TV Background Music Is Too Loud!

I was so happy to find this page as I was searching for info on how to deal with loud background music on TV shows! I had my hearing checked by an audiologist at an ENT office last year, and my hearing is actually better than average for my age (60). The problem I have is the constant ringing. It's always there. I honestly can't remember a time when I didn't have it. I thought it was normal. I've also noticed that unless I have my TV volume up high, it's hard for me to hear the talking voices because the background music is loud and drowns it out. Does anybody else have this problem? How do you deal with it? I also have trouble hearing in loud restaurants because of the loud background noise. Nobody else seems to think it's that loud, but it drives me crazy!

 

You might take a look at this: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-01-brain-amplifier-compensates-lost-ear.html
There was a thread about it here: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/brains-amplifier-compensates-for-lost-inner-ear-function.13280/

It's not unusual for people to have hidden hearing loss, normal thresholds, but distorted hearing. The brain might be compensating for hearing loss caused by loss of auditory nerve fibers.

 

Thank you! I'll check out the links.

 

http://m.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/m...y_new_contributor_to_age_related_hearing_loss

I have the same problem and I'm 21 years old. Huge difference in age. The problem is I destroyed my auditory nerve fibers through loud noise over time. Please read this article, it explains the mechanisms behind why you can't hear as well.

 

You're not the only one with this issue. I've always wondered why they don't have an audio menu on TV's where the soundtrack could be turned down and/or the dialogue could be turned up. I mean, it's definitely possible for manufactures to offer that simple option.

 

I can hear everything normally but background music has always bothered me. One Netflix program I watched, can't remember the name of it, actually had music with lyrics playing as loudly in the background as the actors speaking. (Maybe it was an episode of Gray's Anatomy. ) Midsomer Murders is a great show, but the music at the beginning bothers me with its high-pitched tones.

YouTube videos have gotten ridiculous because people seem to think that they have to add background music that's as loud as the narrative. Usually I put the volume at the lowest possible setting, where I can barely hear what's being said but at least the music doesn't blast me out of the room.

It didn't use to be this way. Now we get assaulted by music everywhere. It's no wonder I never listen to it at home anymore.

 

I've noticed this with British shows a lot. Like with Doctor Who, the soundtrack is recorded at such a high level that I often miss the dialogue. And movies in general usually go overboard with the soundtrack. This could easily be corrected by giving people an audio equalizing option on their TV menus, other than basic treble and bass.

My pet theory is that nowadays all TV shows and movies have their audio mixed by people wearing high def headphones, so naturally they hear everything perfectly including the dialogue. Yay for them.

 

You're probably right. My pet theory is that in the last decade or so, the volume everywhere has gone up, as if loud equals exciting or "cool." I don't know, but it's been bugging me for a long, long time.

 

In music production terms, what you are referring to is known as "brickwall mastering". This involves using a limiter which stops any signal getting past the threshold the engineer sets. Essentially, this allows you to max out the volume of whatever you're mixing/mastering, which in turn increases the quietest level you can get. In other words, if you were to turn down your hifi during a song, it would be a lot louder than a song mixed in the early 90s and prior. On top of this the music is compressed to keep the overall wave form within a certain parameter.

Musicians generally hate this process and it has become to be known as the "loudness war". It seems different producers and mastering engineers are competing to go one step louder, sparring against one another to make their mixes even louder. The skill is to make it louder without there being any clipping or distortion, but some albums do show signs of clipping on good stereo systems, such as Californication (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Death Magnetic (Metallica); there are others but you get the point.

By maxing out the sound in this way it becomes very compressed, meaning there is very little dynamic range in the music. In other words there is no difference between a soft or quiet part of the track and a louder chorus for example. The whole thing just becomes one loud block of sound that has hardly any contrast.

I'll just add that the loudness war seems to be coming to an end, as more and more people are getting fed up with it.

This image shows you visual difference on a wave file:

 

This goes for adverts and other things as well.