[JF2010]

Looking to put together a CD to use as reference for testing speakers as i need a new pair. Anyone here use particular tracks to help them gauge how sounds are playing ie speakers/ room etc.?

Had a look at mixing sites but most of it non electronic so wanted to see if anyone else had any preferences on certain tracks to use. Preferably not square waveformed or clipped to death

Cheers

This post has been edited by JF2010: 18 January 2012 - 08:15 PM

[tehlord]

If you're talking about monitoring speakers then you want a CD full of tracks you know really well, your own would be best.

[nugga]

Not EDM but i recommend the Tribe called Quest albums - Low End Theory + Midnight Marauders. Arty Hope aways sounds massive on speakers. Eric Prydz stuff, Cirez D sound huge on speakers. Personal Jesus (Eric Prydz remix) is a fantastic test.

[JF2010]

tehlord, on 18 January 2012 - 08:21 PM, said:

If you're talking about monitoring speakers then you want a CD full of tracks you know really well, your own would be best.

Yeah i figured own tracks would be best but at this point i dont think theyre a good reference because none of them are on par with release quality stuff.

Problem i have is that depending on what system you listen to your "reference cd" on, the sound will be coloured in differant ways. Plus with released material being processed & mastered it makes it hard to know what levels are correct etc..

Dont think theres any real answer to be honest!.. imo stuff that dave parkinson (simon patterson/greg downey etc) makes sounds exceptionally clean and well mixed. Also giuseppe ottavianis stuff tends to have alot of dynamics spared and sounds very clear.. any other tracks/elements of track suggestions very welcome!

[Arksun]

Take a whole mixture I'd say, different qualities different genres.

One or two of your own tracks. Tracks that are extremely well recorded and engineered (much older is prob better in this respect, less or no limiting on them). Also tracks that are squashed to death see how much of the damage of limiting they reveal. Maybe stick a low grade mp3 on there too.

The more variation in tone dynamics and sound quality of your reference tracks, the more opportunity to hear whether the monitors are revealing not only better details or distortion in general, but greater differences between the tracks themselves.

Then you have to make the choice, do you want the monitors to be the most revealing and accurate and thus allow you to mix the best, but may stifle your creativity by having to work much harder to make things sound good. Or do you want a pair of monitors that sit half way between accuracy and euphoric so you more easily get into the flow of things to begin with.

I think a lot of producers just starting out tend to lean too much on the side of monitors that just make everything sound phat bass strong and enjoyable regardless of mix quality, rather than realising that some monitors just seem to sound a bit flat and lifeless because they're telling you how bad a particular mix really is (the very best quality mixes should however still shine and sound glorious on accurate monitors).

In terms of some of the much better recordings you can use, some tracks I've used has been:

Massive Attack - Angel (Good bass test and to see if those percussion sounds really punch through cleanly)
Dave Matthews Band - Crash & Let You Down (recording and mixing doesn't get much better than this, listen to the crispness of those shimmering cymbals)
James Newton Howard - Tarawa (track has insanely huge dynamic range and is a real test of a speakers power response and ability to reveal a complex mix)
Lady Blacksmith Mambazo - Inkanyezi Nezazi (great vocal test, can you hear all the individual voices clearly, all the little clicking sounds they make etc, lovely rich deep recording this one)

Oh one last thing, when listening in shop, be aware of the speakers position in the room, their angle, distance between them etc. If one pairs stereo image sounds bigger than the other just because they've been placed further apart, or another pair seems to be lacking in bass response, but thats just because they're much further from any walls than the other pair you're comparing to. That sort of thing.

[JF2010]

Arksun, on 20 January 2012 - 06:31 PM, said:

Take a whole mixture I'd say, different qualities different genres.

One or two of your own tracks. Tracks that are extremely well recorded and engineered (much older is prob better in this respect, less or no limiting on them). Also tracks that are squashed to death see how much of the damage of limiting they reveal. Maybe stick a low grade mp3 on there too.

The more variation in tone dynamics and sound quality of your reference tracks, the more opportunity to hear whether the monitors are revealing not only better details or distortion in general, but greater differences between the tracks themselves.

Then you have to make the choice, do you want the monitors to be the most revealing and accurate and thus allow you to mix the best, but may stifle your creativity by having to work much harder to make things sound good. Or do you want a pair of monitors that sit half way between accuracy and euphoric so you more easily get into the flow of things to begin with.

I think a lot of producers just starting out tend to lean too much on the side of monitors that just make everything sound phat bass strong and enjoyable regardless of mix quality, rather than realising that some monitors just seem to sound a bit flat and lifeless because they're telling you how bad a particular mix really is (the very best quality mixes should however still shine and sound glorious on accurate monitors).

In terms of some of the much better recordings you can use, some tracks I've used has been:

Massive Attack - Angel (Good bass test and to see if those percussion sounds really punch through cleanly)
Dave Matthews Band - Crash & Let You Down (recording and mixing doesn't get much better than this, listen to the crispness of those shimmering cymbals)
James Newton Howard - Tarawa (track has insanely huge dynamic range and is a real test of a speakers power response and ability to reveal a complex mix)
Lady Blacksmith Mambazo - Inkanyezi Nezazi (great vocal test, can you hear all the individual voices clearly, all the little clicking sounds they make etc, lovely rich deep recording this one)

Oh one last thing, when listening in shop, be aware of the speakers position in the room, their angle, distance between them etc. If one pairs stereo image sounds bigger than the other just because they've been placed further apart, or another pair seems to be lacking in bass response, but thats just because they're much further from any walls than the other pair you're comparing to. That sort of thing.

Appriciate the detailed reply exactly what i was after Arksun, am stuck between a pair of Focal CMS65 and AE22's now that i have for a few days so going to do some serious testing