Loudness, the Confluence of Domains and Deep Listening

What is Loudness? Perception vs. Physics

Loudness: How loud we feel or perceive a sound is.
It’s related to physical sound pressure (amplitude), but it’s subjective.
Our ears hear different frequencies (pitches) at different perceived loudness levels, even if their physical intensity is the same.
Context matters! Our biases, expectations, and environment change how loud we think something is.

Loudness as a Recording Tool

Producers and engineers actively shape loudness in recordings.
They can make sounds seem louder or softer than they were in the original performance, creating unique sonic textures.
When analyzing recordings, we try to focus on the sensation of loudness itself, separate from performance energy (intensity) or sound color (timbre).
This requires focused, critical listening.

Loudness vs. Prominence: What’s the Difference?

Loudness: How intense a sound feels subjectively.
Prominence: What grabs your attention in the mix.
Key Idea: The most prominent sound isn’t always the most intense (SPL)
- Example: A quiet but unexpected shaker entry might be more prominent than a constant loud pad sound.
Attention directs perception

Prominence Example & Musical Dynamics

Dynamics (in Music): More than volume — overall shifts in expression, energy, and intensity across loudness, timbre, articulation, and performance feel.
Example: “Let It Be” (Spector mix) — the hi-hat at 0:53 is prominent due to surprise, not volume.

Why Measuring Perceived Loudness is Tricky

Equal Loudness Contours: Same SPL sounds different across frequencies.
Subjective Increments: No agreed-upon steps for “how much louder.”
Confusion with SPL: dB is physical; loudness is perceptual. Not the same scale.
No perfect meter: LUFS approximates it, but no method fully captures perception.

Measuring Loudness: Meet LUFS

LUFS: Stands for Loudness Units Full Scale.
It’s the modern, standardized way to measure perceived loudness in digital audio.
Goal: To measure loudness more like humans actually hear it, unlike older methods (Peak, RMS dB).
Why? Creates consistency across platforms (broadcast, streaming, etc.). Essential for mastering today.

Key LUFS Measurements

Integrated LUFS: Average loudness over the entire track. (streaming targets)
Short-Term LUFS: Rolling 3-second average. (section loudness)
Momentary LUFS: Rolling 400ms average. (immediate peaks)
True Peak (dBTP): Highest peak, including between samples. (prevents clipping)

Putting Loudness Meters to Use

Listen actively while watching a LUFS meter (routed through software like Reaper).
Compare the LUFS readings of different songs (e.g., older vs. newer tracks).
Use tools like MLoudnessAnalyzer to visualize loudness over time.
This helps develop your ear for perceived loudness and understand how tracks meet delivery standards.

Key Loudness Concepts in a Mix

Loudness Balance (Musical Balance): How loud individual instruments/sounds are relative to each other. Crucial for the mix’s character.
Reference Dynamic Level (RDL): The track’s overall impression of intensity or energy level. A stable reference point.
Track Loudness Contour: The shape of the overall loudness (combination of all sounds) as it changes throughout the entire track.

Understanding the RDL (Reference Dynamic Level)

Think of it as the track’s ‘home base’ or central intensity level.
It’s a holistic feeling reflecting the overall energy, performance force, emotion, and tempo.
We use this felt RDL as a reference point to judge how loud or soft other parts of the track feel in context.
Related to the idea of “Crystallized Form” - the track’s core essence felt all at once.

The RDL encapsulates the overall intensity signature of a track. It’s derived from the interplay of all sounds, musical materials, performance gestures, and even lyrical meaning. It’s experienced as a single, stable level of intensity.
Interpreting the RDL is a qualitative assessment. It involves reflecting on the track’s felt energy and essence without getting lost in moment-to-moment details. It’s about grasping the track’s singular, coherent whole.
The concept of “Crystallized Form” represents perceiving the track’s entire essence—its shape, character, energy, meaning—instantaneously, as a unified presence. The RDL is a key component of this overall intensity aspect of the crystallized form.
While subjective, the RDL aims to capture a shared cultural understanding of the track’s intensity, acknowledging that familiarity can refine this perception over time.

RDL

The Track Loudness Contour

The overall loudness journey of the entire track, moment by moment.
It’s the combined loudness of all instruments and sounds mixed together.
Imagine a single master volume meter needle dancing throughout the song – that’s the contour.
This changing shape adds drama, movement, and structure to the music.

Overall Loudness Level of the Track

Loudness Shapes and Structure

Loudness exists at different levels: the whole track, sections, individual sounds.
The shape of the track loudness contour is structurally important!
It can highlight sections (verse vs. chorus), build tension, and provide release.
Example: “Here Comes the Sun” uses loudness changes to define its form.

“Here Comes the Sun” - Loudness Contour Example

Figure 9.2 illustrates the changes in overall loudness level throughout the track “Here Comes the Sun” (1969, 1987). The graph contains the reference dynamic level of the track (RDL, shown as a line, likely around low mf), against which the contour can be heard. Imbedded in the contour are shapes of loudness that correspond to structural divisions; as the shapes emerge within one’s hearing of the track, their role in defining sections through their repetition becomes apparent. The loudness shape of the track is clearly evident from its beginning at the lower portion of mp to its peak within ff. The wide dynamic range of the track contains subtle changes of loudness as well as large and sudden shifts.

“Here Comes the Sun” is among the uncommon tracks in which the reference dynamic level is prominently experienced. During the final moments of the coda, the level of the track loudness contour matches the track’s RDL; the reference dynamic level is audible as the track’s overall loudness arrives at the track’s overall sense of energy, exertion, and expression (that is the RDL). At this moment, the low mf RDL delivers a sense of arrival and a settling in the place of the conception and expression in which the track exists. It is common for a track to arrive at its RDL as an important occurrence, but it is not common for it to be a point of arrival that provides aesthetic closure to a track.

Beyond Loudness: The Confluence of Domains

A recorded track isn’t just sound – it’s a blend of three key areas:

Music: Notes, rhythms, harmony, melody, structure.
Lyrics: Words, meaning, story, poetic devices.
Recording: Mic choices, effects (reverb, delay), mixing decisions (panning, EQ, loudness balance), performance capture.

These domains merge and interact to create the final overall sound quality and meaning.

Timbre: The Glue Between Domains

Timbre: The unique ‘sound color’ or quality of an instrument or voice. What makes a trumpet sound different from a violin playing the same note at the same loudness.
Timbre acts like glue, binding elements from Music, Lyrics, and Recording together through the actual sound.
It’s not just one thing – it emerges from the blend (a multi-domain gestalt).
The range of frequencies a sound occupies (pitch density) and the loudness balance of its internal parts contribute to its overall timbre.

Deep Listening: Hearing More Detail

Deep Listening: Paying extremely close, focused attention to sound.
It means hearing the subtle details within sounds – the texture of a voice, the decay of a reverb, the attack of a drum.
Different from casual, everyday listening. Requires intention.
Crucial for noticing the nuances of recording choices and how different elements interact.
Inspired by composers like Pauline Oliveros and Pierre Schaeffer.

Why Listen Deeply?

Helps you truly understand how loudness works alongside timbre, space, and performance within the mix.
Reveals how the Music, Lyrics, and Recording domains blend and influence each other.
Allows you to better perceive the track’s overall essence or “Crystallized Form”.
Unlocks a richer, more insightful appreciation of recorded music by revealing hidden sonic layers.