the12volt.com spacer
the12volt.com spacer
the12volt.com spacer
the12volt.com spacer
icon

audio system test tracks


Post ReplyPost New Topic
< Prev Topic Next Topic >
allmet33 
Copper - Posts: 112
Copper spacespace
Joined: March 02, 2005
Location: United States
Posted: August 19, 2008 at 9:18 AM / IP Logged  

Has anyone compiled a list of songs that are great for testing one's sound system?  I mean...there's plenty of songs to choose from to simply test bass, but is there a list of songs that will show just how good your overall system really sounds?  What are your favorites to use?  One I really like is a live performance track by a group called Christion, the song is Come To Me (track #12).

'06 Hyundai Azera - Pioneer FH-P4200MP / Factory center channel & tweeters / Infinity Kappa 62.7i's; all 4 doors, 2 Phoenix Gold Xenon 10D2 10" subs pushed w/Phoenix Gold Xenon 600.1 amp
megaman 
Copper - Posts: 385
Copper spacespace
Joined: June 24, 2008
Location: Montana, United States
Posted: August 19, 2008 at 11:17 AM / IP Logged  
One track that is used by studio engineers to test the fidelity of the system is Def Leppard, Hysteria (album: Hysteria).  1:05 into the track is the intro into the bridge, and there is a clean guitar that strums three times in a row.  If you can hear all three strums, you're onto something.
allmet33 
Copper - Posts: 112
Copper spacespace
Joined: March 02, 2005
Location: United States
Posted: August 19, 2008 at 11:18 AM / IP Logged  

megaman wrote:
One track that is used by studio engineers to test the fidelity of the system is Def Leppard, Hysteria (album: Hysteria).  1:05 into the track is the intro into the bridge, and there is a clean guitar that strums three times in a row.  If you can hear all three strums, you're onto something.

Cool...I'm gonna check into it and see how my system stacks up!!!  Thanks!

'06 Hyundai Azera - Pioneer FH-P4200MP / Factory center channel & tweeters / Infinity Kappa 62.7i's; all 4 doors, 2 Phoenix Gold Xenon 10D2 10" subs pushed w/Phoenix Gold Xenon 600.1 amp
haemphyst 
Platinum - Posts: 5,054
Platinum spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Electrical Theory. Click here for more info.spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Mobile Audio and Video. Click here for more info.spacespace
Joined: January 19, 2003
Location: Michigan, Bouvet Island
Posted: August 20, 2008 at 1:00 AM / IP Logged  
Def Leppard, puh-LEEZE. That's a cake track, I have it, and yes, I use it. It's OK. And yes, I can hear all three.
Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat
Liquid recording that'll melt your heart. Jennifer's voice is one of the most demanding I have EVER heard for female vocals.
Peter Gabriel - Secret World Live
Shakin' The Tree, track 5, disc 1. Like no live recording I've EVER IN MY LIFE heard. 22 inch infrabass drums that'll beat ANY vented woofer to the stops!
Erasure - The Innocents
Just damn fun. Good pop recording, clean. REALLY clean highs, subterranean bass. Good vocals overall, too.
Alphaville - Breathtaking Blue
One of my favorite all around groups. You can't get it anymore, it's been out of print for years, but if you see it on eBay, it's worth owning.
10,000 Maniacs - Our Time in Eden
More fantastic female vocals.
Dave Grusin - The Orchestral Album
Minimally processed from one of the very best known names in acoustic music, Dave Gruisin is GRP, and you'll be very hard pressed to find anything wrong with any track on this one.
Dire Straits - Love Over Gold
A rock and roll classic, recorded at over 27 inches per second, this one belongs in every classic rocker's repertoire. Analog at it's finest, no smiley-face EQ, a masterful recording, and I cannot say I have ever heard a cleaner 70's/80's era recording. Ever...
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
Need it... Get it... PLAY it! Worth whatever you have to pay for it!
Harry Connick, Jr. - She
'Nuff said... audio system test tracks -- posted image.
Madonna - The Immaculate Collection
A wonderful recording, good music as well, this was from the days when Madonna still knew how to perform, and most of the music was from the days when she and Michael Jackson wouldn't go on stage to perform until the stage sounded as good as the studio. Too bad those days are long gone, now!
Sade - Love Deluxe
Trust me on this one, too...
Supertramp - Some Things Never Change and/or Crime of the Century
Two completely different selections from (arguably) one of the best rock bands of our time. Some Things has the benefit of years of technology to make certain the recording is as good as it can be, and it is. When I took the first copy I ever bought of it to the CES, I actually sold it to one of the rooms for THEM to use as a demo CD. Crime is just fantastic, another high-speed recording, don't bother me when I have it playing. Period.
Disney Soundtrack to "The Little Mermaid"
Don't laugh. It'll test your system all around, I promise. Kiss the Girl is my favorite track. If you have a good system, you'll love it too. A crap system will sound like CRAP.
The Rocketeer - Soundtrack
Another one that will TRULY show if you have a good system. Begin the Beguine will sound as if that woman landed in your lap, (and she's hot, too!) and was giving you a free lap-dance on a hi-rez system, and you'll end up with an STD if you are hearing it on a cheezy or poorly designed one. There really is no "half way" on this one. Good, or NOT good.
Steely Dan - Aja
But any album will do, here.
"Wierd Al" Yankovic - Running With Scissors
Another one you might mock, but the recording values on this one are very high, as well. It's All About The Pentiums is just plain raw, and good clean fun. It happens to be one of my theme songs! LOL
I don't buy music based on it's popularity, as you can tell. Recording values (in many to most cases) to me are FAR more important than the actual music. Some of those listed above are readily available, others... Not so much. But ALL deserve critical listening time on a GOOD system.
It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."
Steven Kephart 
Platinum - Posts: 1,737
Platinum spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Mobile Audio and Video. Click here for more info.spaceThis member consistently provides reliable informationspace
Joined: November 06, 2003
Location: Oregon, United States
Posted: August 20, 2008 at 1:45 AM / IP Logged  
Nickel Creek - Self Titled and Reasons Why albums. They have quite a few instruments and vocals with solid images across the soundstage that will mush together on lesser systems.
Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams Here's proof that they do still make well recorded music that is popular.
Alyson Krauss - New Favorite
Mickey Hart - Planet Drum Absolutely amazing imaging with this one, and it is all percussion. Track 7 has a huge earth drum that resonates at 32 Hz. audio system test tracks -- posted image.
The Fifth Element soundtrack This one also features a great Peter Gabriel song. Plus the bass drop on track 3 is really fun. I believe it goes all the way down to 10 Hz, so be careful with those ported enclosures.
haemphyst 
Platinum - Posts: 5,054
Platinum spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Electrical Theory. Click here for more info.spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Mobile Audio and Video. Click here for more info.spacespace
Joined: January 19, 2003
Location: Michigan, Bouvet Island
Posted: August 20, 2008 at 2:30 AM / IP Logged  
haemphyst wrote:
Peter Gabriel - Secret World Live
Shakin' The Tree, track 5, disc 1. Like no live recording I've EVER IN MY LIFE heard. 22 inch infrabass drums that'll beat ANY vented woofer to the stops!
That'd be THIRTY-two inch drums... Not TWENTY-two.
It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."
megaman 
Copper - Posts: 385
Copper spacespace
Joined: June 24, 2008
Location: Montana, United States
Posted: August 20, 2008 at 12:24 PM / IP Logged  

