Topic: Test Tracks and What To LISTEN For (Read 1901 times)

mkubota1 · « **on:** April 29, 2014, 10:14:08 PM »

I know there is already at least one other thread similar to this. But what I was hoping to start here was one with a more narrow scope:

What's on your 'Test/ Reference Playlist' and what exactly do you look for on those tracks?

I am looking for material to test for things like resolution, dynamics, tonal balance, imaging, soundstage, and oh yeah... plankton! Here is mine... please don't judge!

Man In The Mirror - Michael Jackson: Look for clarity in finger snaps, dynamics in the kick drum. Look for texture in his voice. Does it sound like Michael? Is it over-done, as in over-miked? Where is he placed in the sound-/headstage? Does the snare drum(-machine) bleed into or obscure the rest of the music?

Downtown Lights - Annie Lennox: Not a great recording- some might say poor. But to me it has a fairly even amount of energy across the board to test for tonal balance fairly quickly. It helps that I've probably heard it at least a thousand times. Also, is the bassline murmur clear?

Don't Let It Bring You Down - Annie Lennox: Use to pick up treble harshness from the high-hat in the beginning of the track. And can you hear the impact of the drumstick against it? The decay of the snare drum can be used to test for midrange tonality as well as soundstage.

If It's On My Mind - Seal: Bass thump is a good test for (mid-)bass dynamics. The impact is apparent on the Schiit Valhalla when compared to their other amps (Lyr, Vali, Asgard2). There is quite a bit of reverb throughout the track, especially where it's only vocals, to test for soundstage. The voice can sound a bit too hot or very soulful, depending on the presentation. Since this is essentially a dance track, the percussion (drum machine, sampler) can sound grating or not which is a good test for harshness at the upper midrange and lower treble area.

Til They Take My Heart Away - Clair Marlo: Though a bit on the bright side there is lots of detail in percussion, space, and her voice. Good track for center imaging (vocal) and instrument placement and separation. Check for the warmth in her vocals. Although a hot recording, there should be a decent amount of body in her voice. Does it sound human?

Nothing Is Something Worth Doing - Shpongle: Listen for detail in the intro string/synth strumming. The bass synth is ever present and goes fairly low (~40hz?) at some points. There’s a lot of percussion and weird things going on at the same time that you should be able to pick out. You should hear the hand slaps and ringing/reverb of the hang drum occasionally. Also a good measuring stick for soundstage and headstage- both depth and width. There’s some pretty ‘phasey’ stuff here and there as well.

Between Worlds - Metrik: Bass synth goes pretty low (sub-40hz?) on occasion. About one minute in there is a loud mix of sounds that you should be able to separate out. This repeats a few times throughout the track. Good track for testing bass impact too.

Summit - Skrillex: This is my bass/rumble track. It has a ~30hz rumble that gets mixed in with a punchy bass drum (synth) pretty much throughout the track. I'm not a huge fan of V-Modas (a bit too bass-heavy for everyday consumption), but this track was pretty much made for those. If you have M80s or M100s, you have to listen to this track.

Trails - Victor Little and LIFE: Maybe I shouldn’t include this here because it’s a live recording that only a handful of people have access to. But it’s really well-made and since I was there when it was made, I have a decent idea of what I should be hearing. Too bad my memory sucks, generally speaking. If you have the chance to attend such an event and can get a recording of it, do it by all means!

Roads Less Travelled - Pat Coil: Track has a punchy kick drum and is recorded quite well. That’s mainly what I use this for- check for weight and impact of the drum. Good for tonal balance check too... bass-heavy gear won’t really work here.

Olympic Fanfare - Graham/National Symphonic Winds: The 1984 Olympics song! This is from a Wilson Audio disc I got a long time ago so it might be hard to find. And I’m sure there are many versions/recordings of this. Towards the end after ~3:00, the (concert) bass drum sound is on par with the cannons of 1812 Overture recordings. This is also where the orchestra all comes together so there is lots of complexity and timbre to looks for here. I can't think of a better recording to test for dynamic headroom and clipping. This will give K1000s a heart attack, unfortunately.

...and so on. The important part here is what you look for in the track.

It might be nice to also include examples like what gear or combinations of gear do such-and-such better or what gear fails on particular tracks. Thanks ahead of time for your contributions!

