Quote:
Originally Posted by s_k
As an audio engineer, you can probably tell me; Ive heard that the reason limiting is so popular nowadays, is that when a song is played louder on the radio, it sells better.
Is that true?
|
Radio playlists are determined by a group of listeners played sections of random tracks and being asked to rate them good or bad. If the track comes on and their short sample is quiet, they'll consider it to have less impact than a louder sample, or there'll be doubt as to where its going, thus it will seem weak compared to a louder track.
Since the artists can't control what section of their tracks gets used as the sample in these listening tests, the trend has been to master for increased punch through the whole song, increasing the likelihood that whatever part is actually sampled, their song will seem the punchiest during the sample play, and thus get the most positive responses.