These are either clips from songs that I think might be interesting for use in an audio test, or they're samples I've found in my music collection that give some lossy codecs trouble. These are just clips, less than 30 seconds in all cases.
I've taken a number of these samples offline to save disk space and bandwidth. I've left the ones chosen for rjamorim's 64kbps test as well as those that I find most interesting WRT pyschoacoustic audio compression. The other samples are still listed here, but are not online. If you are interested in any of them, please e-mail me and I can probably make them available.
The samples:
Isao Tomita - Snowflakes are Dancing
This is the remaster in Dolby Surround (whiz-bang!). The Moog III synthesized reworkings of Debussy's works won a Grammy in 1974. In spite of that, the album is pretty k-rad.
- 05 - Arabesque No. 1 - AKA the theme to "Jack Horkheimer, Stargazer". MPC --standard produces higher bitrates (187.5 vs. 179.3) than lame. (synth/classical, 29 sec)
John Linnell - State Songs
A solo project by John of They Might Be Giants (the one that wears a guitar as a hat).
- 01 - Illinois - Features a genuine Wurlitzer 103 band organ. High bitrates (214.6) for mpc --standard. Chosen for rjamorim's 64kbps listening test. (carousel music, 29 sec)
Aphex Twin - Come to Daddy [ep]
Most of the tracks on this "single" deserve better than being B-sides. At least one of the tracks is a codec killer.
- 01 - Come to Daddy (Pappy Mix) - High bitrates for lame -aps (254.7), but pretty normal bitrates for mpc and vorbis. (29 sec)
- 04 - Bucephalus Bouncing Ball - A favorite track of mine; easy to ABX with lame preset insane, oggenc -q6, even gt3b1. (electronic, 29 sec)
- 05 - To Cure a Weaking Child (Contour Regard) - I'm so glad to have ears. (electronic, 28 sec)
They Might Be Giants - Factory Showroom
I can't put together a collection of audio samples without including a bunch of TMBG!
06 - New York City - This is a cover of a song by Cub, an all girl band from Vancouver. Chosen for rjamorim's 64kbps listening test. (rock, 30 sec)
Tom Petty - Wildflowers
- 08 - Don't Fade On Me - Very low bitrates (129.0 for mpc --standard) for all codecs. (27 sec)
- 12 - A Higher Place - ... (30 sec)
Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E
Their newer stuff is... Crap. This album rules.
- 03 - New Skin - This track rules. (hard rock, 28 sec)
- 07 - A Certain Shade of Green - This track rules even more. (hard rock, 27 sec)
Lamb - Fear of Fours
How can I pick one song to represent this album? By picking several songs of course.
- 02 - Little Things - Just a slice from the middle. (electronic/trip-hop, 30 sec)
- 05 - All in Your Hands - ... (electronic/trip-hop, 30 sec)
- 07 - Bonfire - ... (electronic/trip-hop, 30 sec)
Ben Harper - Welcome to the Cruel World
- 02 - Whipping Boy - Nice acoustic track. (acoustic guitar/blues 30 sec)
Led Zeppelin - II
- 02 - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - This section includes an interesting "mistake" (blues/rock 27 sec)
Led Zeppelin - IV
- 08 - When the Levee breaks - Gotta love the classics. (blues/rock 30 sec)
They Might Be Giants - Mink Car
- 03 - Man it's So Loud in Here - A rare foray into a dance track. (electronic/dance, 30 sec)
They Might Be Giants - Apollo 18
- 13 - Constellation - Should be the official theme song of the IDA. (rock, 29 sec)
- 08 - The Guitar - Featuring Laura Cantrell. (rock, 23 sec)
They Might Be Giants - Live in New York [promo]
This is a pretty rare live promo disc.
- 07 - Why Does the Sun Shine? - A staple at all TMBG concerts. (live rock, 30 sec)
They Might Be Giants - No!
- 06 - In the Middle, in the Middle, in the Middle - Featuring Robin "Goldie" Goldwasser. (children's, 22 sec)
John Williams - Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace [Soundtrack]
The movie sucked, but John Williams is still cool. And I couldn't find my Danny Elfman stuff.
- 02 - Duel of the Fates - ... (classical, 30 sec)
Clutch - The Elephant Riders
There were 3 versions of this CD published at the same time, each with a different hidden track (buried after a period of silence after the last track). You don't find out what you have until you play it.
- 04 - The Soapmakers - ... (hard rock, 30 sec)
- 10 - The Dragonfly - ... (hard rock, 27 sec)
- 11 - Gifted and Talented - This is the hidden track on my copy of this CD. (hard rock, 28 sec)
The Big Lebowski [Soundtrack]
This is a great soundtrack. Some of the recordings on it are old though, and a bit on the lo-fi side. Inexplicably, no CCR though.
- 03 - Elvis Costello - My Mood Swings - ... (26 sec)
- 08 - Kenny Rogers & The New Edition - Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) - ... (30 sec)
- 11 - Henri Mancini - Lujon - ... (29 sec)
Skunk Anansie - Paranoid & Sunburnt
- 01 - Selling Jesus - ... (hard rock, 24 sec)
- 03 - I Can Dream - ... (hard rock, 27 sec)
Björk - Homogenic
- 02 - Joga - ... (29 sec)