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What Happened To Dynamic Range? (动态范围到底发生了什么事情？)
What Happened To Dynamic Range? (动态范围到底发生了什么事情？)
By
Bob Speer
What happened to dynamic range? That's a question that should be asked of record labels, producers, artists, and last but not least, recording and mastering engineers. The question needs to be asked because we're the ones responsible for
what's happened to our music. The music we listen to today is nothing more than distortion with a beat (see the sine wave reference in the chart below). It's not because it isn't good music. It's because it lacks dynamic range. When music lacks dynamic range, it lacks punch, emotion, and clarity. The record labels blame Napster, MP3s, CD burners, and a host of others for the lack of CD sales. While there is some truth to their constant whining, they only have themselves to blame for the steady decline in CD sales. The record labels need to reevaluate what they consider to be good music。
动态范围发生了什么事情？这个问题应该是由唱片公司、制作人、艺术家，当然还有最重要的录音工程师和母带处理工程师。这个问题有责任需要我们去问，我们的音乐到底发生了什么事情？今天我们听的音乐，在一个小节上的失真是过往无法比较的(看图)。但不是因为这个，现在的歌曲不是好音乐，而是因为缺乏动态范围。当音乐区分了动态范围，它就缺乏力量(效果，吸引力)，感情以及澄澈;透明。那些唱片公司责骂Napster，MP3,以及CD刻录机，以及很多人开始埋怨CD的销售不佳。而他们面对这个现实的时候，他们只有自己埋怨那些销售持续下降的CD。那些唱片公司需要从新评价他们所认为是好的音乐。
The music available today isn't musical at all. It's best described as anti-music. It's anti-music because the life is being squashed out of it through over compression during the tracking, mixing, and mastering stages. It's simply, non musical. It's no wonder that consumers don't want to pay for the CDs being produced today. They're over priced and they sound bad. In 2005, CD music sales in the U.S. slid to their lowest level since 1996, ending all hopes that the music industry's downward sales trend may have bottomed out. This is according to sales data released by Nielsen SoundScan, a tracking firm that measures point of sale purchases across the U.S. Although there was a slight upturn in sales in 2004, total CD sales fell 7.2 percent from 2004 to 618.9 million units in 2005, the lowest since 1996, when they were 616.6 million. It's time for all of us in the music industry to wake up! Our musical heritage is being threatened by this wave of anti-music.
现在的音乐，不是所有都十分悦耳的。對抗性音乐 - 是最好的描述。壤成为對抗性音乐是因为现在的歌曲是在tracking、mixing 以及mastering 的过程以后完成的。这样的歌曲十分简单，毫无音乐感。在今天，一点都不用惊奇人们会不买在这些情况下制造而成的CD。这些CD的标价超过了他们自身的价值，而且他们的声音十分差。在2005年，他们的CD销售陷入了自1996年以来的新低。（其他就是数据，不翻译了）
What is dynamic range anyway? Dynamic range is the difference between the softest and loudest sounds we can hear. Or, to put it another way, the difference between the softest and loudest sounds in a recording. Dynamic range is measured in decibels (dB). The typical dynamic range for a cassette recording is around 60 dB, while today's digital recordings (CDs) can reach a dynamic range of 96dB. Compare this to 120dB or more for live performances.
那么到底动态范围是什么?动态范围是我们所能听到的最高音量以及最低音量的差值。或者认为是在录音中的最高音量和最低音量的差值。动态范围的标准单位是dB。磁带的典型动态范围是60dB左右。在今天，数字录音延伸到96dB的动态范围（理论上2496是144dB的动态范围）。与之比较，120dB以及以上比较多的出现在现场实况演出。
For years we've tried to recreate the excitement of a live performance by trying to maintain as wide a dynamic range as possible. This has always been difficult with analog recording. We had to keep the softest signals above the noise floor while keeping the loudest signals below the level of distortion. To keep the soft signals from being buried in tape hiss, we had to record with as high a level as possible. To keep our loud signals from distorting, we had to compress the signal which resulted in a restricted dynamic range. As the years went by, many improvements were made in recorder and tape technology. This, along with various types of tape noise reduction systems, helped to improve the dynamic range of our recordings, but it was still limiting.
多年来我们不斷嘗試盡可能保持最寬闊的動態去達到現場表現之興奮氣氛。这个在模拟录音中总是很难达到的。我们不得保持最小的声音高于噪音底层，而且这个时候也要保持最大的声音低于失真削波的点。为了让磁带的HISS（噪音）声减少，我们不得不最大可能的提高音量，为了让大的声音不过载失真，我们不得不用压缩，导致最后失去了动态范围。
过了许多年，录音设备和磁带的制造技术提高了。由于不同类型得磁带噪音降低体统得出现，有助于改善我们录音时候得动态范围，但效果还是有限。
Then, one day we awoke to a new technology. It was called "digital recording." Wow, now with a dynamic range of over 90 dB, our recordings could almost rival a live performance. Well, in theory. However, the music industry had other ideas.
