loudnesswarera

loudnesswarera is a term that describes the phenomenon in audio production where music is mastered to be progressively louder over time. This trend is often attributed to a desire for recordings to stand out on radio or in streaming contexts. Engineers and mastering professionals achieve this increased loudness by employing techniques such as dynamic range compression and limiting, which reduce the difference between the loudest and quietest parts of a track.

The "loudness war" is characterized by a gradual increase in the average loudness of commercially released music, particularly from the 1990s onwards. Critics argue that this pursuit of loudness comes at the expense of audio fidelity, leading to a less dynamic and more fatiguing listening experience. The reduced dynamic range can make music sound "squashed" and less nuanced, with subtle details and the intended emotional impact potentially being diminished.

In response to these concerns, various loudness normalization standards have been adopted by streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube. These standards aim to equalize the perceived loudness of different tracks, effectively discouraging excessive mastering loudness. When a track is mastered too loudly, it will be turned down by the streaming service to match the target loudness. This has led to a decreased incentive for extreme loudness mastering, though the practice has not entirely disappeared. The ongoing debate about loudness in mastering continues to influence how audio is produced and consumed.