a little test re: sound-quality

[Anubis]

Listening with Sennheiser HD 380 Pro...
subjectively the middle one has a little more presence but they pretty much sound the same.

[simmerdown]

i only listened, eyes closed, no technical analysis, and i have a definite favorite after 3 listens to all its still clear to me

[bdhm]

hi Robert,

pm to you.


greetings from gray Berlin,
b

[simmerdown]

...and i was 'right', which is to be 1/2 right

[Hervé]

B is sounding good in my studio, bandwidth sound larger. Only my hears here (:

[Magik_10]

All about the noise - turn it up and enjoy..

[simpli.cissimus]

How about an additional test, using two free VST-effects
processing one audio file in two different DAW's ?(one is Live...obviously...)

Audio file and two free VST-effects plus two, "extra for this test made",
presets are inside the RAR.
Also two projects ready to listen and the exported audio of each project
inside each DAW's project folder, for those who just wanna listen to the final audio.

I used a chorus from Big Tick, "Hexaline" and a distortion effect from Camel Audio, "Crusher".
I was looking for a free Reverb too, but I couldn't find one..., that I like...!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=50M4BKDE

[monolake]

How about an additional test, using two free VST-effects
processing one audio file in two different DAW's ?(one is Live...obviously...)

Audio file and two free VST-effects plus two, "extra for this test made",
presets are inside the RAR.
Also two projects ready to listen and the exported audio of each project
inside each DAW's project folder, for those who just wanna listen to the final audio.

I used a chorus from Big Tick, "Hexaline" and a distortion effect from Camel Audio, "Crusher".
I was looking for a free Reverb too, but I couldn't find one..., that I like...!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=50M4BKDE

How about first commenting on what you think goes on with the three files i posted ? There seems to be a common problem for some people: they believe but they don't listen. Seriously, check out the files, take some time and try to put in words how for you subjectively they sound in comparison to each other! Which is nicer, which is muddier, or what ever you are experiencing! I would _really_ be curious to get some answers, especially from those of you who are worried about sound quality. This test is not about Live versus other DAW, it is about perception and digital processing. Everyone who's taking the time to listen to the files and posts his/her opinion will get a PM from me in which I explain the differences between the files, so you can compare your perception with the reality. It might be interesting, I promise !

Robert

[Komodovaran]

I find them to be so very identical, that the only difference is the one I'm making up in my head from the stream of thoughts that vary every second.

If you had never said they were different, I could be listening to the "same song" for all eternity. Now that I know they're different I will subconsciously come up with different listening results.



Okay, so not completely null, but still I'd call that inaudible unless you're making things up in your head.

Yeah, the difference is there, but its _really_ subtle. Maybe it's dithering or something? There may be some hidden message in there at -120db that will make us all go mad.

If you turn your master channel up to 11 you might be able to hear it oh-so slightly.

By the way, listened to A and B comparatively over and over. I'm starting to imagine things, hallucinate and my feet itch.

[simpli.cissimus]

I honestly can't hear much of a difference that I can describe.
Somehow I like the C-test-audio more then the other two.
( I used it also in my test projects...)

Auditioning one sample in different DAW's is not where I hear a difference.
I never wrote I hear one by listening to one sample.
I also believe in the results guys like Tarekit have found.

I have stated in the other thread that I have different results when I process audio with
third part VST-effects, in Live and in other DAW's.

And to proof my statement, I have made two identical projects for two DAW's.

Download and listen, then tell me which one you think sounds better or you like more.

Loading both audio files into any audio editor will show the visual difference too.

[monolake]

I honestly can't hear much of a difference that I can describe.
Somehow I like the C-test-audio more then the other two.
( I used it also in my test projects...)

Auditioning one sample in different DAW's is not where I hear a difference.
I never wrote I hear one by listening to one sample.
I also believe in the results guys like Tarekit have found.

I have stated in the other thread that I have different results when I process audio with
third part VST-effects, in Live and in other DAW's.

And to proof my statement, I have made two identical projects for two DAW's.

Download and listen, then tell me which one you think sounds better or you like more.

Loading both audio files into any audio editor will show the visual difference too.

