Songs Sound Different On Radio

[derek]

OK, we all know that some radio stations speed up songs to get more commercial time, so I'm not talking about that. Has anybody else noticed that songs on almost every radio station either sound compressed or very stereo-y. IDK, it's hard to explain. The songs sound "fuller" to me, too. And every radio sation has a slightly different compression, with thier songs. It's really wierd. Anyone have an answer to this or notice it yourselves (I know some of you do, with the "this song sounds so hot on the radio" quotes, lol).

[Slinky]

Yes, there's a lot of variation in the compression, and also in modulation. Some stations sound much louder or quieter than others.

[Chelsea Press 2]

On some stations in my area, I have noticed that many songs played sound like they come from 128 KBPS quality MP3s. And it doesn't sound too good. There's a handful of songs in which that sort of "underwater" effect sounds okay, but it's not okay.

[derek]

Anyone know why they do it?

"On some stations in my area, I have noticed that many songs played sound like they come from 128 KBPS quality MP3s. And it doesn't sound too good."

I notice that too on my local R&B station, Power 99. It seems to bring out the claps in songs, if that makes sence. Like, in the song Gold Digger, that clap beat is over-exagerated, it has like a clucking sound. SO HARD to explain this, lol. But what I'm trying to say is that that's what I thought too, that it sounded like a lower quality internet download, when I'm listening to that station.

[reception]

Most radio stations to me do have that "fuller" effect to me as opposed to music that you own.

[Chelsea Press 2]

Also, it wouldn't hurt to mention that on two of the CHR/Rhythmic stations in my area, it sounds like some of the songs are either being played from 12" vinyl or they recorded the song from 12" vinyl. And the scratches and dust sounds are not exactly very nice.

[Moonshadow]

^^^ Do radio stations themselves do some cleaning up on stuff from vinyl? When KTU plays Alisha's "All Night Passion", the song sounds so much louder and fuller (on the vinyl copy I own AND on the CD I own the volume is like, incredibly low, but apparently this is how it is on all copies of her music, or so other amazon reviewers claim when I looked it up).

Also, the metronome 16-note beat that continues throughout the whole song is WAY WAY more pronounced...almost to the point that when you listen to the track on the radio, the tick-tick-tick-tick is very prevalent. On the 12" and on the CD, it's really quiet and in the background.

[Chelsea Press 2]

moonshadow said:

^^^ Do radio stations themselves do some cleaning up on stuff from vinyl?  When KTU plays Alisha's "All Night Passion", the song sounds so much louder and fuller (on the vinyl copy I own AND on the CD I own the volume is like, incredibly low, but apparently this is how it is on all copies of her music, or so other amazon reviewers claim when I looked it up). 

Also, the metronome 16-note beat that continues throughout the whole song is WAY WAY more pronounced...almost to the point that when you listen to the track on the radio, the tick-tick-tick-tick is very prevalent.  On the 12" and on the CD, it's really quiet and in the background.

Some stations do clean up vinyl recordings, but it seems like they either don't have the time to, or they don't do a good job.

I have the Alisha track "All Night Passion" on the Timber!/Tommy Boy compilation The Perfect Beats (CD3), and the volume is soooo low in comparison to all the other songs on the comp! The 12" version I have of the song sounds better.

[Pink Champagne Ricochet]

eros said:

On some stations in my area, I have noticed that many songs played sound like they come from 128 KBPS quality MP3s. And it doesn't sound too good. There's a handful of songs in which that sort of "underwater" effect sounds okay, but it's not okay.

I know there were some stations that ripped mp3s of Pink's "Stupid Girls" straight from the video, including the puking scene, before they were sent the formal radio edit.

[derek]

I noticed many songs that have that clapping s/f (So Sick, Gold Digger, etc) the claps are VERY prominent in the song when played on the radio (more prominently on Power 99 in Philly).

Another thing I noticed is that some songs that have volume different in the actually song (maybe the song starts off soft, that the volume level goes up, sometimes immediatly) the volume throughout those kind of songs sound the same throughout it, like they're bringing up the quiet parts.

I don't mind it, I sort of like it, as a matter of fact. I just wonder how the stations actually figure out the compression and modulation to get that full sound. I actually tried mimicking the "radio sound" on my Audio Cleaning Lab (since it has a compresser you can mess with).

[reception]

On KQMQ (CHR-Pop), James Blunt "You're Beautiful" sounds kind of hollow- very odd sounding compared to when I hear it on other stations. Why couldn't KQMQ make a copy from sister station KUMU (AC)? Actually several songs on KQMQ sound hollow.

[John77]

KBIG 104.3 in L.A. really speeds up stuff... like 3-5%... worst sounding song I've heard so far on there is "I Ran" by A Flock of Seagulls...

There's a great thread about this topic on www.radio-info.com if you want more info...

[derek]

Great message board! Thanks for posting! *joins*