Does Adele really sound better on YouTube ? And if so, WHY?!?

[@JimijaymesProductions]

This further proves the same as with the Atmos Billie Eilish mixes that hits are being mastered loud and sound 2 dimensional for the advantage of only being louder on a medium nooone buys anymore. This sounds like a completely different mix but a way better mix and master. Makes me wondering what they liked when these masters were given the green light, in the studio you can compensate for loudness differences and are A&R guys really checking on a cd player?

[@ProductionAdvice]

Agreed!

[@AvithOrtega]

"Masters need to be pushed very loud because thats whats needed to achieve the artistic vision, or the correct sound for the song". Yep, that's the warcry of almost everybody that doesn't really understand the importance of Dynamics in music, but hopefuly people like Ian Sheperd will open their eyes (and ears) with his clear and informative videos.

[@ProductionAdvice]

👍🙂

[@watchtheskies]

Wow the youtube version is significantly better to my ears, the CD version is quite disappointing, it sounds extremely squashed

[@vagabond197979]

I'm just impressed to hear someone with talent singing without autotune. How refreshing is that?

[@LeeronCarbuncle]

They sound like different mixes to me.

[@Tieg]

They sound like different mixes to me too. Ian got really close to matching them which was impressive. The KZbin mix had longer reverb tails or just a higher reverb level in general to my ears. Seemed like it had some more low end to it too.

[@bobrv8]

Hi Ian. A masterclass in analysis and I learned so much. I definitely prefer the KZbin version but wow what a difference the stereo width made on the CD version. Almost made it the same but to me it was the piano EQ that was the main difference - brighter on the KZbin version. As you say the CD version differences could be to do with the track having to fit in with the other songs - I hope we find out one day to settle our curiosity. The main thing for me was the KZbin version pretty much followed your teaching which certainly works well for those I master for.

[@StratsRUs]

Yes, although the stereo spread brings the CD version closer, there is that Eq and Reverb magic that happens on the You Tube one.It really sounds great.There could be a ton of versions they had.It helps that it is Adele's voice and the focus on her detail.

[@markgrace2884]

Well done Ian! A very nice side-by-side analysis, indeed. I have much to think about...

[@ReeseWitherknife]

Incredibly interesting. I've actually started recording some songs into my DAW so I can fix them kinda like you just did.

[@joelglaser5657]

Thank you Ian. I always enjoy listening and learning from your videos and articles.

[@GaryBradleymusic]

Super analyis. We kicked this around with Bobby Owsinski. First, there's no denying Adele is a brillient vocalist and emotional communicator. However, I thought the vocal was over compressed and the instruments sounded like a demo. The public aren't interested in expert analysis and voted with their emotions! I personally think Adele is like any admired artist... if you're a fan you will like whatever the artist produces... nothing wrong in that! When I listen to the CD version, my gut clecnhes at high/instense passages because the compression restrictrs / doesn't 'release' the vocal into 'top flight'. It's constrained like a beautiful bird in a cage that just wants to fly free. I think whoever the the producer / mix / mastering engineers were did a huge disservice to Adele's dynamic potential here. Ian... I admire your diplomacy but personally, if I was the producer, I would have encouraged Adele to range free and make an astronomical performance and released it with only the slightest touch of compression or limiting, if any at all.

[@andrewsmith8762]

Totally agree. The whole song sounded muddy, the accompaniment seemed to have most of the top end removed and her performance was so compressed that the loudest parts of her performance actually sounded quieter than the quietest bits. It sounds like the whole thing was mixed and mastered for Alexa type mono speakers to be listened to in the kitchen. Such a fantastic performance, and we are talking about one of the best performances EVER in popular music, deserves so much better

[@SelfPropelledDestiny]

I'm feeling like it's two different masters. Streaming version less limited/compressed, and CD version compressed that 3.3db further. I guess what might be confusing is that they may not be using the CD audio for the music video anymore. Knowing that most people will watch the video through KZbin and others, they went with the higher dynamic streaming version? Not sure if they were EQ'ed differently or if that would have been a side effect result of the limiting.

