# Tunning CD's



## jj_diamond (Oct 3, 2007)

i didn't find anything under the search. i also didn't know where else to start a thread like this. if i'm wrong please post a link to the already existing thread. if it's the wrong section feel free to move it.

feel free to post your top 5. if the thread gets going please use the search thread and don't repeat. not looking for your favorite band or CD. this is strictly for CD's you tune your setup with.
here's my current list.

The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over
Alice In Chains - Unplugged
Pink Floyd - Meddle (incredible for staging/imaging)
Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope

these two are really good for that gritty funked out analog sound(good distortion?)..
Primus - Brown Album
Stanton Moore - III


----------



## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

rippingtons-weekend in monaco


----------



## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Anything Zuki has sent me has been astounding...especially the Cello and Chamber music CD, ironically my cat thought it was a better toy and has scratched most of it .


----------



## jj_diamond (Oct 3, 2007)

thehatedguy said:


> Anything Zuki has sent me has been astounding...especially the Cello and Chamber music CD, ironically my cat thought it was a better toy and has scratched most of it .


big band or acoustic music reference disc? 

ygpm


----------



## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)

Zuki CDs , demo disc from various companies, KR2/XRCD24 format [ http://www.elusivedisc.com/products.asp?dept=859 ].


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

I use:
USACi sq cd
IASCA sq cd
EMMA cd's (have the last 4): The technical tracks are AWESOME.
The Eagles - Hotel California
Chesky - Ultimate Demostration Disc
And some "normal" music.


----------



## ///Audience (Jan 31, 2007)

thehatedguy said:


> Anything Zuki has sent me has been astounding...especially the Cello and Chamber music CD, ironically my cat thought it was a better toy and has scratched most of it .


ughh i cant wait for my Zuki CD's to finally arrive so the tuning session can begin!


----------



## Inferno333 (Mar 29, 2006)

jj_diamond said:


> The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over
> Alice In Chains - Unplugged
> Pink Floyd - Meddle (incredible for staging/imaging)


Is there a list of instrument and person locations to help with imaging with these cd's or is it just very centered?


----------



## jj_diamond (Oct 3, 2007)

there's DVD's of the first two CD's.


----------



## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)

Inferno333 said:


> Is there a list of instrument and person locations to help with imaging with these cd's or is it just very centered?


I purchased Tesla "Five man acoustical Jam", then went to see them perform it.

A notebook and paper lets me know where they were on certain songs


----------



## demon2091tb (May 30, 2005)

Audionutz SQ volumes, not sure how many there are now but i have the first 20 or so disks and there damn good.


----------



## rekd0514 (Sep 24, 2006)

demon2091tb said:


> Audionutz SQ volumes, not sure how many there are now but i have the first 20 or so disks and there damn good.


Love mine as well. I got 10 of his top picks myself.


----------



## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

Inferno333 said:


> Is there a list of instrument and person locations to help with imaging with these cd's or is it just very centered?


Check out the Audionutz SQ CD Collection in the SQ Competitors forum at ECA. If you order them, make sure to ask Steve for the liner notes so that you know what to listen for. 

I copied an pasted one song as an example:

Track
Alice In Chains - "Brother" Unplugged 

Judging Criteria
Double male vocal placement
Far left and far right image location and stage width
Room and audience
Ambiance
Tonality
Clarity
Instrument placement.

Detailed Description
Simply remarkable track!!! The recording quality of this disc is superb,
and it is full of dynamic and microdynamic content, excellent tonality
spanning the entire spectrum, great ambiance and audience
ambiance, and awesome image placement. This track features
acoustic guitar at far right, bass guitar at rt center, another acoustic
guitar at far left, Layne Stanley and Jerry Cantrell at just left and just
right of center on Vocals, full drum kit behind the vocalists spanning
across the stage with a variety of percussion sounds. The image
separation is remarkable and it should literally sound as if the band is
live in front of you. The goal here is to keep all instruments firmly
affixed in their respective places, and of course, the tonality of the
string instruments is tested over a very wide range of frequencies. A
Must Have disc!


----------



## skylar112 (Dec 8, 2005)

FoxPro5 said:


> Alice In Chains - "Brother" Unplugged


Funny you use that song too, thats my favorite song to use on that album.


