New recordings/CD's (or whatever) you are looking forward to hearing.

[Lindsayt]

They could sell CD's for £1 each and I still wouldn't be interested, due to the wall to wall compression.

Shit is still shit whether it sells for £22 or £17 or £1.

Come on Music Biz! Get rid of the godawful Loudness Wars dynamic compression. Or at least give us the option to buy audiophile masters instead of deafo I love detail over dynamics masters.

[Grumpytim]

I am more worried about the dubious pressing quality of current vinyl editions.

[Latteman]

I am more worried about the dubious pressing quality of current vinyl editions.

Agreed- I tend to be very selective about what I buy now- it’s a mine field- I have found if the original release was dubious the re-release is an improvement if the original artist is involved in the process
I find I have the streamer on more than ever and use my records a little less- unless I’m relaxing then it’s records.

[savvypaul]

I have a look at the Loudness War dynamic range database before buying CDs. Pretty sure it was Lindsay that put me onto it.

[Fretless]

I have only ever had 2 CD's that actually distorted due to high-volume mastering, Suzanne Vega's first 2 albums as 'Audiophile Remasters' from a French company. They were so loud it was positively unpleasant in places.

[CN211276]

I am more worried about the dubious pressing quality of current vinyl editions.

This is a reason why I stopped buying vinyl in the mid 80s although CDs were far more expensive. More often than not it was a batch rather than an individual pressing. This made going back to the shop for a replacement a waiste of time.

I think compression was at its worst in the 1990s, Oasis being the most extreme example. There was a recent thread about this on Steve Hoffman and apparently it was Noel Galagher who insisted on the loudness and he still does. In comparison I have few issues with the dynamics of many fairly recent remasters, especially 24Bit.

[Latteman]

Here's the top 10 selling UK albums of 2022 with their DR ratings on the right

1 HARRY'S HOUSE HARRY STYLES 5
2 = ED SHEERAN 11 (Dolby Atmos edition) 5 (Tour Edition)
3 MIDNIGHTS TAYLOR SWIFT 6 (for both the Lavender edition and the Midnight edition)
4 THE HIGHLIGHTS WEEKND Not listed (all their digital albums have had DR's or 5 to 9 and their vinyl 11)
5 SOUR OLIVIA RODRIGO 7 (standard edition) 11 (dolby atmos)
6 CURTAIN CALL - THE HITS EMINEM 7 (CD) 11 (vinyl)
7 DIAMONDS ELTON JOHN 8
8 50 YEARS - DON'T STOP FLEETWOOD MAC 9
9 BETWEEN US LITTLE MIX Unlisted (Glory Days on CD got 5, Confetti on vinyl 9)
10 GOLD - GREATEST HITS ABBA Was there a 2022 version of this? Or was it the 2014 version (8 DR) that sold well in 2022?

For reference the 1977 vinyl version of Fleetwood Macs Rumours has a DR of 15. The 1984, 1990, 1994 CD versions all have DR ratings of 15. The 2011 CD version has a DR of 11.

Oasis and Adele share the same DR brackets. Worst DR 4. Best DR 12.

Congratulations should go to Alec Critten for Here Goes Nothing. This is currently the album with the highest DR rating for 2023, with a DR of 15.
"Twelve songs from the heart, concerning gay yearning and coming-of-age as an autistic person
credits
released March 13, 2023
written and recorded by alec critten between april 2022 and march 2023 at home in perry, georgia and huntsville, alabama, u.s.
drum samples on "all the world" by spencer tweedy’s drumprints.
thanks for listening <3
(p.s. turn up your volume settings, this album is mastered quietly for full dynamic range. best heard on headphones) "