直到有一天我们择到了一个新的技术。他被称为“数字录音”。WOW，现在动态范围已经超过了90dB，我们得录音几乎能和现场实况演出比美了。当然，是在理论上。但无论如何，音乐产业有了新得方向。
Rather than use this new technology to take advantage of it's wide dynamic range, the music industry went in the opposite direction. They decided that louder is better. Suddenly, we found ourselves in a race to see whose CD was the loudest. The only way to make CDs louder was to keep compressing the signal more and more. That's where we are today. Everyone's trying to make their CD sound louder than everyone else's. The term that is used for this process is called, hot. Yes, most of today's music is recorded hot. The net result, distortion with a beat.
运用了新得技术，有利于提高广阔得动态范围，但音乐工业却走向了相反得方向，沒有好好利用增加了的動態之優點, 他们认为更好的选择是比过往更大声(大响度)。突然，我们发现我们在比赛，看谁的CD更大声，具有更大的响度。而保持CD拥有更大的响度，唯一的途径就是越来越多的压缩。在今天，所有人都努力的把CD音提高，超越其他人。这个处理过程被一个术语概括为：“HOT”(紧迫).是的，在今天，很多音乐都被录制得十分紧迫。最后，得出結果就是每一節拍都是失真的。
In December, 2001, several prominent individuals in the recording industry served on a panel to judge the best engineered CD for the Grammy's. After listening to over 200 CDs, they couldn't find a single CD worthy of a Grammy based on the criteria they were given. Everything they listened to was squashed to death with heavy amounts compression. What they wound up doing was selecting the CD that had the least amount of engineering. In reality, the winner didn't win because of great engineering, he won simply because he had messed with the signal the least. On second thought, maybe that was great engineering. Anyway, what a way to win a Grammy.
在2001年12月，几个非常优秀的团体在录音界中找到了一些名单，在德国评选谁的CD是最好的。在听了200张CD以后，他们从德国标准的基础上没有找到一张有CD符合要求的。.他们听了所有得CD都被重压缩得好像压死了一样。然而胜利者不是说他们的CD十分好，只是他们的CD訊號没有其他人那么一塌糊塗。
Here's a quote from Roger Nichols, one of the participants on that panel. "Last month, I listened to all the CDs submitted to NARAS for consideration in the 'Best Engineered Non-Classical' Grammy category. We listened to about 3 to 4 cuts from the 267 albums that were submitted. Every single CD was squashed to death with no dynamic range. The Finalizers and plug-ins were cranked to 'eleven' so that their CD would be the loudest. Not one attempted to take advantage of the dynamic range or cleanliness of digital recording." - Roger Nichols Grammy winning engineer for Steely Dan, Beach Boys and more. EQ Magazine January, 2002, issue.
其中一位陪审员在Roger Nichols 上说，“上个月，我听了所有上交到NARAS的CD，为了评选出“最佳非古典音乐工程（暂时这样翻译吧）” 格莱美奖,我们从提交上来的267张CD重节选了3到4个片断来听。任何一张CD都是被压缩得毫无动态效果了，没有一个人把数字录音得大动态和清晰得优势表现出来。Roger Nichols Grammy winning engineer for Steely Dan, Beach Boys and more. EQ Magazine January, 2002, issue.
There needs to be a compromise in what the average level of CDs should be. I believe we should go back to the level of 1990 (actually -14dB would be preferable). This would give us a healthy level as well as enough headroom to generate the musical peaks that would reestablish what's missing in today's music!
在CD得平均电平上必须要一个折衷得办法。我想我们必须回到1990年的电平级上（实际上－14dB会更好）。这样能让我们拥有一个“健康的”电平，也能让我们的HEADROOM生成音乐峰值（我想应该翻译成为音乐感吧），把遗忘失去的东西从新在今天的音乐上恢复过来。
Hopefully, one day we'll wake up from this nightmare. "BRING BACK DYNAMIC RANGE!"
