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options for highly compressed CDs?

It seems like most modern mainstream recordings today are victims of the "loudness wars" and are massively compressed and distorted, and I don't think record companies are going to change their evil ways any time soon.

People used to say that they wanted to listen to the recording as it was created by the recording engineer. Now, I think I'd rather listen to it the way I imagine the band sounded like "live" in the studio, rather than listen to the crap the recording engineer created.

Is there any way to make a CD like this more listenable? Tubes? tube traps? anything at all?
timoteo
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Compression can be undone by an expander. If the compression and expanding is done in a coordinated way, as with the DBX LP recording system, the results are very good.

Peak limiting should only be executed to avoid cliping. The momentary gain reduction is certainly preferable to clipping.
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
SeeDeeClip software will help repair CD's. I have used it and verified it to good effect. It won't turn a sow's ear into a silk purse but it helps. Of course these forums are just for chat. Nobody should try it.
timoteo OP
21 posts
 
Tpreaves said: "Most recordings are done in bits and pieces with one musician at a time..."

I know, but you're interfering with my imagination :)
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