The HD-Audio Challenge II by Mark Waldrep
http://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=6713
[ I’ve selected
20 tracks from a variety of genres and took into consideration suggestions from many of you. I’ve included solos, small and large ensembles, acoustic and electric, and vocal vs. instrumental...
These are
full length tracks not merely samples.
I spent all weekend converting the tracks using
Sonic Studio’s professional software tool PROCESS to do the conversions. I took the
native 96 kHz/24-bit PCM masters and downconverted them to 96 kHz/16-bit, 44.1 kHz/24-bits, and 44.1 kHz/16-bits
(CD “Redbook” spec). I will also create constant bitrate MP3 versions at 320 and 256 kbps for those interested in compressed formats.
Then I converted all of downconversions back to 96 kHz/24-bits so that all of them are precisely the same size. I have been very careful to ensure that they are the same volume.
I have uploaded all of the files to a folder in my premium Dropbox account and will
“Share” the contents with those interested in participating in the study. The files are randomly named and should provide a rich opportunity for those willing to download them and do some serious listening. The goal is to discover if bona fide high-resolution audio recordings can be distinguished from lower resolution formats... ]
[ I will be doing a thorough analysis of each file and providing the spectra and dynamic analysis to participants. I’ve already done that for a test file by The Latin Jazz Trio. Here’s
the spectra of all of the formats: ]
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