend any particular forums or blogs that track this issue, album-by-album?

Also, perhaps someone could recommend a method for making CD’s that mix music from different eras… It’s almost impossible to put them next to each other! I imagine one could simply compress the older music to the same level as the modern music so it holds up in the mix, but then we’re back to that issue of “ear fatigue,” which if it’s not relevant for some, it is relevant for me! Is it possible to re-introduce some dynamics to “brickwalled” music? Even just a little bit, so it isn’t quite so pulsating and overbearing? There are a lot of tools in Sound Forge, and I hardly understand most of them, even if they’re fun to play with!

I use Cubase 5 and I am considering going to SSD drives, but I have been reading alot of different ideas on how to use the SSD optimally on the system. As primary drives, or as a secondary drive? Move certain system folders over to the SSD (if it is used as a secondary system drive) such as Program Files and your VST folder… and keep a primary on a traditional HD? Alot of idea floating around and I wondered if you had any input on the subject.

Thanks!

SRW

I wonder other don’t hear this or had PC/MAC in the same room and everything is normal because PC emit own noise:)
Maybe our HS50M have a problem or overall AMP in HS50M emit static white noise which is especialy disturbing in tweeter and people don’t listen it:)

We have to check other pair of Yamaha HS50M