[JackA]

On Wednesday, June 8, 2016 at 2:11:00 PM UTC-4, John Williamson wrote:
On 08/06/2016 15:59, Scott Dorsey wrote:
John Williamson wrote:

If you want to hear *loud* with very little compression on the recording
and post processing, listen to Phil Specter's Wall Of Sound singles and
albums. They also have a decent dynamic range both by listening and
looking at the playback envelope. They work well on everything I've ever
used, from a grotty transistor radio earpiece in the '60s to a full
range recording monitor setup in this Century, via an indecently loud
disco I used to run at college. That used to MAKE my ears distort in the
hall, but sounded fantastic from a few hundred yards away at the top of
the nearby hill with a girl to provide company. ;-)

What makes those loud is that the arrangement is so tight. There is something
going on all the time, there is no space anywhere and no openings or sense
of air.

I know, and if he heard a gap, even for a bar or less, in the frequency
spread he wanted, he put an instrument in it. The backline at his
concerts was *huge* for the time. I've worked (As the tour bus driver,
they'd not let me mess with *that* sound. ;-) ) with, not a replica
exactly, but it was Junior Walker's son and his All Stars band, of it on
a Motown Memories tour a decade or so ago, when the promoters used the
wall of sound principle for the backing, and it was very impressive
indeed, without being stupidly high in absolute levels.

Loudness really comes from arrangement and performance. Gainriding can help
and compression can help, but it's mostly in front of the mike rather than
behind it.

I agree 100% with that.

I say, that's the reason why so many overdubbed, like The Kinks, Yardbirds, etc., and Stereo renditions were not available, since limited tape number of tape tracks were available.

See, you don't need to increased DBs to make a louder sound, just fill in the gaps. It's like recording a pin drop, not very exciting (Ho-hum), but drop a million of them simultaneously, and it sounds like a clap of thunder!!

Jack

--
Tciao for Now!

John.