Why does all ‘on hold’ music sound like it’s being broadcast from a boat in the middle of the pacific ocean via long wave radio
Why does all ‘on hold’ music sound like it’s being broadcast from a boat in the middle of the pacific ocean via long wave radio
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The telephone system is old as shit and not designed for music. Nobody is calling their bank to rock out. It’s only there so you know you’re still on hold which is a purpose it serves even if it sounds bad.
Traditional phone calls are heavily compressed.
We compress in such a way that human speech is only slightly affected, but it often ruins music.
Tom Scott has great little video on it.
Because you could have the best orchestral sound of all time, and it still has to be compressed into a 64 kbps mono signal. Telecom technology is old and there’s a lot of emphasis on backward compatibility.
equifax’s hold music is a real bop tho
Because everyone has shifted to internet phones which sound like shit compared to old school land lines.
I still think it’s wild that smart phones are so advanced but like making a phone call still feels like 90s technology
Like why am I pressing 1, 2, etc. for whatever? We have the technology for the exact question/options just to pop up on my screen.