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Songs you use when auditioning gear

What are some of your favorite songs to play when auditioning gear?  I often listen to Dreams by Fleetwood Mac.  Just about anything off of Gaucho or Aja by Steely Dan or Joni Mitchell’s Hejira or Hissing of Summer Lawns usually gets spun up too.  Dreams, in particular, is such a great song and is recorded with the balance I really like as well as a full and wide soundstage.  Wondering what some of yours are to see what I’m missing.

128x128jastralfu
kairosman's avatar
kairosman
295 posts
 

Art Pepper's Nature Boy if you primarily want to test acoustic instrument fidelity.

blackbag20
484 posts
 

@kairosman love it ... I might add "Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section."

hikerneil
37 posts
 

My absolute favorite:

Dire Straits, Album = Love Over Gold

- Song = Private Investigations

 

The entire song is fantastic with an excellent sound stage, but about halfway through the song the dynamic range becomes explosive.

deecee's avatar
deecee
106 posts
 

I ripped a series of songs to a CD that I use for auditions:

Shirley Horn - The Music That Makes Me Dance
Rebecca Pidgeon - Spanish Harlem
Michael Franks - Dragonfly Summer
Dianne Reeves - Never Too Far
Fourplay - 101 Eastbound
Steely Dan - Jack of Speed
Grace Jones- Don't Cry - It's Only The Rhythm
Larry Carlton & Lee Ritenour - Take That
Herbie Hancock - Butterfly
Lee Ritenour - Boss City
Dave Brubeck - Take Five
Miles Davis - So What
Buddy Guy - Sweet Black Angel (Black Angel Blues)
Cassandra Wilson - A Little Warm Death

They test various musical qualities, impact, sound staging, etc.

jastralfu's avatar
jastralfu OP
443 posts
 

@hikerneil Love Over Gold is a fantastic album!

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