I posted this in my Tom Holkenborg--Run All Night thread in Downloads, but I thought the topic needs to be in this sub-forum, too...

For the Run All Night album, I have obtained FLAC or 320k copies from several separate forum/blog posts, and they ALL contain a distracting amount of audio noise. This noise is, characteristically, like: low-level "static" or like worn/crackly vinyl records, or a noisy, choppy audio stream.

Weirdly, I have heard this distortion several times on modern albums including The Equalizer OST.

Sometimes, damaged CD can cause this similar-characteristic audible noise when using ripping software (EAC, etc.), but since much contemporary material is not CD-sourced, I have no idea as to why this distortion seem so (relatively) prevalent. Could it be native to the original source the media company released for the OST (poor QC on a rushed job)?

It could be a number of things. The first thought in my mind is that it's a sort-of anti-piracy measure. The other thought is that they could be a rough sketch before mastering, to run the piece by the director or producer, to get either their approval, or their input.

See Here:

https://youtu.be/9SgV7DMH-QU?t=3m8s

(Short & Simple explanation)