Stapsy · « **Reply #1 on:** April 29, 2014, 11:05:40 PM »

Looking forward to reading the responses. Here are a couple from the tests I have been doing recently. I tend to focus on treble, plankton, and overall emotional response (the "do I like it factor"):

Miles Davis - Someday My Prince Will Come - Opening trumpet solo always borders on shrill to me. If the treble is rolled off the horn sounds hollow. If it is slightly too bright your ears will bleed. A little bit of shrillness lets you know you are listening to Miles, but a lot is bad. I also use the solo to listen to dynamic range, specifically paying attention to the very quick changes. The lowest points should still sound like trumpet. It can get too breathy sounding.

Bill Evans - My Foolish Heart (from Waltz for Debby) - Crescendo of the cymbals and definition/sparkle. Separation between the bass and drums. Resolution of brushes on the snare. It sounds like fuzz if your system is not resolving.

John Coltrane - Giant Steps - Microdynamic detail galore. Vibrato and differentiation at the tail end of the opening notes. I also look for attack and separation in the opening solo. Poor microdynamic detail makes it sound legato (and it isn't)

Fake Empire - The National - A newer test track fro me. There is a low end grunt to the vocals in this song that can be missing with poor bass response. A bit too low for a true vocal test, but I still find it a good indicator of physical presence.

Jim Hall & Bill Evans - I've Got You Under my Skin - Jim's guitar is on the borderline of overly warm midrangey sound. It should sound warm and rolled off in the classic jazz guitar style that he popularized. Too much warmth and it sounds like a blob. It still needs to have a honking horn type sound. I also listen to hear the unamplified sound of his guitar during his vamping when he turns down the volume. A good test of plankton and resolution.

funkmeister · « **Reply #2 on:** April 30, 2014, 12:01:33 AM »

I stumbled into a different thread than I thought. I was assuming someone was going to ask about test tracks for measurement. Totally different kind of track.

I should pay more attention to what part of the forums I'm in.

mkubota1 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 30, 2014, 12:04:55 AM »

Quote from: funkmeister on April 30, 2014, 12:01:33 AM

I stumbled into a different thread than I thought. I was assuming someone was going to ask about test tracks for measurement. Totally different kind of track.

I should pay more attention to what part of the forums I'm in.

Naw... I just renamed the thread for better clarity. =)

OJneg · « **Reply #4 on:** April 30, 2014, 12:32:51 AM »

I have a feeling this is going to be a great thread. Here's my 2 go-to's and my thought process when I try to listen analytically:

Aphex Twin - Ageispolis (Selected Ambient Works 85-92)

0:00 - 0:10 // Synths should be airy and with quick attacks. Reverberant qualities should come through. Peaks in treble response will actually make this part sound less detailed with poorer delineation between notes.

0:10 - 0:20 // Bass starts rolling in slowly. If I have the urge to turn up the volume, the system is likely a bit bass shy (or just not good at reproducing low-level bass)

0:20 - 0:30 // Bass starts to hit HARD. This part is good for judging impact and control. High distortion or poor extension will be revealed.

0:30 - 0:40 // Midrange synths come in now. Should feel spacious and surround listener. Should also be able to detect all 4 musical sources separately (bass drum, midrange synths, treble synths from intro, high hats) separately. This is the point where I try to judge overall tonal balance.

0:40 - 1:15 // I spend the rest of this time enjoying the tunes (weird right?), and judging treble texture. The synthetic high hat hits should all sound different enough and not be smeared.

1:15 - 1:55 // New upper bass tone starts to dance around between the low bass and the synths. Here is where I listen for bass quality; cabinet resonances, room modes, bass distortion, peaks/nulls in response, etc. This part is very good for judging bass smoothness IME.

1:55 - 2:15 // Waves crashing should start to appear in the left channel. I try to judge how well defined they are (micro-detail) and their perceived distance (soundstage)

2:15 - end // From here, all the musical sources will be faded in and out, but maintain the same levels. Here's a good time to really listen to each source as it's highlighted against the others.

The Bad Plus - Everywhere You Turn (There Are These Vistas)

0:00 - 0:15 // Drums and cymbals should be placed in the center, behind the speakers. Should be able to judge ticking of drum stick independently of the cymbal splash

0:15 - 1:15 // Piano should appear distantly in the left channel. Great for judging depth and width here. Should be able to hear spaciousness, even though level is low. Piano slowly gains energy and appears to get closer/louder.

1:15 - 2:15 // Acoustic bass should appear in right channel. Should be able to hear the body of the instrument resonant clearly, or bass is too muddy. Soundstage is set, can judge separation between instruments in far left (piano) and far right(bass) with the drum kit being in the center and behind. Pace slowly turns up.

