Quote:
Originally Posted by greggybud  Any ME's care to disagree or give examples of A&R guys who ruined the ARTISTS record? |
I think usually it's a conglomerate of insecurity, who knows who mentioned the idea that "loud = proper" first on any given project. I guess it can be the artist, an A&R, or in some cases an ME, trying to impress the client with volume instead of quality.
But for your question: I have had cases where the band were purely concerned with sound quality and the A&R was the one pushing for a louder master, so that it would "sound good on the radio".
In my experience, that's the exception, not the rule, although I think it did happen more a couple of years ago. Today, I believe, the wish for a very loud master in most cases originates from the artist themselves, wanting to "match or exceed" their idols and "outclass" their competitors.