Wow, learning about dynamic range and the compression of music has really opened my mind to the impact compression has had on the music we’re hearing these days. It also explains a thing or two that was hovering in the back of my mind about music, and why I seemed to be missing something. I grew up listening to my mom playing the piano, and listening to the records my parents played on their stereo (yes, I’m an older student). They played a wide range of music – classical, show tunes, Glenn Miller, Barbara Streisand, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Glen Campbell, Irish music, etc. I loved the rich sounds of all of this music, with crescendos of voice and other instruments that really meant something and could be felt deep inside. Later, as a teenager, I listened to the Eagles, Aerosmith, etc. on the radio, and enjoyed it without thinking much about it. When I was raising my children during the 80’s and 90’s I would have the radio on here and there, but wasn’t paying much attention to what was happening in the music world. But I’ve always found myself missing something about the music I grew up with. Perhaps subconsciously I was noticing the lack of dynamic range. As Matt Mayfield says in the video we watched for this week, “when there’s no quiet there can be no loud.” The contrasts between quiet and loud add such a richness and depth of dimension that create a unique mood that characterizes a piece of music. I understand there are some who prefer the uniform loudness in music, and that’s fine – we all have our preferences. But I personally am glad that there is more awareness now (including on my part) of what the “loudness war” has been doing and that there seems to be a shift away from such intense compression of music.