Your test will not work. As soon as anything is in the signal chain that changes over time, you cannot compare the two results and expect valid results. The chorus ruins the test. If you have time varying stuff going on you must do double blind tests with hundreds of people and hundreds of recordings of the same shit in order to get significant results. This is a huge problem of audio. I can highly recommend this book if you want to know more (and learn about reverb, room acoustics and a lot more stuff: //www.amazon.com/Spaces-Speak-Are-You-Lis ... 0262026058

The first thing you have to do to rule out time varying things is recording the same setup with the same DAW a few times in a row and check if the audiofiles do cancel out 100%. If this is not the case, forget about the test.

Robert

[stringtapper]

As always:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYTlN6wj ... AAAAAAABAA

[pepezabala]

ok. err, not-ok.

As many probably have guessed the recording is from Pink Floyd's "The Wall album". Either Robert is a very very good imitator of Roger Waters (voicewise) and was able to reproduce the exact sound of the recording (but I doubt he earns his money in a Floyd-cover-band), or he just made us listen to the most overplayed song from Pink Floyd. As heard on the radio. Both of those options have the same result: immediate ear-fatigue. So I can't really tell which one of the three snippets sounds best. They sound exactly the same to me. I listen to it using a macbook, motu ultralite and active Tannoy speakers ("designed in the UK, made in Poland").

Someone further up said that option B would be his favorite. I can not agree, I don't like A, B, or C. I despise them. Usually when this song gets played I turn the radio-dial or leave the room. Nothing against Pink Floyd, they made an impressive catalogue, but I don't want to hear this song again, gracias. Only thing worse would have been a comparison of three snippets from "It's raining men" by the Weather Girls.

My guess iss that Robert accidentally found three different editions of the The Wall-CD, mastered, remastered and blu-ray-audiophile, or so. And makes us compare them.

[simpli.cissimus]

I honestly can't hear much of a difference that I can describe.
Somehow I like the C-test-audio more then the other two.
( I used it also in my test projects...)

Auditioning one sample in different DAW's is not where I hear a difference.
I never wrote I hear one by listening to one sample.
I also believe in the results guys like Tarekit have found.

I have stated in the other thread that I have different results when I process audio with
third part VST-effects, in Live and in other DAW's.

And to proof my statement, I have made two identical projects for two DAW's.

Download and listen, then tell me which one you think sounds better or you like more.

Loading both audio files into any audio editor will show the visual difference too.

Your test will not work. As soon as anything is in the signal chain that changes over time, you cannot compare the two results and expect valid results. The chorus ruins the test. If you have time varying stuff going on you must do double blind tests with hundreds of people and hundreds of recordings of the same shit in order to get significant results. This is a huge problem of audio. I can highly recommend this book if you want to know more (and learn about reverb, room acoustics and a lot more stuff: //www.amazon.com/Spaces-Speak-Are-You-Lis ... 0262026058

The first thing you have to do to rule out time varying things is recording the same setup with the same DAW a few times in a row and check if the audiofiles do cancel out 100%. If this is not the case, forget about the test.

Robert

Dammit you're right with the time change,
but I know for sure that with other, not changing by time effects,
I'll get different results too. Comps or reverbs...
Turn off the chorus in my test and try only the distortion.

[monolake]

ok. err, not-ok.

As many probably have guessed the recording is from Pink Floyd's "The Wall album". Either Robert is a very very good imitator of Roger Waters (voicewise) and was able to reproduce the exact sound of the recording (but I doubt he earns his money in a Floyd-cover-band), or he just made us listen to the most overplayed song from Pink Floyd. As heard on the radio. Both of those options have the same result: immediate ear-fatigue. So I can't really tell which one of the three snippets sounds best. They sound exactly the same to me. I listen to it using a macbook, motu ultralite and active Tannoy speakers ("designed in the UK, made in Poland").

Someone further up said that option B would be his favorite. I can not agree, I don't like A, B, or C. I despise them. Usually when this song gets played I turn the radio-dial or leave the room. Nothing against Pink Floyd, they made an impressive catalogue, but I don't want to hear this song again, gracias. Only thing worse would have been a comparison of three snippets from "It's raining men" by the Weather Girls.

My guess iss that Robert accidentally found three different editions of the The Wall-CD, mastered, remastered and blu-ray-audiophile, or so. And makes us compare them.

Nope. I took the file because it is known. The source is all the same pink floyd CD. And to provide the answer to the world: A and C are the same files, 16 bit resolution from CD, whilst B is the file reduced to 12 bit !

Now come to your own conclusions. I leave it to you.

Robert