Music for Testing Treble (High Frequency) Sound

[dualazmak]

I know we have several threads discussing music tracks for testing bass sound reproduction.
I seldom found, however, any thread discussing "Music for Testing Treble (High Frequency) Sound" within ASR and in other audio forums.

Consequently, I assume it would be somewhat worthwhile creating this thread, and let me start with one track, Track-20 "High Frequency Linearity Check: Bimmel Bolle Antique Orgel" in "Sony Super Audio Check CD (1983 48CD 3 CBS/Sony)" (ref. here), even though I shared and discussed this track in my post #592 on my project thread and also in a few other opportunities in ASR. This track contains extremely high-energy high-frequency sharp transient sound; I have never heard recorded sound having such a high-energy and high-speed high Fq components.

In order to show the high frequency components of this unique track, I shared YouTube video clip together with MusicScope 2.0.1 playing screen (ref. here #760);

And I also shared another YouTube video clip together with the dancing 12-VU-Meter Array (ref. here #750);

Your participation on this thread sharing preferable/suitable sampler/reference "music tracks" for testing treble (high frequency) sound reproduction will be greatly appreciated.

 

[dualazmak]

Although they are very rare (a kind of miracle) cases, lovely birds can sometimes very subtly/faintly join in a stunning high-quality recording session through windows of the recording venue. And, these faint and subtle bird voices can be a greatly challenging but nice test sound for our audio system especially in terms of S/N, resolution, 3D sound staging, in treble/high-frequency zone.

Let me share two of such miracle cases having wonderful birds participation; can you hear the birds singing in these tracks with your audio system?

(ref. here)
Can you nicely hear and identify the charming birds outside of Jobim's house joining at 2:40 in this beautiful track?
Even though I cannot remember where he wrote or spoke, Ryuichi Sakamoto once commented with his deep emotion that "When I carefully listen to Jobim's music, I always feel as if various charming birds are singing in his music. It was really our miracle experience, therefore, that the birds outside of Jobim's house wonderfully joined our recording of As Praias Desertas with Morelenbuam2."

(ref. here)
Can you clearly hear bird(s), Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), wonderfully joining in this midnight recording session at a small quiet chapel?
This also can be a nice challenge to our audio system.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Ana Caram on Chesky records.

OTOH, pink noise and done.

 

[dualazmak]

I would like to widen this thread for sharing and discussion on not only key note tone in high frequency but also various harmonic tones of music tracks in high frequency zones usually covered by midrange-driver (upper Fq part), tweeters and/or even super-tweeters.

In this perspective, let me start with female vocals of excellent recording/sound quality for which we need really HiFi sound reproduction.

I assume almost all of us here in ASR forum have his/her "reference female vocal tracks" for checking and tuning our audio system, and here in this post I would like to share only one typical excellently-recorded female a-cappella vocal track having stunning beautiful harmonic tones in high frequency zones: track-2 "Congaudentes exultemus" of Schola Solensis album (2L-070) "Psallant Ecclesia" (ref. here).

I analyzed this stunning track using Adobe Audition 3.0.1 to see the 3D (gain/Fq/time) color spectrum;

By carefully looking at the 3D color spectrum, I assume you may easily understand my emphasis on importance of excellent reproduction/tuning (such as tone balances) of so many vocal harmonic tones beyond the key note tones.

 

[Waxx]

Best way to test mid-hi on listening is with spoken word by a voice you know very wel from live hearing, at least when it's well recorded. I often use vocal recordings of a friend i used to do a radioshow with for years, with him as the host. I know him since early teenage years and knows his voice very well, and did those recordings myself so I know how it's recorded and how it should sound.

But measuring is still better of course... Even on graphs you can see a lot already before you hear it, and more precise.

 

[dualazmak]

Best way to test mid-hi on listening is with spoken word by a voice you know very wel from live hearing, at least when it's well recorded. I often use vocal recordings of a friend i used to do a radioshow with for years, with him as the host. I know him since early teenage years and knows his voice very well, and did those recordings myself so I know how it's recorded and how it should sound.

But measuring is still better of course... Even on graphs you can see a lot already before you hear it, and more precise.