[@ibits9527]

Qobuz version sounds muffled compared to the KZbin version.

[@andrewsmith8762]

Putting aside the differences between the 2 versions, when I first heard the song , on Spotify I think, my initial thought was why does it sound so muddy and why do the loudest parts of her performance sound so compressed that they actually sound quieter than the quieter parts of her performance. Clearly the producer decided he wanted that and maybe I’m out on a limb here but for me such a fantastic vocal performance and song deserves production better than that

[@jellewierda3828]

And the League Of Legends trailer 2019. The sound track on KZbin is also different then the 'CD' master

[@BoogieBear]

Brilliant insight as always Ian! For me though, I preferred the CD version but with the addition of your +70% width modification

[@skipb119]

Very helpful, Ian! Thanks for putting this together. I certainly prefer the more dynamic KZbin version.

[@amirjubran1845]

The differences seemed subtle at first, but when Ian started toggling between the YT and Qobuz versions it made the Qobuz sound like a mono recording.

[@regardinghenry2145]

Hi Ian, thanks for that in depth analysation!

[@wvvwkx]

I don't think it has to do with CDs, but with the fact that the digital store release is still the reference for sharing media services or DJs: tiny smartphone speakers, aswell as speakers in a disco both benefit from a more mono and compressed mix. When you choose Adele's song for your instagram story or your tiktok meme it's gonna get picked by digital stores like iTunes, not from KZbin. And you want that song to sound loud enough and not have any major mono-cancellation issue (specially with smartphones that play left side on the earpiece and right side on the bigger bottom speaker). Same story for clubs, most setups just send everything to mono cause you don't have a real left/right sound stage in a disco. The youtube version is for when you wanna intentionally listen to the song, maybe after finding it out through one of the mentioned medium (and maybe using decent headphones). This said, such a difference between the two version is really impressive; honestly I hope it doesn't become the new thing to have multiple different masters across the internet of the same song

[@ProductionAdvice]

You may be right but I think this approach is misguided. I don't think the extra level or reduced width would help this song "cut through" on phone speakers, for example.

[@mariodario9033]

My opinion is that there is two separate mastering files - YT has one and files for streaming and CD are thoes prepared for CD, make all songs unified, as you said in your video. Probably rest of the songs will be full band so there will be other strategy for mixing songs and finally other taste of mastering. THX for that comparision. Cheers.

[@michal.ochedowski]

When you take away the point of reference and just let people hear the song, it's a good thing no one complaints about loudness being insufficient. There was a big difference between these two versions. Valuable lesson.

[@BradWiebe]

Thanks for this video, Ian! I really liked the comparison.

[@DaveRave23]

Thanks Ian, fascinating. I had a look at them both myself (used Tidal - which looked and sounded like the CD version you had) and can only agree with the comments made. Helps me learn. Appreciate the videos very much.

[@skinkie]

I have seen this years ago for other artists such as Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen as well. Like the producer of the videoclip really cared for some headroom, where the CD version plainly clipped. I wonder if the same effect could be achieved by adding StereoTool behind it to recover it.

[@bobinadigital]

I wonder if the KZbin version might be mixed in Dolby Atmos

[@ProductionAdvice]

A few people have asked that, which hadn’t occurred to me when I made the video. Yes, I think that’s another possibility

[@lahattec]

I preferred the KZbin version. Additionally, I have noticed on other music on KZbin that it sounds very nice compared to the original. So, I have 2 points/questions: 1) A comparison of the 2 files in mono would be interesting to see if there are phase differences noticed due to some widening. Also, differencing the two files might be revealing of something. 2) Maybe try this same comparison on some other KZbin music file to see if it too sounds different from its original CD version. Thanks!

