Vinyl succumbs to Loudness War: more than just collateral damage (2025)
8 hours ago
- #loudness war
- #audio mastering
- #vinyl records
- The loudness war primarily affects digital media by increasing average volume and reducing dynamics, but vinyl records are impacted when dynamic-compressed digital masters are used for vinyl cutting.
- Using a highly compressed digital master for vinyl, like Prince's 'Purple Rain' 2015 remaster, results in flattened peaks and reduced dynamic range, audible in sound comparisons.
- This practice is growing in recent albums across genres, though some like Jazz or Classical are often spared, and quality-focused productions still exist from labels like Analogue Productions.