Note that in this context, “compression” is referring to compression of data, not dynamic range compression. If you mix your track with an ear towards preserving dynamic range and delivering a dynamic master, it’s just not going to stand out against the competition on SoundCloud.īut how can we explain those nasty artifacts that are totally there, dude, I swear it didn’t sound like this in my studio!!!? Well, some of it might be due to the compression that SoundCloud applies to your music. Like the soldiers who continued fighting the Civil War after the truce at Appomattox, the loudness war still exists on SoundCloud. This means that if you upload a track at -3 LUFS, it’s going to play back at -3 LUFS. Unlike other streaming services, SoundCloud does not apply loudness normalization to your tracks. What does SoundCloud do to my music and why? Making tracks louder than -14 LUFS (using Spotify for example) accomplishes nothing other than destroying dynamic range and squashing the track. This ostensibly small change in audio processing effectively ended the loudness war, as mastering engineers noticed that even if their deliverables were incredibly loud before streaming normalization, the final product was automatically adjusted to fit the platform’s standards. This is accomplished through a process called loudness normalization, whereby incoming tracks are adjusted to hit a certain loudness level. Services like Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music now play tracks at a uniform volume across their platform so that listeners don’t need to constantly tweak the volume slider. With the advent of streaming services, however, came a solution to this seemingly impassable problem. RMS levels of -21 dBFS were common in pop music from the 1950s and 60s, but a 2000s pop record might be as hot as -10 dBFS RMS or louder! You may have heard stories about the “Loudness War” – this was the colloquial term for the competition between engineers driving tracks louder and louder, compromising more and more dynamic range in order to stand out against their peers. Over time, mastered songs have become louder and louder, because a louder master seems more exciting to the ear compared to its competitors. You don’t need to be a neuroscientist to guess what this means for digital audio. In other words, we perceive more loudness as “better.” Makes sense, right? A high sound pressure level stimulates our ears’ stereocilia to a greater degree, releasing more neurotransmitters to our nerves and more electrical signals to our central nervous systems. To make a long story short, all the way back in 1933 two very smart people named Fletcher and Munson discovered (among other aural revelations) that louder sounds are more exciting. In order to answer this question, we’re going to take a (very) brief detour into psychoacoustics. What could have possibly transformed your masterpiece into such a disaster? Loudness war is hell Worst of all, you’ve got to crank your speakers to even hear it: compared to your mutuals’ tracks, your mix is noticeably softer. Chattering, precise hats sound flat and uninspiring.
CONVERT IMAGE FORMAT TO FIT SOUNDCLOUD FULL
What used to be roomy, full sub-bass now reminds you of a newborn’s flatulence. Your pristine 24-bit, 96 khz WAV is popping and crackling like Rice Krispies. Until you realize your track sounds horrible. Adrenaline rushes through your meatspace frame as you click through and see the play count increment. Go to your track.” This is your destiny you can do no other.
You savor those six sweet words like a sommelier swishing an ‘86 Bâtard-Montrachet: “Upload complete. At long last, you’re ready to bare your soul, to open your heart to the unfeeling abyss of your SoundCloud feed, prepared to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous commenters. Illustration: Gabe Alcala It’s happened to all of us.Īfter days, weeks, or even months, of tweaking a mix, you finally upload your creation to share with the world.