[@Poccu9IHuH]

CD masters are fighting for loudness. Louder mixes are most of the time sounds better than quiter mixes. But this fight went too far for crap. KZbin and other services set their own standards for loudness, and this gives room for dynamics in the mixes. So there are different masters for the stream services and CD version of the musical products. And most of the times stream versions are better ones.

[@CyrilleBoucanogh]

that sounds like a different mix made by a different engineer. As a mastering engineer I suppose it was just unmixed stems sent to the video production producer, most likely the whole Pro Tools project with the entire multitrack, as I can't hear M/S processing on the YT track, but I can hear different piano position and EQing of the piano track. In the CD version the piano sounds lifeless, like a comb-filter effect, with much less low-mids and notch nulls in the high mids. I can hear added Lexicon L480 reverb on the voice and piano in YT mix. But the CD mix sounds right for a radio version. The KZbin mix would be too reverberant to sound good on the radio. The KZbin versions sounds done right for the KZbin regarding appropriate dynamic range and the effects added in a good balance. Good job!

[@jeffardron7020]

Tx Ian. So, I A/B'ed the YT and Qobuz versions. Yup, generally nicer spread and dynamics on YT, but also more (and different) reverb. I also noticed the delay more, but that could be the verb just carrying it further, if it was chained afterwards. In both versions, there is something strange going on with the vox at maybe 4k or so? Sounds like a mic issue combined with...? Just too much compression? Not sure. Anyway, I don't think the mic suits her voice. (I'd guess it is an 87 style mic, but who knows after all the EQ and compression...) I think her performance is top notch. I think the mixing decisions were a little bland at best, and unhelpful at worst. Still, as we all know, it is the performance that makes a hit, not the mastering... Sadly! 😊

[@ProductionAdvice]

Yes I agree, there's a grainy, almost gritty quality to her vocal sound that I'm not wild about, and it's over-compressed for my taste. But those are recording & mixing issues, not mastering, I'm sure

[@nonamegrs]

Well, I’ve just seen this video and in my opinion it‘s almost the same case as with „This is me“ from The Greatest Showman. The “Original motion picture soundtrack” CD version sounds way different than the movie version. The movie version is better than the CD version.

[@ultrasoundconcept]

I think they probably are Two different Masters.

[@filtafacta]

Interesting analysis. Here's a couple of points which should help. 1. Collapse both songs to mono and then compare tone. 2. Limit the KZbin mix and then compare with the (clearly limited) CD version.

[@ProductionAdvice]

I’ve done the mono test, they sound quite close but the CD master was thicker in the low mids, from memory. Limiting won’t affect the stereo width in the same way, though

[@algywatkins9316]

Thanks. I found that really interesting. Would it be correct to say that the aim when producing the CD version is to not to create the best sound but a compromise that works well in a wide range of listening environments?

[@ProductionAdvice]

Not for me. It's all about the best sound as far as I'm concerned. That means it should also translate to virtually any listening system - from massive PA down to speaker-phone, and I see no need to compromise in that way. A phone will always sound crappy, so provided it sounds as good as anything else can, you're fine even though it may be distorted and have no bass (say). That's a different thing than any listening environment, though. A pair of open-backed headphones will sound great in most environments, but not on a crowded train. In that case though the only thing that will really help is closed cans or noise-cancelling. In my experience crushing the loudness doesn't help in noisy environments, so I don't try to take that into account in the mastering. For example, the loud sections of "Xanny" by Billie Eilish are super-loud, but I still can't hear her voice in the verses in my car. Making the levels more consistent would have helped with that in a way that smashing the peaks doesn't, but also wasn't the musical effect they wanted. And in this case, KZbin is probably listened to in the widest possible range of environments, much more than CD, so by that logic KZbin should be more squashed than CD. You often hear noisy environments used as an excuse for super-loud masters, but I don't buy it...