----------



## haibane (Sep 29, 2005)

Steve head has some good discs. 
Anything from chesky records. www.chesky.com


----------



## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

skylar112 said:


> Funny you use that song too, thats my favorite song to use on that album.


Not the best IMHO, but good. Fox officially endorses "Sludge Factory." It's fairly hot at -13dB but the dynamics are scrumptious. 










One of the best albums you can buy in terms of overall kick ass sound, in my eyes anyway is RATM - RATM. Fist Full Of Steel doesn't clip until -12 dB, so crank it!!!!!


----------



## demon2091tb (May 30, 2005)

FoxPro5 said:


> Check out the Audionutz SQ CD Collection in the SQ Competitors forum at ECA. If you order them, make sure to ask Steve for the liner notes so that you know what to listen for.
> 
> I copied an pasted one song as an example:
> 
> ...


Where can i find more notes like that about individual songs? theres quite a few vocal tracks on his 9.1-9.6 volumes that are really nice, barbershop quartet style, 4-5 male voices.

This is one thing i think that could be invaluable for people like myself, that not only want to have a good idea of what were listening to, but also a nice descriptive layout that you can compair against your sound, aka key points to listen for.


----------



## thehatedguy (May 4, 2007)

Maybe the Kings Singers. Their cover of "The Boxer" was pretty popular in he lanes.


----------



## haibane (Sep 29, 2005)

thehatedguy said:


> Maybe the Kings Singers. Their cover of "The Boxer" was pretty popular in he lanes.


yeah that beats the original in my opinion


----------



## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)

Steve's CDs are excellent, i have purchased a majority of them  

Where can i find more notes like that about individual songs? theres quite a few vocal tracks on his 9.1-9.6 volumes that are really nice, barbershop quartet style, 4-5 male voices.

This is one thing i think that could be invaluable for people like myself, that not only want to have a good idea of what were listening to, but also a nice descriptive layout that you can compair against your sound, aka key points to listen for.


----------



## Weightless (May 5, 2005)

thehatedguy said:


> Maybe the Kings Singers. Their cover of "The Boxer" was pretty popular in he lanes.


I too think it is better than the original...I've heard other covers of theirs, but there is something about that version...There is so much emotion in the song.

Good stuff


----------



## jj_diamond (Oct 3, 2007)

I tried to speak to Steve about his CD's and he was no help at all. i wish him the best of luck.

and i should have known better than to put this thread in this section since, well, nevermind...


----------



## haibane (Sep 29, 2005)

jj_diamond said:


> I tried to speak to Steve about his CD's and he was no help at all. i wish him the best of luck.
> 
> and i should have known better than to put this thread in this section since, well, nevermind...


Sure you are talking to the right steve? he responds extremely fast and is always very nice.


----------



## jj_diamond (Oct 3, 2007)

yea, i talked to him again. he must get alot of emails about the CD's.


----------



## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

jj_diamond said:


> I tried to speak to Steve about his CD's and he was no help at all. i wish him the best of luck.
> 
> and i should have known better than to put this thread in this section since, well, nevermind...


Post your questions up about them and we'll do our best to answer them. I'm not Steve, but I have nearly all of them personally and would be glad to help you if possible.


----------



## haibane (Sep 29, 2005)

FoxPro5 said:


> Post your questions up about them and we'll do our best to answer them. I'm not Steve, but I have nearly all of them personally and would be glad to help you if possible.


+1 I have a fair amount myself


----------



## Tonyguy (Nov 15, 2007)

I use "Buena Vista Social Club" and "Rodrigo Y Gabriela". Both great cds.


----------



## mfenske (Feb 7, 2006)

Can we please change the title of this thread to "Tuning CD's"? I like to use a pretty wide variety of music but lately I've been using _My Disc_ from Autosound 2000 and I've long used Mariah Carey and Holst's _The Planets_.


----------



## Fast1one (Apr 6, 2007)

Beatles, "Revolution" and "come together" are really good tracks for sound stage/imaging....They are recorded REALLY well...

