Good Music for testing Audio Equipment

MadFloyd

Member Sponsor
May 30, 2010
3,076
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madfloyd-"When does Minnie sing in this? " at about the 16:00 mark. she vocalizes more than sings. she comes in at the 17:00 mark with exquisitely high vocalizing and continues to ascend the scale until you think she has gone as far as she can and then she goes even higher.

her daughter is Maya Rudolph on SNL.

on YOUR system, this should be sine qua non. you will likely appreciate osamu kitajima's other albums. one relatively recent recording is Epitome which i think is right up there with his best but the eponymous one can be had on ebay or discogs. the CDs are available from East Quest Records:

http://www.eastquest.com/music.html

have fun with these.

...regards..tr

Thanks, I have this LP on the way from discogs!
 

Migo

Well-Known Member
Aug 10, 2013
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New amazing Doug MacLeod:

https://referencerecordings.com/now-available-doug-macleod-break-the-chain/
 

hifitommy

Well-Known Member
i remember buying this after hearing it at Slipped Disc Records in Van Nuys California. the owners were just excellent people and guided me right from the beginning. i had the record for a couple of years before realizing how great it is.

first i heard a crackling sound that at my first thought was distortion but when closely listened to turned out to be a campfire including bursting embers. then i started reading the liner notes and found out that that was Minnie. another couple of years passed and i had bought a Sumiko Blue Point cartridge which resulted in the babbling brook recorded on one of the tracks being about 10-20 feet closer than the previous cartridge.

pretty good for a cart that was ac\tually a pmount in a cheap styrene adaptor. after some time with this cart though, i found the top to not be very well behaved and the bottom to not nearly match my Grado F1+ and especially not as extended as my XLM. then LYLE Cartridges released a mount for it for those of us that recognized those shortcomings. the Lyle was an aluminum block channeled to allow the cart to be tightened in with a set screw. then the block was also threaded for the mounting screws which is a godsend in any cartridge.

the top and bottom improved but not enough to bring the extremes into line with my other cartridges. Sumiko also recognized this and mounted the same cartridge on a solid block and called it the Blue Point Special! now that DID sound like a true high-end cartridge.

anyway, i am trying to get Osamu Kitajima to re-release this 1977 Virgin Records recording on premium vinyl, maybe a 2 disc/45rpm set. it would be a hot seller, and it's all analog!
 

Kefas

Well-Known Member
May 21, 2014
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APP

Well-Known Member
Oct 1, 2014
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The 2nd DXD from the new series has been released. Paul Berner Band playing the music of the fabulous four from Liverpool.



For speaker placement the latest from Sound Liaison; the DXD recording of ''Carmen Gomes Sings the Blues'' is also excellent.
Looking at the picture from the session, you can clearly see how the musicians were placed. That corresponds to the description on how they record in the liner notes;

http://www.soundliaison.com/studio-showcase-series/276-carmen-gomes-sings-the-blues
 

Kefas

Well-Known Member
May 21, 2014
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I was just reminded of the value of classic Eurythmics pop standards, for system testing. Tests overall competence, the capability of a setup to handle 'big' recorded material, weaknesses in the ability for the sound to be unravelled are very obvious.
If you had to name one song which would it be?
 

Kefas

Well-Known Member
May 21, 2014
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If I may suggest the new Bach recording with Enghave Barok from Sound Liaison. Perfect for speaker placement. The little ensemble is up close and personal but also with a phenomenal sense of space.
And the new recording engineer for the label, Torsten Jessen, really seems to know what he is doing:
http://www.soundliaison.com/studio-masters/253-bach-live-edition-1

No 2. has just been released and they have included a stage map in the liner notes:
very interesting for placement and imagining the soundstage. And as usual the $10 introduction price is a steal.
https://www.soundliaison.com/studio-masters/254-bach-live-edition-2
 

daytona600

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2012
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scotland
ref00708.jpg
 

Migo

Well-Known Member
Aug 10, 2013
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APP

Well-Known Member
Oct 1, 2014
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Yes excellent follow up. Would have been nice if they had shown the placement of the stereo microphone pair on the map.
2 days left of the sale.

Listening to the recording, it sounds like they are right in front of the ensemble:)
 

APP

Well-Known Member
Oct 1, 2014
455
108
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That's it! you are most probably right, that would be the logical spot.
 

APP

Well-Known Member
Oct 1, 2014
455
108
273
Mostly, aside from LT to RT placements, the mics are above the level of the head of the conductor, hence the ability for pinpoint imaging. pinpoint imaging. Is essential for the conductor to hear EACH instrument.

How about a bin-aural recording with the microphones placed in the ears of the conductor.....:)
 

daytona600

Well-Known Member
Sep 9, 2012
722
151
955
scotland
How about a bin-aural recording with the microphones placed in the ears of the conductor.....:)
Binaural Baroque - The World’s First Binaural Direct Cut Recording

shop-bb-192_m.jpg
 

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
14,411
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oceancall

New Member
Jun 2, 2013
18
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Try a few of the tracks listed below:

Toto - Rosanna
Holly Cole - Train Song
Boards of Canada - You Could Feel The Sky
Snoop Dogg - California Roll
Olive - Falling
Wale - Love/Hate Thing
Daft Punk - Disc Wars
 

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