The Over Compensation of Music
For yesterday’s class, we read about the increase in the volume of music; how the music of the millennial generation has gotten increasingly louder and louder as the days go on. I mean, of course, it has to get louder. How else are music producers going to catch the ears of attention-seeking millennials? It’s a little-known fact that this is a generation who is drawn to the most eye-catching article, or the most expensive gadget, or the loudest most basic tune.
But while the music is getting louder, it’s also becoming easier to listen to. Producers are compressing this music so that the whispers are the same levels as the snare drums, and the belting tones are the same level as the piano background. Not necessarily for the attention-seeking millennials, but the lazy ones who are tired of raising and lowering the volume of the radio as they drive.
While is may be pleasing to the ear, is this the music industry over-compensating for simple music? Is the loudness their way of making us believe the music is 10x better than it actually is. I believe so, and here’s why.
When I personally am trying to find a fun song to listen to as I drive, I’m often looking for one that I can sing along to and not have to hear my own voice. As I’m flipping through the radio, I’m more likely to choose one which is already above my volume of singing. It may not be my favorite song, but I’ll listen to it for the sake of making my ride a little bit better. I also know that when I choose that song, I don’t want certain verses to be as soft as a whisper and the chorus to be so loud that it blow my eardrums out. I want to be able to listen to my music at all the same volume without causing myself a headache. Whether there’s actually a scientific study proving this hypothesis of mine, I don’t know. What I do know, however, is that I like my music loud and compressed because I’m a lazy millennial who enjoys good, over-compensated music.