Radio stations speeding up songs in your area?

[gibpicker]

I've noticed in my neck of the woods in the San Diego area that the soft rock FM stations (and others) keep progressively playing the music faster and faster until it's absoutely unstandable. From one month to the next it gets a little worse. And, the strangest thing is most don't even notice....

[Mandobart]

Wow, weird but I'm not surprised now that Clear Channel has monopolized US airwaves for some time now.

I almost never listen to commercial radio anymore. They play the same songs, often in the same order, every day. Devoid of any independence, you can essentially drive cross country and hear the same station the whole time.

[Shepsdad]

I gave up on radio about 15 years ago, when I got a vehicle that had an aux input jack. Now both of my vehicles automatically connect with my phone, I just put on a playlist from Amazon streaming or an album I have on my phone. Haven’t listened to a stupid commercial or a DJ babbling over the intro to a song since.

[hazmuz]

i listen to radioparadise every now and then

[gibpicker]

I guess i'm a radio nut/dinosaur with a love for radios. I got a bit heavy into shortwave in the 90's/2000's, but sort of lost interest. I've always listened to rock, but these days it's mostly talk radio through the week, and music on the week ends.

I didn't know about Clear Channel having monopolized US airwaves?! I guess I've been a news junkie asleep at the wheel. Thanks for giving me a clue.

[Mandobart]

Originally Posted by gibpicker

I didn't know about Clear Channel having monopolized US airwaves?! I guess I've been a news junkie asleep at the wheel. Thanks for giving me a clue.

Here is one perspective.. From 2003. Things have not improved since.

[Nymuso]

Surprised to hear that. Back in the '70s some stations started doing that to give their station a brighter sound than the competition, the theory being the kids would go for the brighter sound. At the time I thought I noticed it but couldn't be sure until one day two stations were playing the same song and I could A/B them, and sure enough. But I thought that sort of thing was over and done. Guess not.

[Bob Womack]

I've heard that happen, but what really bothers me is the speeding up of voices in commercials and the canned nature of tail slates for the songs. Ever since we bought Eventide H3000s that offered time compression (and have since moved to having that feature in DAWs) I've become compression intolerant. It probably has to do with the fact tha it is demanded of me that time compression is done in such a way that the listener can't hear it. When I hear it happen I just find it irritating.

But even worse are the tail slates by the over-energetic young female announcers that the bog-box radio networks use ("Boston... More Than a Feeling..."). There is this really artificial, plastic, detached quality to them. That's probably because they take these young ladies into a voice-over booth and make them read 1000 of these in a row, rather than doing them live. It's one and done, but that volume of reading would drive anyone crazy. They are then blended in as tail slates via the network automation. It is almost as if they are "let off the leash" for the two seconds of the tail slate and then are choked off and stuffed back into the box. Sad song? Bright and cheery. Neutral song? Bright and cheery. Thoughtful song? Bright and cheery.

Thankfully, my "commute" is only one song's worth. It isn't worth tuning in the radio and hoping for a song or dialing up something from the cell phone. I just rotate CDs into the slot and they supply my one song per trip.

Bob

[gibpicker]

I did a little checking on some of the AM talk radio stations I listen to, and it seems they are mostly iheart radio. Anyone know if iheart radio is on the bad guy list like clear channel?

[PeterM]

Hasn't that been going for like forever?

Gets ya jumping is what a DJ told me in the 70's

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by gibpicker

I've noticed in my neck of the woods in the San Diego area that the soft rock FM stations (and others) keep progressively playing the music faster and faster until it's absoutely unstandable. From one month to the next it gets a little worse. And, the strangest thing is most don't even notice....

Are they speeding it up without pitch change, or are they just speeding up and the pitch gets higher?

With all the technology available most people would not notice if the song was 10 seconds shorter, but pulling a David Seville?

HE

[rmp]

I don't listen to the radio. I put that crap in the review mirror years ago.

[srick]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I've heard that happen, but what really bothers me is the speeding up of voices in commercials and the canned nature of tail slates for the songs. Ever since we bought Eventide H3000s that offered time compression (and have since moved to having that feature in DAWs) I've become compression intolerant. It probably has to do with the fact tha it is demanded of me that time compression is done in such a way that the listener can't hear it. When I hear it happen I just find it irritating.

Glad I'm not the only one. Give some good old dynamic range!

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

But even worse are the tail slates by the over-energetic young female announcers that the bog-box radio networks use ("Boston... More Than a Feeling..."). There is this really artificial, plastic, detached quality to them. That's probably because they take these young ladies into a voice-over booth and make them read 1000 of these in a row, rather than doing them live. It's one and done, but that volume of reading would drive anyone crazy. They are then blended in as tail slates via the network automation. It is almost as if they are "let off the leash" for the two seconds of the tail slate and then are choked off and stuffed back into the box. Sad song? Bright and cheery. Neutral song? Bright and cheery. Thoughtful song? Bright and cheery.

Bob - My wife and I were just discussing this this morning. We were watching the local weather (on OTA TV)and the weather forecaster's tone of voice and pace just rambled on; it was very hard to pay attention. She sounded like a drone.

The both of us would not be surprised if they were using some real-time software to remove pauses and autotune the voice.

Of course, it could simply be that the forecaster had a naturally 'sped up' and autotuned voice .

Rick

[hubcapsc]

Are they speeding it up without pitch change, or are they just speeding up and the pitch gets higher?

When Billy Joel was a nobody, he recorded his Coldspring Harbor album
and they sped it up, and upped the pitch until he almost sounded like
Alvin the chipmunk. He hated it. Later, after he was somebody, he had
it released at the speed he wanted...

I was used to the other one by then, I like it a lot more ...

-Mike

[fuman]

I had no idea this was happening, but I habitually listen to my podcasts at 1.5x speed, and I enjoy them more that way. The commercials ta this speed are hilarious -- especially when you get to the already-too-fast-to follow disclaimers.