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.

Well, here goes my first blog entry ever. This is new to me, but I’m game. I didn’t know what to expect from this Digital Past course, and I feel pleasantly surprised to find out that we’re approaching the concepts mainly through the history of digital music. This makes so much sense, especially since music is such a universal language and can provide solid insights on what music is to people and what it does to them and for them. One little aside – Professor O’Malley mentioned how Socrates believed that a person who reads is inferior because they are not memorizing the material (poetry, etc.) – they are using reading as a crutch. I am reminded of how the Romans and other cultures looked down on the Celts because they did not have much of a written tradition. They depended heavily on their remarkable oral tradition. The bards who maintained this tradition (along with the Druids) were considered one of the higher classes in Celtic society, While I believe both of these traditions are beneficial for human cultures, it would be interesting to know how the passing away of the strong oral traditions of ancient cultures has affected the human brain – for better, or for worse. Has this weakened parts of the brain and strengthened others? Or has it had no impact on the various areas of the brain? This is something that I hope we’ll be exploring more in our class.

Welcome to onMason. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!