drmcclainphd 2 Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Mannheim Steamroller: Fresh Aire III, Tocatta; Fresh Aire IV, Tocatta in G Joe Satriani: Surfing With The Alien King Crimson: Larks Tongue In Aspic Jean-Michael Jarre: Rendezvous 1 through 4 Cosmos Soundtrack (mostly Vangelis) Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells I, II and III Wheatstone Bridge: First Crossing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene C 1,745 Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Pink Floyd: What do you want from me, Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Supertramp: School Megadeth: Kill the King Metallica: Bleeding Me, One Steely Dan: Black Cow Stevie Ray Vaughan: Riviera Paradise 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddyjt 8,631 Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Bela Fleck - Flight of the Cosmic Hippo Fleetwood Mac - Rumors Jennifer Warnes - The Hunter Steely Dan - Gaucho BB King & Eric Clapton - Ridin' With the King 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibernator69 47 Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Love this thread, lots of songs for me to check out! I'm a little stuck in the Euro 80s, but I have added a whole classic rock side I somehow neglected in my teens. My list has to do more with things I am very familiar with, they might not be traditional reference recordings: in no particular order - Die Toten Hosen: Hier kommt Alex, Bonnie & Clyde, Eisgekuehlter Bommerlunder, Disco in Moskow, and whatever couple CDs I'm currently favoring - Depeche Mode: Get the Balance Right, Love in Itself, New Life - Dire Straights: This Man's too Strong, Sultans of Swing, Telegraph Road, Once Upon a Time in the West - Yellow: A night at the Roxy - Alan Parsons: Tales of Mystery and Imagination (especially the first two cuts) - Saga: Don't be Late - Frankie Goes to Hollywood: everything, lol, it's all on one or two CDs anyway. Pleasuredome, Wasteland, and parts of Two Tribes - Joe Jackson: Stepping Out and the Big World CD (live concert recording, but with a dead silent audience, really big sound) I'll have to finish this later, but I had something like 20-25 CD with me when i auditioned the VT-2s in 1996/97. Musical tastes change over time, so this is a lot of fun to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papajoe 220 Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Enigma- first album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staticvar 56 Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Enigma- first album. Yep!...That's a good one. Melody Gardot, Bob Marley, Steel Pulse, Allman Brothers, Jean-luc Ponty and a lot more...Let's hear from more of you on special recordings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibernator69 47 Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Yeah, hmmmm good: Allman Brothers' Jessica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brian D Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Well this is a long shot google Q-sound and artist using Q sound . there a great choice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibernator69 47 Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Lol, I knew it: Madonna Had no idea what Q sound was other than that I knew I had seen it on one of my CDs. Didn't know the Pink Floyd album had it too. Other choices are available too according to he Wikipedia page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoom 372 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Ok. I chose this thread simply because it wasn't a demo noise set of tones. Which I don't use enough and is certainly useful in it's own way. Camera Eye. Some of the best Rush imho. Even If you don't like Geddy's voice, try this. Track 5. Find a lossless rip and crank this up to 13. Transients. Dynamics. Good grief. If you can find all three musicians here, you know. Then play it again. And segregate Geddy's bass track. And smile a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiroacademy 828 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Supertramp Famous Last Words Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesMan57 1,308 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Supertramp "School" or "Brother Where You Bound", Title cuts on both or Golden Earing "Moontan" cut "Are You Recieving Me" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzman53 1,218 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 "Invitation".... Patricia Barber / Night Club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herbies101 14 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Zoom and I are on the same wavelength but different tune. RUSH Moving Pictures track 3 YYZ in vinyl format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jldeni 439 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Gotta chime in because although I use and love the Pink Floyd, Steely Dan and Flim and the BB's tracks mentioned... for me, firing up a new piece means I break out Joni Mitchel's Court and Spark. Help Me is the track I always use. Just a personal thing that I've done since the 70's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoom 372 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 +1 for 'School'. Which I also have on vinyl. Quote Zoom and I are on the same wavelength but different tune. RUSH Moving Pictures track 3 YYZ in vinyl format. Oh, boy. I have lots of Rush on vinyl. Just not a good enough TT right now. I just love Camera Eye because it takes you on this musical journey like few tunes can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNRabbit 370 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Lots of great cuts here! I use different music to test what I want to find out, but here are a few I use: Of course, the ubiquitous "1812 Overture" by Tchaikovsky--specifically the direct digital recording by Telarc with Erik Kunzel & the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. The cannons will test any system~ Vivaldi: "The Four Seasons" (Le Quattro Stagioni) Op 8 Nos 1-4 (The English Concert). I've very specific about this version also as it's done on period instruments. Ravel: "La Valse" (dynamic range/impact) Dianna Karl: "Temptation" Bela Fleck & the Flecktones: "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo" (anything that can play the bass from this CLEANLY has got it in spades) Supertramp: "Paris" (entire album--one of the best live recordings, EVER) Allison Krauss: "Oh, Atlanta" Steely Dan: "Everything Must Go" & "Teahouse on the Tracks" No Doubt: "Different People" Phish: "Guelah Papyrus" Primus: "Over the Electric Grapevine" Tierney Sutton: "Comes Love" The Yellowjackets: "Go Go", "Jacket Town", & "And You Know That" Yes: "Long Distance Runaround" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