Thank you for nice suggestions and insights. It is really invaluable suggestion for people would visit this thread.

Yes, I too sometimes do the same using recorded voices of my wife and daughter, both sing in soprano part in our church choir (I myself in bass part) which means we will be almost fully trapped today (Sunday and Christmas Eve in Japan!) within our church from morning service until midnight candle service! (Sorry, my son, I seldom use your recorded voice.)

As you may agree, we need excellent midranges (in my case Yamaha 8.8 cm Beryllium dome JA-0801), tweeters, (and superteeters), smooth XO between them, ideal tone balance, perfect phase matching (0.1 msec time alignment) over all the SP drivers, and of course perfect gain/tone balance between L&R, and so on...

 

[MRC01]

Two good ways to hear differences in high frequency response is with recordings of castanets and jangling keys. More generally, small clicky / jangly percussive sounds have tons of HF energy going into supersonics. Using sounds like this I have differentiated things in ABX that I never could have done with music.

Back in the day, recording engineers would commonly jangle keys in front of the mic as a HF sound check.

 

[norman bates]

Cheap audio man uses sinnerman by Nina simone, the cymbals, Metallica's harvested of souls also

 

[Matt_Holland]

The track, Number One from the Manu Katche album, Neighbourhood has sublimely recorded percussion and is my go to track for testing high frequency resolution and a speakers ability to portray cymbals.

Number One

 

[nerdemoji]

anything with well recorded cymbals honestly.

 

[MRC01]

One that falls into the category of well recorded cymbals, as well as other sounds with lots of HF energy is Drums & Bells

https://www.discogs.com/release/11819744-Brad-Dutz-Chris-Wabich-Drums-Bells-Comparing-Sticks

It has the best most lifelike recorded percussion that I have ever heard.

 

[Keith_W]

Toru Takemitsu's Rain Tree has been my standard go-to for testing high freqs for a number of years now.

On my laptop speakers I can barely hear anything. But on my audio system, you can hear those little percussion instruments (not sure what they are) shimmering. The recording I use is from Naxos:

 

[dualazmak]

In this post and in coming a few of my posts to be shared within a week or two, let me continue sharing and discussing music instrument tracks having beautiful and distinct harmonic tones mainly in frequency zones covered by very upper Fq part of midrange (squawker) drivers, tweeters and super-tweeters.

I believe many of you may agree with me that violin is a typical instrument fit for our discussion on harmonic tones spreading upto almost upper limit of CD format, 22.05 kHz.

The excellent reproduction of solo violin tracks would be always one of our challenging themes for checking and tuning of audio system, and I myself always prefer rather quiet but stunning recording-quality tracks of solo violin performances like this one; James Ehnes plays Sonata “Tambourin” in D Major OP.9-3 III Sarabanda: Largo by Jean-Marie Leclair (1697-1764), CD ONYX 4134.

I analyzed the specific CD track by 3D color spectrum of Adobe Audition 3.0.1;

(ref. here.)
Looking at this spectrum, you may easily "see/observe" the stunning S/N and multiple orders of harmonic tones of each of the violin notes. In some portions, the harmonic tones reach at 22 kHz area, the upper limit zone of CD format. We need most careful tuning of our audio system for excellent reproduction of this track with complete disappearance (illusion?) of our SP system (ref. here and here).

I also believe we sometimes do need relative gain control/adjustment in Fq zones covered by tweeters and supertweeters depending on the hearing ability (hearing decline) of audience(s) participating in our audio listening sessions. (This issue would be a nice theme for another possible thread, I assume, though...)

I usually use this stunning violin solo track (accompanied by sublime quiet and transparent minimalism piano) for "such" tone control/adjustment in high frequency zones as I intensively described here on my project thread.

 

[audio_tony]

Try the clock chimes on Pink Floyds 'Time' track (Dark Side of The Moon). They should sound clear, natural and not shrill.

I think this is an excellent test.

 

[dualazmak]

Try the clock chimes on Pink Floyds 'Time' track (Dark Side of The Moon). They should sound clear, natural and not shrill.

I think this is an excellent test.

Thank you for your kind attention and invaluable info.

