Have you experienced those annoying variable sound levels blowing out of your TV? Like most of us….uh yeah.
I’d ask myself, why don’t they do something at the station to compress those high dbs and even out the general sound from one commercial ad to the next.
This Parade magazine article I gleaned from Sunday’s paper suggests that finally, after decades of complaints, TV commercials may get quieter.
There are regulators available to help keep your ears from bleeding!
Switched also comments.
There’s even an act of Congress in the works…appropriately called CALM. Love it!
I saw this too. But, I think commercials are loud because commercials are created in different studios as hot as they can be without distortion. String them all together between TV breaks and you’ll have various degrees of loudness. Stereo panning also effects “loundness perception” because it’s coming from the front of the TV.
Hi Shawn,
I agree with your observations. Each producer has different sets of EQ and compression and certain ads are not only mixed just hot, but may also feature ear-ripping music and a growling voiceover to match.
I hadn’t really thought about the stereo panning and the loudness perception as such. Thanks for stopping by and for your commentary.
Best,
Bobbin