00cbirdw 195 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 What a great thread! I'm gonna have to try a few of these out once I get the 'test' m-500t mkII from Mark and the A400X from Gene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retriever 1,076 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I agree with the choices, Rush,Floyd but also add any recording from Sheffield, and My pipe organ recording, some of the (low) notes will send amps running home to momma! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zumbini 6,140 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Speaking of well recorded organ music, this is my go-to: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoom 372 Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 Lots of great cuts here! I use different music to test what I want to find out, but here are a few I use: Of course, the ubiquitous "1812 Overture" by Tchaikovsky--specifically the direct digital recording by Telarc with Erik Kunzel & the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. The cannons will test any system~ Vivaldi: "The Four Seasons" (Le Quattro Stagioni) Op 8 Nos 1-4 (The English Concert). I've very specific about this version also as it's done on period instruments. Ravel: "La Valse" (dynamic range/impact) Dianna Karl: "Temptation" Bela Fleck & the Flecktones: "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo" (anything that can play the bass from this CLEANLY has got it in spades) Supertramp: "Paris" (entire album--one of the best live recordings, EVER) Allison Krauss: "Oh, Atlanta" Steely Dan: "Everything Must Go" & "Teahouse on the Tracks" No Doubt: "Different People" Phish: "Guelah Papyrus" Primus: "Over the Electric Grapevine" Tierney Sutton: "Comes Love" The Yellowjackets: "Go Go", "Jacket Town", & "And You Know That" Yes: "Long Distance Runaround" +1 Esp. Yes - Long Distance Run Around and lots more from Fragile. And select Phish, even Live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcl 3,173 Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 This is an enjoyable topic & there seem to be some common denominators. My selections have changed over the years, these would on the list nowadays: Pat Metheny, The Orchestrion Project: his orchestrionics, madhatter automatons, layer rhythms and counter-rhythmic motifs over guitar. (Details, spatialness) Cameron Carpenter, Revolutionary: the piece, Solitude by Duke Ellington, arranged for his revolutionary digital organ, with its many Wurlitzer voices, spans the dynamic range from whisper to crescendo, including a climactic cymbal crash! (Dynamic range, tones) Chris Botti, Italia: tracks featuring Andrea Bocelli and Paula Cole in lush orchestral settings (male & female vocals) Henryk Gorecki, Symphony #3, featuring Dawn Upshaw: his relative harmonic & rhythmical simplicity in this slow, contemplative work lays bare the beauty of soprano voice and strings (clarity, dynamics, female voice) Sting, Symphonica: Sting's sustained high note that fades to close When We Dance is delicate, and I Burn For You is floated with subtle percussive & orchestral polyrhytms (detail, male voice, spatialness) King Crimson, The Power To Believe: the Crimson's unmistakable sonic crunch on display (impact, power handling) Patricia Barber, Companion: a live recording, the woody resonance of upright bass introducing Use Me (low end dynamics, female vocals, soundstage) Patrick O'Hearn, Eldorado: instruments & percussion span the entire room, like fireflies flitting on & off at nightfall (soundtsage) Time to check the other entries! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drmcclainphd 2 Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 And that is as it should be. It's good to have pieces that test the ranges and dynamics of the parts or system being examined. But more importantly, you should be intimately familiar with them. If you haven't heard them on many different systems they may sound good in a new test, but you might not notice specific drop outs or emphasis. If you know the piece well it doesn't have to be a strenuous test. And no matter the piece, you should be familiar with it at different SPL's, because your ears and brain get more range with higher volume (hence the "loudness" button on many amps). Something else to consider, neither vinyl nor CD have the range and clarity of well recorded DVDs due to higher sampling and such. A well done concert video can be a much better source for testing. One of the best recordings I've used is Yanni Live At The Acropolis. His neo-classical (it's no more "New Age" than Mannheim Steamroller) orchestral + keyboards stuff is not only very well presented, but there's many selections with instrumental breaks from individual players both orchestral and rock that really kick. The several drum solos are exceptional. My favorite of all is Kathy Brigg's ripping violin work, particularly on "Within Attraction". Oddly enough some of the more popular works one might consider using don't have as high a quality as they could. Pink Floyd's PULSE DVD is apparently compressed (and quite likely RIAA EQ'ed) so that the video's sound tracks are more in line with straight audio. Quote Gotta chime in because although I use and love the Pink Floyd, Steely Dan and Flim and the BB's tracks mentioned... for me, firing up a new piece means I break out Joni Mitchel's Court and Spark. Help Me is the track I always use. Just a personal thing that I've done since the 70's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck 74 Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I use a copy of "Rush Exit Stage Left" Flac file at 96.0 kHz 24-bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichP714 3,151 Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 reply Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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