2:15 - 3:15 // Mood takes a turn for the darker. Spacial qualities of piano in left channel should still be evident. Differences in cymbal brushes should be evident.

3:15 - 4:00 // Cymbal "crashes" should appear on left side above piano, separate from the more subtle cymbal "brushes" in the center. This part is good for judging ability to resolve complex passages while maintaining composure.

4:00 - end // Should begin to hear piano growling in the left channel. System should be able to render both the piano growl in the left and bass plucks in the right simultaneously. (Speakers seem to have a hard time doing this) Mood starts to mellow out. A little detail to look for at the very end is when the piano pedal is released and the resonance stops.

I can go through a few more if you guys care for it. Also interested to hear what you guys like to listen for when judging things

burnspbesq · « **Reply #5 on:** April 30, 2014, 01:19:01 AM »

One of my favorite evaluation tracks is the first movement of the Baltimore Symphony recording of the Dvorak "New World" symphony.

Here's what to listen for.

(1) Dynamics/noise floor. The first tympani strikes, about a minute in, should come out of nowhere and blow you into the middle of next week. Crescendos and diminuendos should be obvious and unmistakable.

(2) Instrumental timbres. If you're not sure whether a particular line is being played by cellos or basses, or by french horns/trumpets/trombones, there's a problem. Really good gear will let you easily tell the difference between oboes and English horns.

(3) Soundstage. You should hear all of the instruments located where they would be on stage (violins left, violas, cellos, and basses right, flutes and clarinets left-center, double-reeds right-center, French horns center and behind woodwinds, trumpets and trombones behind French horns).

Hands · « **Reply #6 on:** April 30, 2014, 09:53:02 AM »

I'll fill this out with more stuff and specific details as I go. I will note and apologize in advance that my samples are geared towards what I most often listen to and not necessarily the best tracks for critical listening in these regards. A lot of this will be from heavier bands, generally, or mostly Opeth...I listen to a lot of Opeth (my listening habits are weird and likely stem from how I would focus on maybe one or two piano pieces for months at a time when learning them).

When using NOS DACs, I listen to square waves and impulses exclusively. That way, I know I am focusing on and maximizing their sonic specialties. It's not pleasant or comfortable (the tears are not tears of joy), but perhaps I will acquire a taste for it eventually if not before I have a robot brain.

As for music...

- Opeth, Watershed, "The Lotus Eater" - After the first ~20 seconds or so (you'll know), this is one of the tracks I go to when testing for speed and attack/transients. It's pretty easy to muddy up the drums, especially during blast beats. The snare's attack and detail and blast beat rhythm in particular can get lost if your gear doesn't have a clean, quick decay and/or doesn't have a smooth and filled-out enough response to present all the frequency details. I also use this when comparing different digital filters (upsampling/oversampling)...personally, I find a mild-minimum phase filter or no filter at all best capture the rhythm here. The recording/mastering itself is inherently not the cleanest or most pristine I've heard.

- Opeth, Watershed, "Porcelain Heart" - After the first, heavier part, the acoustic section gives a quick and easy way for me to test basic resolving and timbre characteristics. For detail resolution, I listen for the subtle sounds of fingers sliding across the fret board and such. NOS DACs, for example, tend to gloss over these a bit. Also, Akerfeldt usually plays finger-picking style, and he has more of a smooth/liquid play style than most other guitarists in the progressive metal genre (i.e. he plays closer to what you'd hear in the 60s/70s from progressive/psychedelic bands). I found some equipment does not portray this right from a timbre perspective, in that it makes it sound like he is using a pick when he is not (slightly too detailed, lean, and metallic).

- Opeth, Heritage, "The Devil's Orchard" - Very specific, small test for treble detail and resolving abilities. I'll have to come back with an exact time, but listen closely right after the intro. A guitar will briefly solo the riff that the song truly opens up to, and to the right, in the distant, you should hear some very faint, quick cymbal taps/brushing. Realistically, it's not crazy hard to have gear adequately present this, but it's a quick way to tell if your gear might be hiding certain details. I also really happen to like how this album sounds from a recording/mastering perspective.

