For egotistical pop singers, the best moment to be in music may have been just after World War II.
Super-guitarists like Brian May and Eric Clapton no longer dominated the room, according to a study.
From 1946 to 2020, researchers monitored the vocal volume of lead vocalists and the musicians with whom they collaborated on the most popular songs.
How loud the singing is relative to the accompaniment can reveal a band’s “hierarchy of importance.”
Compared to the music, the results indicate that from 1946 to 1975, the volume of vocalists’ microphones decreased over time.
Since then, the proportion of vocals to instruments has remained relatively constant.
The results may explain vocalist-guitarist rivalry like Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.
They also shed light on how guitarists such as Brian May of the band Queen, who famously performed at the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, attained stardom comparable to that of lead vocalist Freddie Mercury.
The findings can also be explained by advancements in modern sound-mixing technology, which have made it possible to turn down the vocals while still hearing the lyrics.
The study discovered that country vocalists, rappers, and solo artists, who may have diva-like tendencies, have managed to buck the general trend, with their vocals remaining relatively loud in comparison to the music behind them.
Dr. Kai Siedenburg, the study’s senior author from the University of Oldenburg in Germany, stated: ‘You can imagine renowned band members arguing or competing over who is the loudest in the mix to reflect their status.
The rise of rock music and guitarists may explain vocal volume changes.
It will also reflect technological advancements in music recording.
The study studied the Billboard Hot 100’s top four primary vocal singles since 1946.
Sound separation programme assessed the major vocals and music levels in 300 songs.
After the war, hit records by crooners like Frank Sinatra had lead vocals five decibels louder than the backing music.
Until 1975, however, the primary vocal volume decreased until it was only one decibel louder on average.
Since the mid-1970s, the average difference has been between one and two decibels.
Country, pop, rap, rock, and metal were each explored with three recordings per year from 1990 until 2020.
This analysis of 414 tracks revealed that country songs had the loudest vocals relative to the music, possibly because they use more acoustic instruments.
In addition, the vocals were amplified in pop and rock music.
Although some long-haired rock gods may have disapproved, rock music typically has the primary singer and supporting instruments at roughly the same volume.
The researchers explain that this is because guitar “riffs” occupy a position in music “comparable to lead vocals.”
The vocals are typically kept at a lower volume than the music in heavy metal songs, where lead vocalists are not particularly known for their melodic harmonies.
JASA Express Letters revealed that solo artists’ vocals are louder on albums.
They may be headliners with a group of ‘interchangeable instrumentalists’ who have not yet reached equal billing.
