High Dynamic Range Music

[fas42]

Already posted by me in another thread, but a more "conventional" good recording, Moulin Rouge [Original Soundtrack]:

http://www.allmusic.com/album/moulin-rouge-original-soundtrack-r530953

I said in that post:

Speaking of which, the sound track CD is an excellent test disk, huge dynamics and extremely dense sound, which will give systems a good workout ...

If you wind this up, and your system can do it, you'll have people running down the street to check it out ....

Frank

 

[MylesBAstor]

One CD that always used as a dynamic test as well as low end was Sound of Rhythm (Top Music TMCD 1026). Not sure if it's still available?

 

[NorthStar]

Of course, as mentioned previously ...

--- ------- And: -------

* You can click on the picture covers for info + music samples.

 

[treitz3]

Taken from another thread and brought over to this one...

I think that we all had a nice time. It was a VERY vinyl-heavy meeting.

Steve brought along his pristine copies of:

http://www.popsike.com/php/quicksearch.php?searchtext=for+duke&x=0&y=0

http://www.popsike.com/php/quicksearch.php?searchtext=fatha+hines&x=26&y=9

and

http://www.popsike.com/php/quicksearch.php?searchtext=flamenco+fever&x=18&y=5

Now I know what people mean when they say that Flamenco Fever is probably the most dynamic music ever pressed.

 

[richr]

"Roundabout" from the Yes album 'Fragile'.

 

[Ron Party]

The Honor Roll of Dynamic Recordings

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Nice find Ron! Thx!

 

[amirm]

The Honor Roll of Dynamic Recordings

Wow. That is some list! Thanks for posting it.

 

[NorthStar]

The Honor Roll of Dynamic Recordings

Great link Ron, thanks! :b

 

[Ron Party]

Dynamic Range Day

 

[RUR]

Tom Danley posted this a few days back:

Hi all
I happened to think of a really dynamic drum recording I have.
A friend gave me a Manger test disk which has that on it.
It (if it recall) has something like 40dB peak to average level (huge).

While the significant other may not find it that entertaining, it is a recording that when played UN-restrained, sounds like real drums in the living room.
This is a perfect recording for looking at your amp voltage with an oscilloscope for instantaneous clipping too, this uses up your headroom like crazy.
I searched the name and found a you tube video with the recording.
I don’t know what bit rate it is but you can search out a CD of them.
Anyway, enjoy;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4AMGBz8eDg

Best,
Tom Danley

So I found the track on this album, and purchased it:

http://www.amazon.com/La-Bamba-O-Zo...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1332023932&sr=1-1

This should definitely be added to the high dynamic range list. Pretty amazing on my system, but on, for example, Ron's all-Seaton rig it should be positively frightening. If you buy it, buy it for DR/system demo - much of the music's not all that entertaining, IMHO. Track 10's your huckleberry.

 

[LL21]

Great link Ron, thanks! :b

+1!

 

[LenWhite]

These are some of the gems in my music library.

Demo quality RBCD:

John Campbell: Howlin' Mercy (track 3)
Hadouk Trio: Live at the FIP (disc 1; tracks 1 and 6)
Ray Lamontagne: Till the Sun Turns Black (track 6)
Marianne Faithfull: Blazing Away (track 3)
Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Welcome to the Pleasure Dome (track 2)
Joe Jackson: Body and Soul (track 6)
Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon (MSFL 1973 version; track 8)

Demo quality SACD (stereo):

Patricia Barber: Verse (track 1)
Patricia Barber: Modern Cool (track 4)
Patirica Barber: Companion (track 7)
Bill Cunliffe Trio: Live at Bernie's (track 1)
Hugh Masekela: Hope (track 8)
Eleanor McEvoy: Yola (track 5)
Cat Stevens: Tea for the Tillerman (track 2)
Note: the equivalent RBCD must also sound very dynamic because of the recording/mastering quality.

 

[fas42]

I've already mentioned these in another post, but there is nothing like a well recorded brass band for enormous dymanics. One is "The Best of Brass Plays the Classics", PEG CD 337: it has a version of the Sorcerer's Apprentice, where at the start if you haven't set your volume to the maximum clipping level for your setup then you can easily believe the CD has stopped, for the first few minutes!

And another is "The Best of Brass Bands", EMI, 7243 563638 2 4, standards and other popular pieces.

I'm running these at the moment at effectively maximum volume, which gives me about 105dB peak at close listening range. But the recordings are so clean I could easily go another 20dB: 125dB peak would be about right, would make sure the pianissimo passages were correct.

Frank

 

[fas42]

And if you want something that is waaay out there, which I was listening to earlier for the first time in ages: King Crimson, "Larks' Tongues In Aspic". Pretty bizarre stuff, but what it has is dynamics: I had to run it at full volume to correctly replay the quiet sections, which then climax in a ferocious outburst.

Frank

 

[NorthStar]

I love King Crimson; that album (just mentioned by Frank above), and all their other albums. :b

* My personal fave is Islands.

 

[SCAudiophile]

Is it only me or does anybody else find that these Isomike recordings sound like the musicians are playing in a pit between the two loudspeakers?

I bought most of the ones available two RMAF's ago after hearing the demo and thought that they were great, but I can't get over the soundstage (orchestral pit?)

To keep this going, whenever I REALLY want to impress people with bass, I have three go-to albums:

1) Za Ondenkoza (The Devils on drums):
http://www.amazon.com/Dotoh-Banri-Ondekoza/dp/B00005GW8S/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_5
http://www.amazon.com/Fujiyama-Ondekoza/dp/B00000I397/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_1

2) The track "Earth Drums" from the album Paramita:
http://www.amazon.com/Paramita-XRCD...9QZI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292105611&sr=1-1

The first time I heard this album was in Manila - when there was a loudspeaker shoot-out involving one of my speakers. I thought that the woofers were going to come flying out!!

Try this new 6 SACD Remastered Set!!!

In the past week, this has become available in the US and elsewhere in the world;

https://www.discogs.com/Ondekoza-Collection/release/9437233
Elusive Disc in the US has the set, don't know of any others. Various offers are out there for Japan/APAC sellers as well as in Europe.

It's a set of 6 SACD remasters of some of Ondekoza's finest works!!!

The XRCD (various levels), K2HD and HQCD releases of some of the albums that are available are few and far between, rare to obtain and sound great but having listened through all 6 SACDs in this set in the last few days I am very impressed and happy that I grabbed them.