Recommended Test Tracks/Recordings Sticky

[Kevin K.]

A couple more I recently came across...This has probably been mentioned before but it's a track we played at CES that I really liked.

Chris Jones "Long After You're Gone"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11Zce9gmjIA&list=LLgX5O-t9YnYwvzIupdf5-fQ&index=1

Infected Mushroom "Flamingo"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_bp...df5-fQ&index=2

Thanks Matt, the Chris Jones song is among one of my favorites now. Here's a couple from a group that seems to be up and coming, Kaleo. Although the first song isn't new it will be featured in the "Logan" movie coming out next month. They like to record live in unusual places but it's cool. Most of these videos have about a 1 minute or so intro before the song starts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WIU5NN1Q0g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpG9QRV9gTk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCi0RHLrauU

[mattp]

A couple more I recently came across...

This has probably been mentioned before but it's a track we played at CES that I really liked.

Chris Jones "Long After You're Gone"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11Zce9gmjIA&list=LLgX5O-t9YnYwvzIupdf5-fQ&index=1

Infected Mushroom "Flamingo"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_bpKA00W_g&list=LLgX5O-t9YnYwvzIupdf5-fQ&index=2

[codewarrior]

Song / Artist / Album

Body and Soul - Indigo - Home Audiophile: Jazz Moments, Vol. 1
Rain Forest - Caribbean Jazz Project - New Horizons
Sacala Bailar - Spanish Harlem Orchesta - United We Swing

[Unbiasedsound]

This is a really good song for female vocals and no its not Adele lol > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_aVFVveJNs

[kberube]

Re: Recommended Test Tracks/Recordings Sticky

Patricia Barber
Modern Cool
Light My Fire

Great for vocals and it will test your subs. Great song to boot.

[crunchhardtack]

Re: Recommended Test Tracks/Recordings Sticky

How about well engineered Test Albums. Here are some of my favorites

Crash Test Dummies-God Shuffled His Feet (My go to for anything new that I make or drag home)
Radiohead-Ok Computer (Late 90s work of art)
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats-Self Titled (If you haven't listened to them yet, DO!)
The Flaming Lips-The soft Bulletin (Some may not like the way the drums are recorded; I think it's genius)
Cowboy Junkies-The Trinity Session (This album is just beautiful and inspired my formative years)

[Unbiasedsound]

Re: Recommended Test Tracks/Recordings Sticky

For male vocals > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLisZ2kcpE0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-h6MoF7HLA

Female vocals> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZIdobQWvJ0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkBtVtMzhyI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9NwXLRVM0s

[juddwilcox]

Re: Recommended Test Tracks/Recordings Sticky

One of the demo tracks that was used at Chicago DIY this past summer was "Eleanor Rigby" by the Beatles. I have since added that to my library and it's one of my favorite go-to tracks. While looking for other recordings of the same song, I ran across a Finnish a capella group, Rajaton, who recorded "Eleanor Rigby" for their "Rajaton Sings the Beatles" album which was released on 8/21/2015 (I think). This is my #1 test track at this point and I think it would make an excellent addition to anyone's library.

As a holiday gift to you all, who have added so much learning, wonder, and frustration to my life, I offer a link to Amazon so you can check it out: http://www.amazon.com/Eleanor-Rigby-...gs+the+beatles

[make_some_noise]

Re: Recommended Test Tracks/Recordings Sticky

Techmaster P.E.B.'s 1993 album: It Came From Outerbass II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDcL...CuqbXHS4Pz7dOQ

[wogg]

Re: Recommended Test Tracks/Recordings Sticky

I believe the best reference tracks are the one's that you are most familiar with. This is common among recording engineers... you learn your reference monitors with material that you know how it's supposed to sound. I have a short list of music that I've been listening to since I was a teenager, across all kinds of systems. I also feel that this type of list is personal, and will be a good reference point for how old you are. We tend to stick to the music we grew up with, particularly as teens and young adults.

That being said, I'll add just a couple from my era (I'm currently 40):
Jane's Addition - Then She Did...
One of my favorite sit back and relax tracks. clear separation of cymbals and a clean tremolo guitar tone

Soul Coughing - Maybe I'll Come Down (and other tracks from El Oso)
Unbelievable kick drum. There's a 30Hz range sub signal that rolls down with the kick that really lets you know if your sub is working

Rage Against the Machine (anything on self titled album)
Loud but punchy, good test of dynamic range across the spectrum

Depeche Mode (Violator)
Excellent fidelity of electronic instruments, lots of stereo imaging to get lost in

Also, you should check out mastering engineer Bob Katz's honor roll: http://www.digido.com/media/honor-roll.html
If anyone has a high standard of production quality and listening systems, it's a mastering engineer.

[Oktyabr]

Re: Recommended Test Tracks/Recordings Sticky

GREAT thread! Many mentioned here are now part of my repertoire too!

Some I don't think I saw mentioned:

Kroke, the album "Live at Home". All of Kroke's stuff is excellent but this live album in particular is so good, so well performed and recorded, that I payed a premium to import a CD copy from the UK:

https://youtu.be/3ZnxDWa0iCs

Philip Glass, several tracks from several albums, but if I had to pick one it would be:

https://youtu.be/VNScRm1n8js

Duofel, "Eleanor Rigby". One crazy guitar cover:

https://youtu.be/LO9y5QvCvaM

Anything by Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer (try their "Music For Two" album if you are shopping). Add in tabla master Zakir Hussain and you have:

https://youtu.be/l3-PZvA_Jjs

When I built my first DIY open baffles I wanted the sound of Charles Mingus playing in my living room. THIS is the track I designed my speakers to play:
Mingus Big Band - Haitian Fight Song

https://youtu.be/GojSzBLeWPs

Jennifer Warnes "Way Down Deep" from her album "The Hunter":

https://youtu.be/GojSzBLeWPs

Dead Can Dance "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove" from their album "Into The Labyrinth". Superb track for fine tuning stereo "sound stage" and in-room positioning:

https://youtu.be/Bf00KI2MEGg

I love The Who and consider their "Greatest Hits" one of the best mastered commercial offerings in my collection. Great stereo separation too.

https://youtu.be/8yuOw5k5_OM

[xsundown]

Re: Recommended Test Tracks/Recordings Sticky

[xsundown]

Re: Recommended Test Tracks/Recordings Sticky

[Geoff Millar]

Re: Recommended Test Tracks/Recordings Sticky

Take Five has a nice crisp drum sound, although the bass drum is perhaps recorded a bit low - but it's quite in character/balance with the recording. For the piano concerto, I use the Tchaikovsky by Martha Argerich and Charles Dutoit, stunning 1960s sound and the piano isn't overly loud compared to some other recordings.

Happy listening

Geoff

[leoman]

Re: Recommended Test Tracks/Recordings Sticky

When I'm adjusting my system I find that when I can get good imaging and good (smooth, natural and dynamic) sound out of
(a) a well-recorded piano concerto,
(b) a good Frank Sinatra recording,
(c) Take Five by Brubeck (all old guys' favorite test record), and
(d) all of the above switched to monaural output (centered image)
then I've got the bases covered for absolutely anything I decide to play.