Abstract
Engineers are familiar with the Law of Unintended Consequences. This paper tells the story of several unintended consequences related to audio which are in play today. The transition to digital delivery systems liberated audio from less than 40 dB of dynamic range. The creative community has been quick to exploit that increased dynamic range. That is the good news, but it is also the bad news. Without standards in place for digital operating points, sound mixers and producers have used levels varying over at least 30 dB. This has created consumer irritation. The industry realized these issues needed to be addressed. In 1996, the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) Board called for the first groups to provide guidance to the content creators and system operators. That work resulted in ATSC A/85. While the ATSC was at work, the U.S. Congress took the subject up and wrote the Commercial Advertisement Loudness (CALM) Act. How that Act intersects with A/85 is a crucial part of this story. Beyond the U.S. component of this story, this article also surveys the similar efforts conducted by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and others.
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