[@JayUU]

My personal preference between the two versions you're comparing is for the KZbin version which, to my ears at least, has rather more 'life' to it than the more heavily limited CD version. However, what we don't yet know for certain (as the album itself isn't released until Friday!) is just how compressed/limited the actual CD album is. If it is as 'bad' as the stream on Qobus indicates, then it makes me wonder whether I shouldn't buy the vinyl copy instead - and hope that it was cut slightly less hot! Her vocal performances are generally so good that I feel we need a better source than we appear to be getting: I put that down to 'someone' in the record company wanting it to be loud rather than retain the dynamics of her performance. A real shame. I would be really interested to see you interview whoever mastered this album on one of your shows and to get his 'explanation' of what he's done to it.

[@allaboutbookbinding8339]

I prefer the CD - the vocal sounds unnecessarily brittle on the KZbin version. My immediate thought was that EQ and spatial enhancements (maybe even reverb) were added during video post when the FX and Foley were mixed in.

[@themagicianofsound]

This is a very interesting analysis (as you always do). Because of this case, a very popular song sounding different depending on the platform, I guess it opens the door so that it will become a valid excuse for engineers to make different masters based on the platform (whatever their motivation is).... Everybody can now say: "I can do this, Adele did it"....

[@beurksman]

Engineers have been mastering differently depending on medium/platform for ever. I remember having to learn all the differences between the popular audio and video streaming platforms at school

[@themagicianofsound]

@@beurksman In fact you should have mentionned "A FEW" engineers because all pro engineers that I follow never do that and even recommend to never do that. They all say that we have to produce ONE master. The only things that CAN be adjusted differently if you want to deliver more than one master are the headroom (the gain level, give a bit more headroom to the "streaming" version to avoid clipping due to the streaming platforms conversions which can expand the peak levels), the sample rate and the bit depth, but these differences do not affect the sound at all, all masters sound identical. An exception to this may be for vinyl production and this is mainly for technical reasons.

[@tuukkatervo8760]

Sounds like a different mix to me. KZbin version seems to have more reverb. That can't be explained by differences in mastering - you would expect the louder master to sound more reverberant. Now it is the opposite.

[@EannaButler]

Agree. It's deffo not a codec thing... The mix is narrower, the HF range more forward, as well as the points you made...

[@ProductionAdvice]

Not sure I agree @Tuukka Tervo. If you narrow the KZbin version to match the CD, they sound pretty similar, to me. It's possible they used an Atmos mix for the video, perhaps...

[@gokulabhishek6992]

Hi Ian, the KZbin version definitely sounds better to me. Wondering if it is a stereo downmix from an Atmos version (probably done for the video?) Atmos mixes tend to have way more dynamics than stereo versions, don't they?

[@ProductionAdvice]

Yes, that’s another possibility 👍

[@BubbleDropBubbleTeaShop]

Great Vid. I am seeing this lots recently I think the Record Labels are overlooking proper mastering as quality control and they think it is just about making a track sound better. Mastering is first and foremost Quality Control to help consistancy. Labels are doing alsorts of wierd stuff when sending files out these days. If Mastering engineers were the people checking and sending to these platforms and not A&R or office people then we may have more consistancy?

[@ProductionAdvice]

That might be true, but in this case I actually prefer the sound of the KZbin version rather than the CD / Qobuz master...

[@BubbleDropBubbleTeaShop]

@@ProductionAdvice I Agree. But my. Point is that they should be both the same. A novice can hear that the KZbin version sounds much better. Why is there another version out there?

[@JonnyInfinite]

Quality control ain't what it used to be, which is ridiculous considering the size of this release. At least the ABBA record is mastered like the old days. Ian, can you get hold of the vinyl release to compare? I wonder if the different KZbin master is off of that? If that's the case, is this an attempt to push older buyers to getting the vinyl, which the record company can make much more from, by gimping the CD release..? Or is that too tin foil hat?