- Between the Buried and Me, The Parallax II: Future Sequence, "Lay Your Ghosts to Rest" - This should open to a nice kick in the ass (watch your volume). IIRC, this album has particularly poor dynamic range, but I use the first 30 seconds or so of this track to listen for elements like attack, transients, sense of micro pacing and rhythm, and so on. Like "The Lotus Eater," I'm primarily checking to see if things get smeared together. I also found that some DACs and, potentially, some types of digital filtering (i.e. generally those with high/standard amounts of ringing) softened the dynamics and black space between notes that give the song its characteristic rhythmic beat and slam.

What I am looking for: I could use a really good piano recording that captures the feeling of being the one playing piano, as that's what I grew up doing. I know testing for piano can be fairly informative, and I just don't have a good reference recording. In particular, I was very familiar with Kabalevsky's Sonatina No. 1 (Op. 13, No. 1), Beethoven's "Fur Elise" and "Moonlight Sonata," Bach's Invention 8 (F Major).

mkubota1 · « **Reply #7 on:** April 30, 2014, 10:44:54 AM »

Quote from: OJneg on April 30, 2014, 12:32:51 AM

I can go through a few more if you guys care for it.

Yes pleeease!!! That Bad Plus track is amazing. I'll have to check out the rest of that album.

Quote from: hans030390 on April 30, 2014, 09:53:02 AM

IIRC, this album has particularly poor dynamic range, but I use the first 30 seconds or so of this track to listen for elements like attack, transients, sense of micro pacing and rhythm, and so on... checking to see if things get smeared together.

I think Marv or someone else might have mentioned this before- but it does seem like some of the not-so-great recordings actually work well for some of this. If stuff is hard to hear or separate out to begin with, you're going to need some resolving power to extract that information.

burnspbesq · « **Reply #8 on:** April 30, 2014, 02:12:37 PM »

Hans, these are some of the solo-piano tracks that I use for evaluating gear.

Thelonious Monk, "Blue Monk" from "Thelonious Alone in San Francisco." This was recorded in a big, reverberant space, and you should hear long decays and endless amounts of air.

Marc-Andre Hamelin, "Play Piano Play #1" from "In a State of Jazz." This is a resolution test. It should be easy to unravel the counterpoint and follow what each hand is doing.

Vijay Iyer, "Human Nature" from "Solo." This was recorded natively in DSD. I have both DSD and Redbook. On a decent DAC, you shouldn't have to guess which is which.

funkmeister · « **Reply #9 on:** April 30, 2014, 07:14:20 PM »

Heather Nova - Ruby Red: The bass intro should have consistent weight across the notes and the deep harmonics should border on being felt more than heard. At 0:22-0:30ish there's a synthetic waah-uh that shouldn't be drowned out but needs to not be prominent. If you need to check for it, EQ up your 2kHz region and it'll show up. This tests the output device's handling of that region (certain well-known headphones really spike it). At 3:43 and 3:53 she sinisterly whispers "I wanna live" and if you're on nearly linear speakers or on headphones with the Harman/O-W curve then you're going to hear it quite well. Most phones without compensation actually don't pull it out all that well.

Trevor Pinnock - Vivaldi Violin Concertos - Concerto for 2 Violins in G Major - Allegro molto: This track is useful for determining how the stereo field is presented. If your cans are claustrophobic it will sound like normal stereo imaging of a concert. Nothing special. If your cans are artificially wide, then you'll feel the sound on one of the violins wobble too much on the left. The mics were pretty close to the concert master and the second violin, but the concert master's movements become quite exaggerated if your imaging is artificial. Also check and see if the cello can stand out on its own or not.

Norbert Kraft - Asturias (Isaac Albéniz): At 1:18 he goes to a more dampened/muffled tone on the classical guitar. If your phones are too "rich" or "thick" sounding this turns to mud compared to linear speakers. This checks for too much rise down low at the crossover from the low-mids to high-bass.

Author Topic: Test Tracks and What To LISTEN For (Read 1901 times)

mkubota1

Test Tracks and What To LISTEN For

Stapsy

Re: Test Tracks and What To Look For

funkmeister

Re: Test Tracks and What To Look For

mkubota1

Re: Test Tracks and What To LISTEN For

OJneg

Re: Test Tracks and What To Look For

burnspbesq

Re: Test Tracks and What To LISTEN For

Hands

Re: Test Tracks and What To LISTEN For

mkubota1

Re: Test Tracks and What To LISTEN For

burnspbesq

Re: Test Tracks and What To LISTEN For

funkmeister

Re: Test Tracks and What To LISTEN For

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Author Topic: Test Tracks and What To LISTEN For (Read 1901 times)