Hello, I am new here. I have registered because something has been bothering me for a while now. I was a Satriani fan only by knowing 3 albums (SWTA, FIABD, EXTREMIST). For the past 3 years I decided to catch up with his latest works.

I have been observed how Joe interact with his fans and he's humble and simple, a very nice person, no arrogance or stardom disease. So I thought well, since he's a simple nice guy why not ask. I believe Joe and his band are magnificent musicians who also have a certain knowledge of how audio has to be properly mastered when making a record.

What I am really concerned is about the loudness race taking place in Joe's records. And I am here to ask WHY in the world, the album "Strange Beautiful Music" is so LOUD, peaking at 0dB, at full digital scale. And taking the moment to also ask WHY "Professor Satchafunkilus" mastering is so loud, whimp and weak.

First, let me say about "SBM". It's is loud, really loud. Is that really necessary? Who decides this? Can Joe ever ask the record company for them to slow down? This album's loudness is on par with Oasis' loudest albums (generally their albums peak at +4dB).

Second, about "Professor Satchafunkilus"... how come the mastering is so different from, let's say "Super Colossal"... There are no punchy drums, it all feels flat, although this album is still loud but not as loud as "Strange Beautiful Music" (ReplayGain value of -8.40). How come "Professor" is so whimply mastered? Although I don't find "Super Colossal" that quite (-7.10dB) it still got punches.

Why in the world albums like "SWTA" and "FIABD", full of dynamics in the sound, perfectly mastered, their mastering techniques have been abandoned for so long, and they're the best sounding records.

I would think that with wasteful pop music like the absurd hip hop and rap groups put out would have been OK because I don't expect musicality or mastering perfection for THAT kind of music. But why the beautiful guitar has been forced to join the loudness race, this is something I really can't compreehend.

I can't accept an answer like "I leave this up to the engineers", NOT from so well talent, intelligent and well reputated instrumental musicians. I really really admire Joe and his band, and I am sure someone out there must feel the same way I feel too. So what gives? Who is encharged for these horrible mastering techniques? I wish that one day, the loudness race becomes the first 1 enemy for artists, bands, producers and engineers.

This is a reference table for loudness. It explains a bit of the pain. Crystal Planet is also a *VERY* loud CD.

References in dB FS: Film industry reference level - [ 83dB ] (PS. the film industry never changed their level) Enya Watermark 1988 pressing - [ 85dB ] a-ha Hunting High and Low 1985 pressing [ 88dB ]

Joe's Albums in dB FS: JS Not of this Earth 1986 - [ 88dB ] JS Surfing w/ the Alien 1987 - [ 89dB ] JS Dreaming 11 1988 - [ 90dB ] JS Flying in a Blue Dream 1989 - [ 92dB ] JS The Extremist 1992 - [ 95dB ] (here things start to get loud) JS 1995 album - [ 92.5dB, because it's a quite semi acustic album ] JS Crystal Planel 1988 - [ 96,5 dB ] JS Engines of Creation 2000 - [ 96,5 dB ] JS Strange Beautiful Music 2002 - [ 99dB ] (1 to full digital scale) JS Is there love in Space? 2004 - [ 98dB ] JS Super Colossal 2006 - [ 96,5 dB ] JS Professor Satchafunkilus 2008 - [ 97,8 dB ]

For you to understand more, when these values hit 100dB FS, it is the same as saying they are 0dB or full digital scale. Whatever goes over 100dB it is represented as +1, +2, +3.

When you say that an album is "-10,00dB", that means that it will have to go down -10dB FS to match the referece of 89dB, which is the loudness reference that well mastered CD's have been made in the 80's. The film industry have always worked with a 83dB reference level and never changed it. So what is the best reason for record companies to boost the loudness and ruin the records with loud tracks.

Further reading and consulting:

LOUDNESS WAR in Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gmex_4hreQ

hybes,

you don't need to understand the dB thing right away, what you need to understand is... that if a record is way too loud, you will end up not hearing its subtleties, because every instrument on it is loud, mastered loud, at the same level. That means that a flute will be as loud as a kick drum.

I will take for example, "Oriental Melody". When the drums starts it kicks it right away, when the solo guitar comes in you notice that it is louder that it was supposed to be, because that solo guitar has been mastered at a loud level. You will hear the guitar plainly, but that will hinder you to pick the subtleties as tamburines, subtle cymbals. When a record is plainly loud, there are no dynamics - Dynamics is when each instrument is supposed to sound at their appropriate volume level.

You can do a comparison listening to Surfing with the Alien, (old edition) with the new "remastered" Surfing with the Alien legacy edition. The first issue has a average level of 88dB. Very well mastered. In the new version, the levels were pushed +9dB. So the songs have an average level of 97,5dB. (which is the same as saying the track has a replaygain level of -9,5dB - Because ReplayGain referece level is around 89dB). Listen to both records, the old and the new one, and you will notice that making the record louder does not improve anything, on contrary, it kills all subtleties of the record, because now everything is flat. Please check the page in Youtube: [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gmex_4hreQ[/url] It's easy to understand... Loudness race is just a disease, without a cure at the moment...

Do the Stu,

Very good explanation on the loudness war. I was listening to "Flying in a Blue Dream" today, on my relatively decent stereo. It sounds so great. I am not sure what you mean by "some 80's CD's are a plain vinyl transfer" - although there might be something like this out there, I believe that most of CD's do come directly from the master tapes.

Professor Satchafunkilus lacks so much. Take Super Colossal. Super Colossal is an average album, it is loud, but it has some dynamics in there, the punch of the drums. I would say it is a "well mastered loud album" (although I think quieter would have been so much better). If you compare SC with PSATMOR, it's a huge huge difference. You can feel it. Satchafunkilus sounds so flat, the cymbals sound dim, there is no bass guitar, something is definitely wrong.

This is not to say PSATMOR is unlistenable, it is. And there are thousands of horrible loud albums out there which are totally distorted. Not PSATMOR. Take an example, Depeche Mode Playing the Angel, or Red Hot Chilli Pepers Californication - these albums are the "absurd" of loudness comparing to anything else. PSATMOR is no way near them, although a little close.

Tuesdayschild,

It is possible that a remaster will enhance your listening experience. For example. Jean Michel Jarre's new Oxygene 2007, in contrast with 1976 issue (commonly 1988-1992 CD pressings), offers a different experience. Of course that the new issue is loud, not absurd, but loud (as loud as Super Colossal). But I have heard both issues and I can tell you that the new remastering has different effect mixes on stereo, while preserving the original sounds from the old recording. Though in a very decent stereo system, the old recording will sound much better because of its higher dynamics.

Another example of a nice remaster is Depeche Mode's Speak & Spell debut album in 1981. The 2006 re-issue corrected a few things, like synths getting out of tune (1 glitch that was there for years), the voice is not well centered, leaning to the left in the old version. The new version corrects all this, of course it is louder, but not so loud. (-5.00dB) vs (-0.20dB) original. So the loudness is acceptable. So this is also another case of the benefits of remastering.

But the most majority of remastered CD's, unless the artist or a very reputated engineer works this for the better, is just a crank up in the volume. That's what I can say about "Tears for Fears Songs from the Big Chair" re-issues of 1999 and 2006. The new remasters are just plain louder and distorted. It doesn't benefit anything at all from the remastering. It all seemed like they re-recorded the same mastertape with absurd volume levels.

may I ask two things:

- Who here is musician studio for Joe? Do The Stu? I have seen this name on an amazon...(I suspect this could be you coz you answer all folks).

- How tall is Joe, 174cm?

Do the Stu,