I (we) would highly appreciate if you could attach YouTube (or similar) free sharing link if available (even the SQ would not be optimal) for our "first glance" listening to the specific music track.

 

[audio_tony]

Thank you for your kind attention and invaluable info.

I (we) would highly appreciate if you could attach YouTube (or similar) free sharing link if available (even the SQ would not be optimal) for our "first glance" listening to the specific music track.

As you wish!

 

[dualazmak]

Harpsichord (cembalo, clavecin) is one of the unique keyboard instruments; even with rather low frequency key note tone, it has rich even and odd harmonic tones, and the mid to high frequency key notes usually have such multiple harmonic tones up to 22 kHz zone to be covered by tweeters and super-tweeters.

Those key note plus multiple harmonic tones are simultaneously given by single touch on one key of harpsichord, and the whole of the given notes is so called "high speed sound", or in more ASR-like expression "typical multiple-tone highly transient sound" which simultaneously covered by all of woofers (sometimes even sub-woofers too), woofers, midrange squawkers, tweeters and super-tweeters; the excellently-recorded tracks of solo harpsichord, therefore, are always very nice challenges to our audio system; in this post let me share only one of such tracks of solo harpsichord.

Nowadays, I use this track as my "reference/sampler harpsichord music track" for tuning and check of various factors in my multichannel audio system; track-3 "Rameau: Pieces De Clavecin, Suite In D - 1. Les Tendres Plaintes" in Jean Rondeau's CD album “VERTIGO; Rameau, Royer”, ERATO 0 825646 974580 (2015) which can be heard on YouTube. Since the sound quality of this YouTube video clip would not be optimal (depending on your web browsing environments), I highly recommend you to purchase the CD album (or HiRes downloadable album, if available).

(Can you hear a bird briefly joins at 1:27?)

I analyzed the purchased CD's track-3 by 3D color spectrum (gain/Fq/time) of Adobe Audition 3.0.1 for visual observation;

(ref. here.)
By looking at this 3D spectrum, you may easily understand what I mean by saying "nice challenge to our audio system".

In this stunning recording, you would please also notice that we have "musically meaningful" low frequency tones down to 28 Hz zone (maybe a kind of hall reverberation and/or activation?) to be covered by sub-woofers.

Yes, we definitely need not only excellent HiFi tweeters and super-tweeters but also optimal XO (including overlap) between all the SP drivers, phase continuity, 0.1 msec precision time alignment, suitable relative gains (tone control), perfect L&R balance, and so on.

Once you could establish best/optimal tuning of all the factors in your audio system (including room acoustics), this track could "Wow!" and "deeply amaze" you with perfect disappearance (illusion?) of all the SP drivers.

 

[dualazmak]

BTW, I cannot stop myself to share another stunning track of solo harpsichord; an excellent 4K UHD harpsichord performance video clip on YouTube; Yuko Tanaka's stunning performance of "Bach Fantasia A Minor BWV904" uploaded by Voices of Music; here we can hear the wonderful sound of large modern gorgeous harpsichord:

If you would be interested, you can find the 3D color spectrum by Adobe Audition 3.0.1 and the spectrum by Music Scope 2.1.0 in my post here on my project thread.

 

[Sgt. Ear Ache]

 

[Aynsley]

The excellent reproduction of solo violin tracks would be always one of our challenging themes for checking and tuning of audio system, and I myself always prefer rather quiet but stunning recording-quality tracks of solo violin performances like this one; James Ehnes plays Sonata “Tambourin” in D Major OP.9-3 III Sarabanda: Largo by Jean-Marie Leclair (1697-1764), CD ONYX 4134.

I agree that the recording of solo violin pieces is a technical challenge, especially if the pieces include double or treble stopping.

One of the first set of albums I ever bought was Arthur Grumiaux' rendition of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin. On a cheap stereo system (this was in the 1960s) the original vinyl LPs sounded great, but the CD versions I now have in my collection sound raw and grainy.

John Holloway's version of the same pieces appears to have been recorded in a location with a pronounced echo and, to my ear, this softens the harsh chords.

From my limited experience, technique also contributes to the harshness or softness of the recording. I find that Hilary Hahn's version of the above pieces is far more pleasant.