I find it interesting that a class on music history began discussing something that i think of as a distinctly contemporary issue: the loudness war–the increasing tendency for producers to use compression and limiting to decrease the dynamic range of popular music, making it sound louder even at comparable volumes.  However, as we delved more into the topic, I came to understand that it’s the continuation of a trend that has been going on since the earliest days of music recording.  As early as the 1950s, recording engineers, artists, and producers were using new microphones, multi-track mixing techniques, and instruments like the electric bass to change the sonic profile of recordings, creating a sound that was flatter in response than the records that had come before and were peaked in the mid-range.  It’s hard to say exactly why the trend has continued to the extreme in modern recordings, which now ignore mid-range for maximum bass and treble, but the fact remains that those records sound louder, even when played at the same volume.  It’s harder to ignore loud music, it grabs your attention on the radio on on your stereo.  It seems to me that producers were afraid of sales falling behind if their records were quieter (or at least had more dynamic range) and followed suit.  Many modern bands have gone back on this trend, but generally those bands are not making popular, radio-friendly music and therefore stand to lose much less.  I think that the loudness war represents the triumph of commercial over musical interests in the pop music recording industry. Are we really so lazy that we can’t hear the difference, that we as music consumers won’t demand music with dynamic range, which my own ear finds inherently more pleasing?  One of my classmates made a point in class that when every instrument is at the same volume, it’s possible to focus on different aspects of the song with each listen, but I feel that sentiment is countermanded by one in the video Prof. O’Malley emailed to the class: “The producer doesn’t control the volume knob, you do.”  Loudness for loudness’ sake means a loss of clarity and nuance in recording, and de-emphasizes musicianship. I can’t say I know what the solution to this issue is, but I know it’s one of the main reasons I don’t spend much time listening to current pop music. I hope that as the class continues we delve more into the implications of this issue and look at what might be done going forward to, in my view, improve the sound of music in the future.