[@maximilianmustermann5763]

@@JonnyInfinite But in that case it doesn't make sense to send a more squashed CD version to a hi-res streaming service like Qobuz. These hi-res streaming services are usually not being used by teenagers on their phones, their target market is often the same as vinyl: older hi-fi enthusiasts with really good audio equipment, and they don't appreciate narrow, squashed masters.

[@trentgarthwater]

I use KZbin music app and you can switch back and forth in real time so the difference is easy to hear. Interesting that KZbin videos have a hard LPF at 16( or 19? Can’t remember off hand but well below 20) kHz further discounting the high resolution argument

[@ProductionAdvice]

Right. I prefer lossless audio whenever I can get it, but other factors can be *much* more significant

[@JonnyInfinite]

@@ProductionAdvice give me a lossy aac with more dynamic range than a 24/96 at DR 5 anytime

[@ProductionAdvice]

@@JonnyInfinite Agreed!

[@maximilianmustermann5763]

Most encoders for mp3 or aac are doing an automatic LPF depending on the bitrate. As far as I can remember, LAME uses a 18 kHz LPF for most of its most common settings for mp3. I mean all these codecs do is decide what information to keep and what to discard of, and so a low pass at 16-18 kHz is an obvious decision for almost any bitrate.

[@maximilianmustermann5763]

@@JonnyInfinite Too bad the KZbin .aac is only 128 kbit/s. I mean it sounds pretty good, but it's a shame you can't at least get it in 256 kbit/s

[@jellewierda3828]

This is almost the same for KD/A Vilian. KZbin version is much more dynamic...

[@Splendiddddd]

Well i did my own a/b test in my mastering studio with the Dynaudio C4 speakers and i seems to me that the wider image is because they mixed in the ambient noise of the video. I can hear the tires from the car on my speakers. The video editors just used the cd master and mixed in their own sfx and ambient noise. I dont think it sound that much better, but i will say the Qobuzz version is more compressed witch is a real shame, but thats with a lot of songs. I also don't like the mega compression on the vocals, but they need to make it sound good on them iphone's i guess. Ah well

[@ProductionAdvice]

Try comparing the difference (side) signal. There’s WAY more piano in the side unless you increase the stereo width of the CD

[@GingerDrums]

Hey, the differences in frequency response and m/s elements of the mix are obvious on the piano. Havin expensive speakers and a great setup is always a fantastic start, but ear training is more crucial in the end. I have a Kii Three set up, but I can hear these differences on Samsung searbuds.

[@pesam64]

I would expect that the YT version is an ATMOS mix. Don’t know If that’s the case? When I heard the song on the radio I immediately thought it didn’t sound right. Now when listening to the YT version I know why. And yes I much prefer the more spacious mix on YT.

[@ProductionAdvice]

It's possible yes, but I don't see any Atmos mixes available an Apple Music yet, so I'm not sure...

[@kevgresham8407]

Hi Ian Yet again another fantastic video ..As to which one i prefer well that is difficult ..what i will say is that the Qobuz version sounds softer ..I have been listening to alot of songs from the 70s and they defo have a rounder sound but they were mastered for vinyl could it be that the Qobuz version was the master then when they released the single they spiced it up afterwards ..I have another example of this ..By one of my fav bands erasure The ep version .. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIS9gJ95j82Uprs The video version kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZ2piXmqfMZ2jdk I understand that the video version is faster but tonally it is so open ..Do you think that like Adele they have used atmos to add spice to the master afterwards for the video versions

[@TheMcPozitiv]

Very interesting !

[@jellewierda3828]

She was just singing louder on the 'cd' version! 🤪

[@BukanIbuMu]

The youtube version surprisingly sounds less grating.

[@agdfrnd]

When only loudness-matched, I thought the KZbin version had a lot more reverb on her vocals - they sounded much drier in the CD version. After the stereo width & EQ tweaks, I don't know anymore. But that might explain your experience. edit: I hadn't read comments further down but apparently I'm not the only one. Kept expecting Ian to comment on it.

