since this is the topic that won't go away...i started thinkin'....
who cares? if the artist/producer/label/a&r guys all "approve" the final cut, then it's done. i've got a feelin' all the late 90's-today's mixes are "timestamped" the same way everything form the 80's sounds 'cheesy'....20 years form now we'll look back and say 'gosh, everything sounds the same'....just like every other decade...so why not live with it? i mean if the ppl want McDonalds, than let them have it.....sure it's unhealthy, but if the consumer wants it, why not let 'em have it....we're on the dawn of a new age in Hi-Def audio and it'll get straitened out in the end...but is it really a "WAR"? i say leave it up to those involved with the creation of the end-product and quit yer bitchin'......times WILL change and so will taste. is it a mistake to make a "loud" song? i don't think so, will we look back 20 years from now and say "geez audio sucked back then"? probably, but what's changed? i'm startin' to think that it's ok now..... it's wierd. but times change and so do tastes, but in light of the plethora of "loudness wars" type threads i've seen here, i've seen nobody admit that these are the times we live in.....i'm sure the sterile sound of 80's synth-pop was gettin' hated on, but some lovable tunes came out of that era......
point is, quit yer bitchin'....we are where we are, and loud is the "in" sound these days....i'm not advocating it, but these type of threads are wearing me out....if you don't wanna do that, fine don't...but i'm tired of ppl bitching about it and dooin' nothing about it past 'recommending' that they don't. hell, if it's THAT big of a deal to you then put your money where your mouth is and REFUSE to put out an over-squashed mix, and turn down that customer. otherwise shut the **** up. i bet the next trend will be everyone dooin' "quiet" albums...then we'll bitch about that.
we are where we are, deal with it. change what you can, but don't sit there and bitch about everything beein' too loud then send your next mix out with an RMS level at -12, and justifying it with "it's what the client wanted"....we are a service industry, and we do what the clients want. (did i just negate my above statement?)
i guess the point is, it ain't our fault. every time has it's sound, it just so happens our time/sound is loud. it'll fix itself in the end.....i'm just so burnt out on EVERYONE her bitchin' about it, yet i hear no changes.
end drunken rant, flame on....
[edit] haha i repeated myself a few times there!