I hope this is the right community to ask. Are radio stations doing something to songs? Or is it the playlist they use? Or is it me?
Can I achieve the “radio effect” for any music somehow?
Because you’re paying attention. More mental effort.
I’d assume because you’re actively listening to music that you like and pick out. Maybe you’re singing along to it, or you’re actually listening to and interpreting the lyrics, tapping along to the sounds, you’re aware of every song that comes on. With radio music, it’s easy to passively listen to it, you’re not really fully aware of every song that comes on, maybe every now and then something plays that you recognize/like and you sing along to that, but then there’s probably a lot that you just tune out and ignore. It’s easier to “listen” to longer stretches of music if it’s just sort of background sounds you’re not as focused on.
When you listen to FM, the frequency is cut-off, at 15 KHz when I remember correctly. It could be that the higher frequencies make you tired.
The radio in my car was setup so bad I couldn’t stand any source, until I found the hidden equalizer settings. That helped, but the plastic dome tweeters in the rear speakers were the main cause. (I removed them completely)
Yeah, I figured it would come down to ear fatigue and specific frequencies being the cause, if not volume.
I bet you’re totally right.
this is the correct answer. ear fatiguing is often caused by incorrect EQ settings in your system. using too much of a high-frequency band and you’ll initially get a brighter and better sound, but you’ll soon start to get fatiguing and even headaches.
Radio songs are heavily post-produced by the radio itself, strictly limited in dynamic range and they also have a mastering EQ that provides a bass boost.
I’d suggest OP to check their EQ settings and aim for a more neutral sound.
Are you usually sitting down to listen to the radio? Or is it usually just on while you’re already doing something? I only ever listen to the radio when I’m driving and I think most radio listeners are just using it as a kind of auditory wallpaper while they’re working or driving or shopping. It’s a lot less demanding of your attention that way and in turn we tend to be a lot less demanding of it in terms of entertainment value or being strongly affected by it. It’s just on and that’s all it needs to be.
If you’re exhausted after listening to just music rather than the radio, I’d bet it’s because you’re really listening to it which is a more active process and more demanding or your attention. Your standards for what you get out of it are probably higher in that context as well so you may be more likely to tire quickly of it too both because it’s so intense but also because if it’s not particularly amazing you’ll likely want to stop sooner than if it was the radio with regular breaks between songs and something else going on occupying your attention the whole time.
Emotional commitment through familiarity. For me music is a great tool for getting into the flow and the only music that does that and not overload me is atmospheric ambient music. Any singing automatically grab my attention and getting me out of the flow, surprisingly chanting does not. On the other hand Classical/Jazz music is highly stimulating so it goes well along physically demanding activities.
I’m weird as hell in that I enjoy music, but I rarely ever sit down and listen to it. Then the other day I learn that my three-year-old discovered Bush’s Glycerine on the way home from daycare and has now been asking for it on our Google Home. I realize, “Dude, I fucking loved Glycerine.”, and immediately set to assembling a playlist over the course of three days, made up of mostly older music I grew up with. But you bet your ass I still don’t listen to it. Anyway… That’s my TED Talk on music.
