Help with compression and dynamic range

One valid reason to compress a recording is so they can be heard better over background noise. Only audiophile types lock themselves in quiet rooms when listening to music.

Synthfreek ;
Do you believe that cutting off the highs and lows makes the music sound better , on your equipment , than recordings that don't reduce these extremes ?
Just curious .

Happy Tunes

Compressors and limiters (very fast acting compressors) are required so that music can be comfortably transposed or carried by the medium. They reduce the musical peaks and raise the low level signals. For instance, on vinyl records if the music is recorded too softly it can be overwhelmed by the noise floor. If too loud, playback time per side is greatly reduced and the stylus may literally pop out of the groove. FM radio and reel to reel tape also have dynamic range limitations that virtually mandated the use of dynamic compression in order to fit the music within the medium.

With modern digital recording and playback equipment there's no technical reason to use compressors or limiters. However, in pop/rock recordings there are any number of artistic reasons to use compressors. Bonham's classic drum sound or Santana's mid-to recent period guitar tone are dependent upon compressors.

To address Saki70's question: some music just doesn't sound right without compression. Rock without compression doesn't sound like rock and roll. Do you really want to take the crunch out of the guitars?

One of the tell tale signs of an untrained musician is their wildly fluctuating dynamics. Such dynamics are also considered a sign of poor recording engineering. In a single recording the music shouldn't be so soft that you turn the volume up and then later have to turn the volume down because it's now too loud.

Compressors and limiters I'm referring to are conceptually different than and have nothing to do with data compressors such as MP4.

Onhwy61 ;
Maybe we are talking about two different things here .
What I am referring to when I speak of compression is the
omission of the highs and lows . This is what is done , as you mentioned , on FM radio . I get the same kind of reduction on some CD's and LP's . It kind of sucks the life out of the music . It is akin to putting a blanket over your speakers . And then on other recordings the highs and lows are present and the music just sings ! Not so much about the dynamics or loud and quiet passages but the extension .

Thank you

Kewadinbob ;
Doing your homework will consist of reading recording reviews , if you can find them , or just taking a chance . There may be 2 , 3 or more prints of the same album that may or may not contain the same sound qualities often from different manufacturers . I've had three different prints of 'Dark Side of the Moon' on CD . They all were compressed . I have a LP that is not . I have George Harrison 'All Things Must Pass' LP set . The first song on side A of the first record is pretty good . All of the rest of the songs are compressed ! It sounds like somebody covered the mic's .
My experience has shown it to be pretty much a hit and miss situation . I hit the thrift stores to try them . Then donate the misses and keep the hits , sometimes having to repurchase better condition copies from resellers .
Good luck and enjoy the hunt !