我们有希望能从恶梦中醒来（其实我们已经醒来了）！“恢复动态范围！“
然而今天我们需要什么样的动态呢？？就如同HIMHUI说的，等他整理好K-SYSTEM以后，大家一起了解。
[ 本帖最后由 himhui 于 2006-6-3 11:10 编辑 ]
By
Bob Speer
What happened to dynamic range? That's a question that should be asked of record labels, producers, artists, and last but not least, recording and mastering engineers. The question needs to be asked because we're the ones responsible for
what's happened to our music. The music we listen to today is nothing more than distortion with a beat (see the sine wave reference in the chart below). It's not because it isn't good music. It's because it lacks dynamic range. When music lacks dynamic range, it lacks punch, emotion, and clarity. The record labels blame Napster, MP3s, CD burners, and a host of others for the lack of CD sales. While there is some truth to their constant whining, they only have themselves to blame for the steady decline in CD sales. The record labels need to reevaluate what they consider to be good music。
动态范围发生了什么事情？这个问题应该是由唱片公司、制作人、艺术家，当然还有最重要的录音工程师和母带处理工程师。这个问题有责任需要我们去问，我们的音乐到底发生了什么事情？今天我们听的音乐，在一个小节上的失真是过往无法比较的(看图)。但不是因为这个，现在的歌曲不是好音乐，而是因为缺乏动态范围。当音乐区分了动态范围，它就缺乏力量(效果，吸引力)，感情以及澄澈;透明。那些唱片公司责骂Napster，MP3,以及CD刻录机，以及很多人开始埋怨CD的销售不佳。而他们面对这个现实的时候，他们只有自己埋怨那些销售持续下降的CD。那些唱片公司需要从新评价他们所认为是好的音乐。
The music available today isn't musical at all. It's best described as anti-music. It's anti-music because the life is being squashed out of it through over compression during the tracking, mixing, and mastering stages. It's simply, non musical. It's no wonder that consumers don't want to pay for the CDs being produced today. They're over priced and they sound bad. In 2005, CD music sales in the U.S. slid to their lowest level since 1996, ending all hopes that the music industry's downward sales trend may have bottomed out. This is according to sales data released by Nielsen SoundScan, a tracking firm that measures point of sale purchases across the U.S. Although there was a slight upturn in sales in 2004, total CD sales fell 7.2 percent from 2004 to 618.9 million units in 2005, the lowest since 1996, when they were 616.6 million. It's time for all of us in the music industry to wake up! Our musical heritage is being threatened by this wave of anti-music.
现在的音乐，不是所有都十分悦耳的。對抗性音乐 - 是最好的描述。壤成为對抗性音乐是因为现在的歌曲是在tracking、mixing 以及mastering 的过程以后完成的。这样的歌曲十分简单，毫无音乐感。在今天，一点都不用惊奇人们会不买在这些情况下制造而成的CD。这些CD的标价超过了他们自身的价值，而且他们的声音十分差。在2005年，他们的CD销售陷入了自1996年以来的新低。（其他就是数据，不翻译了）
What is dynamic range anyway? Dynamic range is the difference between the softest and loudest sounds we can hear. Or, to put it another way, the difference between the softest and loudest sounds in a recording. Dynamic range is measured in decibels (dB). The typical dynamic range for a cassette recording is around 60 dB, while today's digital recordings (CDs) can reach a dynamic range of 96dB. Compare this to 120dB or more for live performances.
那么到底动态范围是什么?动态范围是我们所能听到的最高音量以及最低音量的差值。或者认为是在录音中的最高音量和最低音量的差值。动态范围的标准单位是dB。磁带的典型动态范围是60dB左右。在今天，数字录音延伸到96dB的动态范围（理论上2496是144dB的动态范围）。与之比较，120dB以及以上比较多的出现在现场实况演出。
For years we've tried to recreate the excitement of a live performance by trying to maintain as wide a dynamic range as possible. This has always been difficult with analog recording. We had to keep the softest signals above the noise floor while keeping the loudest signals below the level of distortion. To keep the soft signals from being buried in tape hiss, we had to record with as high a level as possible. To keep our loud signals from distorting, we had to compress the signal which resulted in a restricted dynamic range. As the years went by, many improvements were made in recorder and tape technology. This, along with various types of tape noise reduction systems, helped to improve the dynamic range of our recordings, but it was still limiting.
多年来我们不斷嘗試盡可能保持最寬闊的動態去達到現場表現之興奮氣氛。这个在模拟录音中总是很难达到的。我们不得保持最小的声音高于噪音底层，而且这个时候也要保持最大的声音低于失真削波的点。为了让磁带的HISS（噪音）声减少，我们不得不最大可能的提高音量，为了让大的声音不过载失真，我们不得不用压缩，导致最后失去了动态范围。
过了许多年，录音设备和磁带的制造技术提高了。由于不同类型得磁带噪音降低体统得出现，有助于改善我们录音时候得动态范围，但效果还是有限。
Then, one day we awoke to a new technology. It was called "digital recording." Wow, now with a dynamic range of over 90 dB, our recordings could almost rival a live performance. Well, in theory. However, the music industry had other ideas.
