YouTube puts the final nail in the loudness wars' coffin
>[on YT] Everything plays at a similar loudness, regardless of how it was mastered. And no-one has noticed.<p>None of <i>us</i> noticed; it seems like the labels and sound engineers may have; take this image comparing the dynamic range of the  CD and youtube releases of Pharrell's "Happy"[1]- I thought at the time it might just have been a mishap or random occurance, but now it looks like it was a very deliberate move.<p>So, rather than ending the loudness wars on CDs and radio, we might end up long-term with the ludicrous situation where CD's sound worse than technically inferior Youtube videos. <i>Youtube</i> is the new vinyl.<p>-<p>E: I added links to the YT release[2] and (presumaby) a CD-sourced video[3] for anyone who wants to listen to the difference. Pay attention to the claps and drums (but I think it's obvious even on my laptop speakers).<p>1. <a href="https://imgur.com/KRj5DDS" rel="nofollow">https://imgur.com/KRj5DDS</a><p>2. <a href="https://youtu.be/ZbZSe6N_BXs" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/ZbZSe6N_BXs</a><p>3. <a href="https://youtu.be/nVH6RcLHqMo" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/nVH6RcLHqMo</a>