Didn't notice until I got my new wide rangers and tried various positions in my car...tried a lot of modern tracks in all genres and I couldn't get a solid foundation...threw in "Revolution" and Oh boy! Played with the gain, positions, and phase and got dead center imaging for the vocals...a little past the windshield  Hopefully I can maintain that when I fiberglass


----------



## Tonyguy (Nov 15, 2007)

Fast1one said:


> Beatles, "Revolution" and *"come together" *are really good tracks for sound stage/imaging....They are recorded REALLY well...


I love this song.


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Tonyguy said:


> "Rodrigo Y Gabriela". Both great cds.


Those guys are from Mexico. 
I have the cd.
It's very good.


----------



## Tonyguy (Nov 15, 2007)

doitor said:


> Those guys are from Mexico.
> I have the cd.
> It's very good.


Its some of the best guitar work I've ever heard. I love this album.


----------



## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Tonyguy said:


> Its some of the best guitar work I've ever heard. I love this album.


Yes, it's really nice guitar playing and the recording helps it a lot.


----------



## reker13 (Oct 26, 2007)

Beck - The Information


----------



## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

Alicia Keys-Her new CD has a wide range of music and is recorded really well.


----------



## jj_diamond (Oct 3, 2007)

^ good for tight midbass/female vocals


----------



## dtviewer (Dec 18, 2006)

jj_diamond said:


> ^ good for tight midbass/female vocals


I love using the song "Like you'll never see me again". It just sounds so natural.

The opening music starts left of center. Then the finger snaps start and it sounds like they are just floating above my dash-I can close my eyes and picture someone standing on the right side of the stage, slightly to the back snapping their fingers and then Alicia starts singing- shes front and center.

Just a great sounding song...


----------



## JonDailey (Feb 25, 2008)

If the Eagles cd that was mentioned is the live version, listen to it on a really good system. This thing has been so processed by anything and everything that can put it through it is awful. Good loud demo songs, but not really SQ oriented. It's why MECA did away with it this year.


----------



## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Live at Royal Albert Hall (1992)

Very clean album that's moderately loud, but not terribly in your face. Pretty heavy on the synth which will give those tweeters a great workout, especially "Lucky Man" which has piercing highs. Great crowd noise, if you're into that sort of thing.


----------



## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)

ELP - Brain Salad Surgery


----------



## cpio311 (Aug 22, 2007)

Pink Floyd-Piper at the gates of dawn...


----------



## spark (Feb 26, 2008)

top 100 best techno...... any number...


----------



## demon2091tb (May 30, 2005)

spark said:


> top 100 best techno...... any number...


God talk about Vague...........

Piper at the Gates of Dawn is a nice Album, Glad to see some Early PF fans are still around.

About the best Psychedillic album imo, Very odd, But so so sweet. And listen to it on a SQ setup, its bliss.


----------



## 2AZN2DMAX (Jan 20, 2008)

I am surprised no one has put Diana Krall in the mix. All of her CD's are great. Check her out if you have never heard of her. 

Favorite songs:

Peel Me A Grape
All Or Nothing At All
I'm An Errand Girl For Rhythm


----------



## demon2091tb (May 30, 2005)

Most likely covered in one of the 10 other SQ music threads floating around....pages back that is.

But Diana Krall ranks up there easily with some of the better female vocalists......


----------



## Fast1one (Apr 6, 2007)

2AZN2DMAX said:


> I am surprised no one has put Diana Krall in the mix. All of her CD's are great. Check her out if you have never heard of her.
> 
> Favorite songs:
> 
> ...


Love her CDs but I wouldn't really call them great sound quality wise...recording could be better...beautiful voice though...

Speaking of someone whom no one has mentioned, *Loreena Mckennitt*!!!

A must own album is Nights from the Alhambra! Absolutely BEAUTIFUL album..."all Souls night" gives me the chills...


----------



## Oliver (Jun 25, 2007)

Get one of her CDs from elusive disc recorded in XRCD24 format  

To Quote cdwitmer...

I don't deny that there are at-home listening experiences that are so "real" that you'd swear you were in the 69 position with Diana Krall, but they are not really re-creations of "the real event.

That is some mighty fine music , right cher


----------



## Fast1one (Apr 6, 2007)

a$$hole said:


> Get one of her CDs from elusive disc recorded in XRCD24 format
> 
> To Quote cdwitmer...
> 
> ...