Ok so Def Leppard was an easy one.. so we'll go deeper.

Lyle Lovett - Church.  Not sure what album it is, but the depth of the choir sets the weak systems from the good ones.

Eric Johnson - Bloom.  Pick a track.  This guy was once interviewed and he was able to tell the interviewer what brand of battery was in his foot pedals just by the tone.  I wouldn't have beleived him if he didn't prove it.

Van Zant - Rage; from Brother to Brother.  The overall dynamics of this track is crazy, and the bass drops are intense.  If your system is even a little sub-par then it sounds like #$%.

The others are mostly listed by Haemphyst... kinda scary since I thought that only I used these tracks for testing.

BTW.... Little Mermaid.... SHHHH it's a trade secret. lol.

DYohn 
Moderator - Posts: 10,741
Moderator spaceThis member has made a donation to the12volt.com. Click here for more info.spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Electrical Theory. Click here for more info.spaceThis member has been recognized as an authority in Mobile Audio and Video. Click here for more info.spacespace
Joined: April 22, 2003
Location: Arizona, United States
Posted: August 20, 2008 at 2:22 PM / IP Logged  

haemphyst wrote:
haemphyst wrote:
Peter Gabriel - Secret World Live
Shakin' The Tree, track 5, disc 1. Like no live recording I've EVER IN MY LIFE heard. 22 inch infrabass drums that'll beat ANY vented woofer to the stops!
That'd be THIRTY-two inch drums... Not TWENTY-two.

AHA!  A CHALLENGE!!

However I doubt it will stress the system as much as my personal favorite test disc: http://www.telarc.com/dvd/title.asp?sku=DVD-A-70541  This is the DVD-A but you can order the 2-channel CD or 6-channel SACD from them with the same earth-shattering cannons and mid-tweet splitting carilion.  One of the best recordings ever made.

Support the12volt.com
megaman 
Copper - Posts: 385
Copper spacespace
Joined: June 24, 2008
Location: Montana, United States
Posted: August 20, 2008 at 4:41 PM / IP Logged  

Ahhh the 1812 Overture.  :)

A home audio shop I used to work at a long time ago banned that music because we kept blowin out the speakers with the cannon part. lol.  good times.

memfus_boi 
Copper - Posts: 148
Copper spacespace
Joined: June 05, 2005
Location: Tennessee, United States
Posted: August 21, 2008 at 12:45 AM / IP Logged  
lil wyte- hoods run down (the first minute)
3-6 mafia- late nite tip
lil jon- throw it up
these are alot of songs u will hear when ppl show off their subs on you tube
If I'm to loud, then you're too old!!!
Page of 3

  Printable version Printable version Post ReplyPost New Topic
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

  •  
Search the12volt.com
Follow the12volt.com Follow the12volt.com on Facebook
Thursday, March 28, 2024 • Copyright © 1999-2024 the12volt.com, All Rights Reserved Privacy Policy & Use of Cookies
Disclaimer: *All information on this site ( the12volt.com ) is provided "as is" without any warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to fitness for a particular use. Any user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and use of this information. Please verify all wire colors and diagrams before applying any information.

Secured by Sectigo
the12volt.com spacer
the12volt.com spacer
the12volt.com spacer
Support the12volt.com
Top
the12volt.com spacer
the12volt.com spacer