Dynamic Range

[JustinAiken]

I love alot of albums that you've produced... like lots here I'm sure, Nevermind and Siamese Dreams are some of my all time favorites...

I'm listening to Disarm right now, and I love the sound and dynamics!

Some of your more recent albums, such as Green Day's new album, seem much more compressed to me...

Is it a sound you're liking more, or you thought fit the bands better, or was it the label/band/ME's choice?

[ButchVig]

Originally Posted by JustinAiken

I love alot of albums that you've produced... like lots here I'm sure, Nevermind and Siamese Dreams are some of my all time favorites...

I'm listening to Disarm right now, and I love the sound and dynamics!

Some of your more recent albums, such as Green Day's new album, seem much more compressed to me...

Is it a sound you're liking more, or you thought fit the bands better, or was it the label/band/ME's choice?

Dynamic range is something I consider for each song I work on. It has nothing to do with the labels, those decisions are usually made by me, the band, and the mixer (hopefully leaving some room for the mastering engineer).
Some albums I've done needed to have a lot of dynamics, others I wanted to sound competitive and in your face. So I guess there's no hard fast rule. I think the new Green Day sounds really good, I like the balance between loud and dynamics.

FYI: when I mix, either on a console or in the box, I NEVER use a mastering buss comp. I always leave that for the mastering engineers.