Ahhhh!!! Thanks for the suggestion kind sir


----------



## benny z (Mar 17, 2008)

groove collective - we the people

incredible assortment of instrumentation. funky hip jazz. well recorded.


----------



## bwana (Mar 18, 2008)

some of the cds put out by chesky records are really recorded well
rebecca pidgeon, anna karam livingston taylor aall have excellent songs that really feature fabulous vocals.

BTW, where are the ECA forums?


----------



## FoxPro5 (Feb 14, 2006)

bwana said:


> some of the cds put out by chesky records are really recorded well
> rebecca pidgeon, anna karam livingston taylor aall have excellent songs that really feature fabulous vocals.
> 
> BTW, where are the ECA forums?


Do you mean Elite Car Audio ?

If it hasn't been mentioned yet, you can find Sheffied Lab recordings at Townhall Records.


----------



## Dillyyo (Feb 15, 2008)

Quincy Jones - Q's Juke Joint (Instrumental dynamics and mid bass) awesome studio recording

Quincy Jones - Back on the Block (instrumental dynamics, some staging) Awesome studoio recording

Mariah Carey - Butterfly (low end and vocal dynamics)

Eagles - Hell Freezes Over (staging)

Will Downing - Moods (Male vocals)

Luther Vandross - Essentials (Vocals)

Erich Kunzel and cinci pops - Tchaikovsky Nutcracker<Telarc> - Orchestral dynamics, tonality, staging

Fleetwood Mac - The Dance - just unbelievable recording quality

Erich Kunzel and cinci pops - Symphonic Star Trek - Absolutely torturous sub low end and some staging tracks

Sting - The summoners tale - well recorded, good dynamics

Janet Jackson - Velvet Rope - great low end and spatial dynamics 

Foo Fighters - The colour and the Shape - great overly compressed modern rock recording LOL

Toni Braxton - Secrets(Kenny G's sax in "How Could an Angel Break My Heart" with the low bass extension is simply stunning and then the Piano and Toni's sultry voice come shining through in "In the late of night") - Lower female vocals, could instrumentation and sibilance errors with toni's lips practically heard touching themselves.

Telarc collection 5 worlds finest sound recordings - Great orchestral dynamics, staging tonality ( Fugue from Fantasia and Fugue in G minor has awesome pipe organ that plays true teens Hz sub extension)


----------



## WrenchGuy (Jun 10, 2007)

I hate country but..

The Charlie Daniels Band- Simple Man is alright.


----------



## Dillyyo (Feb 15, 2008)

WrenchGuy said:


> I hate country but..
> 
> The Charlie Daniels Band- Simple Man is alright.


I agree for the most part about country! LOL The most country I get is the Eagles and the Allman Brothers. One thing with country though is alot of recordings tend to be less compressed, from my experience and therefore mor dynamic. But maybe my little experience with them has left me ignorant!


----------



## benny z (Mar 17, 2008)

yesterday i picked up a copy of lenny kravitz's 2nd release from 1991, "mama said".

dear god, this cd is awesome. freaking awesome. from what i understand it was recorded with 100% analog recording equipment and it is so phenomenally rich and warm. this is definitely going into the cd changer and staying there.


----------



## jj_diamond (Oct 3, 2007)

didn't he play all the instruments on that album?


----------



## benny z (Mar 17, 2008)

wouldn't surprise me. i know he did on his 1st album (this is his 2nd).

not sure, though, as there is a small live string section on some of the tracks and a viola solo on another. sax solos, too.

being a violin, viola, and sax player myself, this was an added treat.


----------



## cheesehead (Mar 20, 2007)

benny z said:


> yesterday i picked up a copy of lenny kravitz's 2nd release from 1991, "mama said".
> 
> dear god, this cd is awesome. freaking awesome. from what i understand it was recorded with 100% analog recording equipment and it is so phenomenally rich and warm. this is definitely going into the cd changer and staying there.


Sounds like I may have to pick that one up!

Thanks!


----------



## jj_diamond (Oct 3, 2007)

maybe it was his first one. should say it in the credits. i don't have that CD anymore. i used to listen to it ALL the time.


----------



## zero7404 (Jan 31, 2008)

I know MA Recordings is very good for reference. not to many genres available tho. Probably some of the best reference recordings you'll find on CD.


----------