直到有一天我们择到了一个新的技术。他被称为“数字录音”。WOW，现在动态范围已经超过了90dB，我们得录音几乎能和现场实况演出比美了。当然，是在理论上。但无论如何，音乐产业有了新得方向。
Rather than use this new technology to take advantage of it's wide dynamic range, the music industry went in the opposite direction. They decided that louder is better. Suddenly, we found ourselves in a race to see whose CD was the loudest. The only way to make CDs louder was to keep compressing the signal more and more. That's where we are today. Everyone's trying to make their CD sound louder than everyone else's. The term that is used for this process is called, hot. Yes, most of today's music is recorded hot. The net result, distortion with a beat.
运用了新得技术，有利于提高广阔得动态范围，但音乐工业却走向了相反得方向，沒有好好利用增加了的動態之優點, 他们认为更好的选择是比过往更大声(大响度)。突然，我们发现我们在比赛，看谁的CD更大声，具有更大的响度。而保持CD拥有更大的响度，唯一的途径就是越来越多的压缩。在今天，所有人都努力的把CD音提高，超越其他人。这个处理过程被一个术语概括为：“HOT”(紧迫).是的，在今天，很多音乐都被录制得十分紧迫。最后，得出結果就是每一節拍都是失真的。
In December, 2001, several prominent individuals in the recording industry served on a panel to judge the best engineered CD for the Grammy's. After listening to over 200 CDs, they couldn't find a single CD worthy of a Grammy based on the criteria they were given. Everything they listened to was squashed to death with heavy amounts compression. What they wound up doing was selecting the CD that had the least amount of engineering. In reality, the winner didn't win because of great engineering, he won simply because he had messed with the signal the least. On second thought, maybe that was great engineering. Anyway, what a way to win a Grammy.
在2001年12月，几个非常优秀的团体在录音界中找到了一些名单，在德国评选谁的CD是最好的。在听了200张CD以后，他们从德国标准的基础上没有找到一张有CD符合要求的。.他们听了所有得CD都被重压缩得好像压死了一样。然而胜利者不是说他们的CD十分好，只是他们的CD訊號没有其他人那么一塌糊塗。
Here's a quote from Roger Nichols, one of the participants on that panel. "Last month, I listened to all the CDs submitted to NARAS for consideration in the 'Best Engineered Non-Classical' Grammy category. We listened to about 3 to 4 cuts from the 267 albums that were submitted. Every single CD was squashed to death with no dynamic range. The Finalizers and plug-ins were cranked to 'eleven' so that their CD would be the loudest. Not one attempted to take advantage of the dynamic range or cleanliness of digital recording." - Roger Nichols Grammy winning engineer for Steely Dan, Beach Boys and more. EQ Magazine January, 2002, issue.
其中一位陪审员在Roger Nichols 上说，“上个月，我听了所有上交到NARAS的CD，为了评选出“最佳非古典音乐工程（暂时这样翻译吧）” 格莱美奖,我们从提交上来的267张CD重节选了3到4个片断来听。任何一张CD都是被压缩得毫无动态效果了，没有一个人把数字录音得大动态和清晰得优势表现出来。Roger Nichols Grammy winning engineer for Steely Dan, Beach Boys and more. EQ Magazine January, 2002, issue.
There needs to be a compromise in what the average level of CDs should be. I believe we should go back to the level of 1990 (actually -14dB would be preferable). This would give us a healthy level as well as enough headroom to generate the musical peaks that would reestablish what's missing in today's music!
在CD得平均电平上必须要一个折衷得办法。我想我们必须回到1990年的电平级上（实际上－14dB会更好）。这样能让我们拥有一个“健康的”电平，也能让我们的HEADROOM生成音乐峰值（我想应该翻译成为音乐感吧），把遗忘失去的东西从新在今天的音乐上恢复过来。
Hopefully, one day we'll wake up from this nightmare. "BRING BACK DYNAMIC RANGE!"
我们有希望能从恶梦中醒来（其实我们已经醒来了）！“恢复动态范围！“
然而今天我们需要什么样的动态呢？？就如同HIMHUI说的，等他整理好K-SYSTEM以后，大家一起了解。
[ 本帖最后由 himhui 于 2006-6-3 11:10 编辑 ]
原帖由 Ying 于 2006-6-2 00:28 发表
What Happened To Dynamic Range? (动态范围到底发生了什么事情？)
By
Bob Speer
What happened to dynamic range? That's a question that should be asked of record labels, producers, artists, and l ...
我們也無可奈何~~~~
現在國內唱片公司老闆和製作高層通常聽不出縮混的好壞
(從大公司到小公司,此比例佔95%)
他們通常是用音量大小來決定縮混品質好壞....
所以逼的我們只好下此猛藥!!!
