good abx testing tracks

[binkgle]

i listen to a lot of classic/soft rock and classical music, but some other kinds as well, and i would like to use some of my music to abx test different file formats/bitrates to find what's best for me.

what are some good abx testing tracks from the pink floyd albums (i listen to these A LOT): dark side, the wall, animals, wish you were here, and meddle?

from the beatles album One?

from the mozart reqiuem in d minor k. 626?

from the led zeppelin albums houses of the holy, led zeppelin 1, led zeppelin 4/zoso?

thanks so much for some recommendations. just to clear this up, what makes a track good for abx testing?

 

[Stephonovich]

Whatever you're most familiar and comfortable with.

That's what I used. Metal, symphony, progressive, classic rock, electronica... The important thing was that I knew every nuance of the songs, and so I could tell if something was amiss.

No sense compiling an "Ultimate ABX List" if you either don't know, or hate the songs.

 

[binkgle]

at least, what are some elements of songs that are often the telltale marks of a too-low bitrate?

 

[binkgle]

anyone?

 

[breez]

Try something with sharp transients to reveal pre-echo - a common flaw in encoders. But as said, comparisons are best done with familiar music.

 

[binkgle]

sharp transients....... cymbals?

 

[breez]

Cymbals are generally good for finding out codecs with poor high frequency handling, but for transients I would try to find some very sharp drum hits or something like castanets. Those don't naturally have the fuzz around like cymbals (can make it harder to notice).

 

[binkgle]

can you recommend any good songs with castanets? i don't want to have to listen to all my music in search of them...................