[@ProductionAdvice]

I don't think it's extra reverb - if you narrow the KZbin version to match the CD instead, it ends up sounding a lot drier, because so much of the reverb information is in the side signal. That's just my opinion, though, I could be wrong

[@MrKlorox]

Do you think it could have anything to do with the expected listening environment? (ie: speakers vs headphones) Like, do you think the Industry thinks (or has research and statistics stating) that CD's are used almost exclusively by people listening in a car with road noise?

[@ProductionAdvice]

No, the vast majority of music is mastered way louder than necessary in my opinion (like this song) and that applies to downloads as well as CD. I only specify that I'm comparing with the CD version in this case so people don't think it might be because of streaming data-compression.

[@MrKlorox]

Oh, so it's *only* the YT version that's this way? I assumed it had something to do with Qobuz using the CD as its source as opposed to whatever the optimal streaming alternative is. I thought you were using KZbin as an example of what the rest of the services stream.

[@ProductionAdvice]

@@MrKlorox No, that’s the interesting thing - KZbin is the only platform with this version (that I’ve found)

[@PabloMessier]

Ian i'm interested in your course, can you explain briefly how you run it, do you teach via Zoom ? do you review student work and give feedback live ? thanks!

[@ProductionAdvice]

Hi Pablo, more details on the course here: www.homemastering.com. The content is delivered as pre-recorded videos, plus some live Q&A sessions to answer any questions you might have. I'm not able to listen to your work or offer feedback though, I'm afraid

[@ProductionAdvice]

(Although that is something I do as well separately, drop me an email if you're interested)

[@PabloMessier]

@@ProductionAdvice Thank you very much for the info, i just signed up to get notified when the next course comes up, at the moment there is a message that says "The course is currently closed - get notified as soon as it runs again".

[@PabloMessier]

@@ProductionAdvice Thanks I will, is your email located in your website ?

[@ProductionAdvice]

Correct, I'll be running it again early in the new year.

[@-_Nuke_-]

I sense some kind of probably bad exciter vst was used for this

[@Leo.Brodie]

Thanks for this analysis! KZbin version is definitely better. It's interesting that we've collectively accepted a mindset of "I guess we'll never know" when the people who made these decisions are most likely still alive! 😀

[@johnthorpedidge]

CD version sounds flatter and thinner compared to KZbin version. KZbin one has much fuller sound and tonally better. Certainly wouldn't buy CD version which is quite disappointing in comparison YT.

[@MajorGRecording]

Yes, the KZbin version did sound better. I liked the stereo width and eq much better, which seemed to give it more life.

[@kye903]

Would a null test have proved anything..? You should have given us an A B in mono too. And just a solo of the side information of each one would have been nice also.

[@ProductionAdvice]

I actually I did try a null test, but they don't stay in sync to cancel. I wondered if this meant they were separate mixes, but pitch/catch processing on different machines plus phase rotation due to analogue filtering can easily cause this, and I think it's likely that processing was applied in mastering. I couldn't draw any firm conclusions, so I didn't include it in the video. I also compared in mono. The differences in EQ are easier to hear, but it didn't really give any extra insight. I didn't think to try listening to the side signal, but I just tried it and with my width tweak they sound VERY close

[@MrKlorox]

@@ProductionAdvice Ah "null test" is when you invert the phase of one of the tracks and mix it with the original to the point of canceling out frequencies? Now i know what it's called. Is there an plugin or daw or algorithm or anything you know of that can assist in syncing the tracks together?

[@ProductionAdvice]

@@MrKlorox I don’t know of one, sorry - I always do it by hand

[@bbgstudios]

Maybe because streaming almost requires competition in the loudness war, where a KZbin video is much more engaging and personal with the viewer/listener and thus doesn’t require such competition. Just a thought…

[@andreacolombo7896]

Do you think it's a common practice to have KZbin videos play a quieter, more dynamic track compared to the album version? Sometimes even in metal music videos KZbin seems to sound better than Tidal.

