Structures - In Pursuit of (Dynamic Edit)

This is what I like to call a ‘dynamic edit’ of “In Pursuit of” by Structures! *Divided By* is honestly a slog in its released form. It’s so unbearably loud from heavy amount of dynamic range compression (not to be confused with data compression, which concerns MP3s and such) used during mastering that it becomes fatiguing to listen to individual songs, let alone the full 32-minute release.

Because of this, I attempted to make this album more dynamic using a program called “Perfect Declipper”, which can not only help alleviate clipping, but also much of the dynamic range compression that occurs during mastering! As such, many of the artifacts of dynamic range compression and clipping, including hiss, are much less noticeable, and the result is much more dynamic. In this case, I was able to turn the dynamic range of the album from 3 into 13!

In my edits, it’s important to note that the dynamics are not being restored with the "Perfect Declipper" program that I use, but rather, they are being approximated. While one may not be able to "declip" an album as one would be unable to "unbake a cake", I find the results here to be a convincible attempt at doing so. Only in the most extreme examples have I heard the program produce odd artifacts that would appear unintended in the album’s mix. This album honestly may be one of those “extreme examples” however, not only due to its loud mastering, but also due to its bass booms that occur throughout a few of these songs.

I am led to the belief that the intense amount of compression and often rampant clipping throughout *Divided By* is a result of intentional choices on the part of those involved. The album instrumentation must have been clipping during its recording or mixing, as some elements that are below peak in the final product suffer from what sounds like clipping hiss (elements that I can’t really fix with the program, sadly). The twang around 2:44 in “In Pursuit of” appears to be one of these instances. Will Putney, who was in charge of the engineering, mastering, mixing, and producing of this album seems like a good scapegoat for such issues, but I also cannot help but think that the band either directed him to clip the instrumentation, or approved of it, as Putney retained all of those production roles in the creation of their next album, *Life Through a Window*.