[@ProductionAdvice]

It's rare but it does happen. One of my favourite examples is "Dirty Computer" by Janelle Monae. It's definitely unusual at the moment, though

[@JoaquinGonzalez2014]

I do hear a difference, and I like the KZbin version better.

[@Malc180s]

There's a fair chance the youtube version isn't mastered at all, listening to that. Personally I prefer the CD version, but it almost certainly sounds the way it sounds because of the 5+ mixers that inevitably worked on this album - someone has to unify it!

[@JonnyInfinite]

Is it that they think an older audience (that's going to buy the CD) is going to want a dynamically compressed version because that's what they expect these days? Clearly the loudness wars are not over

[@ProductionAdvice]

Oh, no question they're still raging 🙁 I think it's unlikely this was done because of demographics, though - if anything I'd guess they might think that older listeners prefer _more_ dynamics

[@PatrickSchouten]

It sounds to me that the KZbin version has more reverb.

[@ProductionAdvice]

I think that's just an illusion caused by the difference in stereo width. I could well be wrong, though

[@daybyday1317]

Maybe it has something to do with the samplerate? If more samples on KZbin are measured per second (48.000) instead of Qobuz (44.100) then maybe the output material will look and sound different?

[@themagicianofsound]

I would be really surprised because sample rate conversions can definitely unbalance a master, I've experienced it using some average conversion tools, but never to that extent of differences.

[@mathyoooo2]

To me the youtube version sounds like it has more reverb

[@ProductionAdvice]

I agree - that's because of the difference in stereo width. Lots of the reverb information is contained in the difference (side) signal, so boosting it brings the reverb out. It's possible they used a different mix with more reverb, but I don't think so. In that case tweaking the stereo width alone wouldn't make them sound so similar

[@pctechjustin]

youtube version.

[@RonnieVaiArovo]

Adele's voice is quite allot more annoying & harsher in the KZbin version compared to the louder, lossless file. I can't believe you didn't pick up on this Ian? You are focused too much on the loudness wars 🤦‍♂️ CD version sound better overall because of this..... even if louder. People who appreciate higher quality will prefer the CD. People who prefer a more annoying voice will prefer track 1. Simple 🙂 No casual listener will care about stereo width. Good comparison !

[@ProductionAdvice]

Well, I agree there's something grainy, almost gritty-sounding about her vocal which I'm not wild about, and perhaps this is softened on the CD slightly, but there's a huge amount of compression on her voice and personally I don't like the CD version any better. To me, the CD version sounds thick and congested, and I like the extra space and clarity of the KZbin version. So, I prefer it overall even leaving loudness out of the equation. But I realise not everyone will agree 🙂

[@themagicianofsound]

I think it's all about personal taste, as music has ever been and will always be. Rick Beato who has one of the best ear on the planet considers this song as an absolute masterpiece with that level of compression of the vocals. Other world-class engineers and audiophiles will not be a fan of the way the vocals sound. But in the end she has at this moment nearly 155 millions views on her video on KZbin so somehow there must be people who are pleased by the way it sounds haha ! 🤣

[@kuglepen64]

Her vocal track is compressed to buggery, so if the master is brickwalled doesn’t really change much - at least here on my iMac. Both mixdowns and masterings are terrible. Why does anyone listen to that garbage?

[@BukanIbuMu]

Most people are not audiophile so they don't care. They do care about the melody and lyrics tho.

[@ProductionAdvice]

I agree her vocal is very heavily compressed, but I certainly wouldn't say the mix is garbage.

[@kuglepen64]

@@ProductionAdvice There is a piano and female vocal on the track. Both sound terrible.

[@ProductionAdvice]

@@kuglepen64 In your opinion - fair enough.

[@diegomendivil7101]

Strictly compared to other comercial releases it sounds very good.