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Alan Parsons and Stephen Court - Sound Check [FLAC] TNT Village
.: Release Originale :.
http://forum.tntvillage.scambioetico.org/tntforum/index.php?showtopic=42910
SOUND CHECK is the definitive stereo audio test disc. It contains 92 tracks of practical material compiled as a result of careful research and investigation into the needs of studio engineers, audio technicians, serius audiophiles, record producers and musicians.
The disc has been designed not only to help assess the technical performanceof a wide range of sound recording and reproduction equipment, but also to offer the very best available musical, vocal and effects sources for experimentation and demostration.
WARNING: THIS CD, UNLIKE MOST COMMERCIAL RECORDS, CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH HAS NOT BEEN COMPRESSED OR LIMITED AND CONTAINS SIGNALS WHOSE WIDE DYNAMIC AND FREQUENCY RANGE CAN SERIUSLY DAMAGE SOUND EQUIPEMENT WHEN PLAYED AT HIGH LEVELS.
.: Cover :.
.: CONTENTS OF THE SOUND CHECK CD :.
SOUND CHECK
Audio Test and Demonstration CD
An essential tool for anyone involved in the sound and music industries
Created by record producer Alan Parsons and designer Stephen Court, the SOUND CHECK CD contains 92
tracks of practical material compiled as result of careful research and investigation into the needs of studio
engineers, audio technicians, serious audiophiles, record producers and musicians.
The disc has been designed not only to help assess the technical performance of a wide range of sound recording
and reproducing equipment, but also to offer the best available musical, vocal and effects sources for
experimentation and demonstration.
The disc was mastered at London's Abbey Road Studios.
CONTENTS OF THE SOUND CHECK CD
PINK NOISE TEST TONES
These tones are intended for equipment alignment and are especially designed for active speaker set-up. Track 01
is a 1kHz reference tone lasting 30 seconds. Monitoring equipment should be set to a useful working volume and
measuring equipment set to read 0dB. All other tones in this section are at the reference level. Phase checks are on
Index 2, where appropriate, in 5 second bursts.
Track 01: 1kHz sine wave reference tone @ -14dB FS
Track 02: Pink Noise - Left channel only
Track 03: Pink Noise - Right channel only
Track 04: Pink Noise - Both channels & phase check
Track 05: Bass band - 0-200Hz & phase check
Track 06: Low mid band - 200Hz-1kHz & phase check
Track 07: High mid band - 1kHz-Infinity & phase check
Track 08: High Band - 7kHz-Infinity & phase check
PINK NOISE 1/3 OCTAVE SPECTRUM ANALYSIS
This section is intended for loudspeaker frequency response analysis. System response can be plotted and graphic
equalisers can be set by reading each band on The Sound Check Response Analyser (Or a conventional sound level
meter). Track 09 is the reference tone and lasts 30 seconds. All other tracks in this section are at the reference level
and last 10 seconds.
Tracks 09-40: 1kHz reference tone, 20Hz, 25Hz, 31.5Hz, 40Hz, 50Hz, 63Hz, 80Hz, 100Hz, 125Hz, 160Hz, 200Hz,
250Hz, 315Hz, 400Hz, 500Hz, 630Hz, 800Hz ,1kHz, 1.25kHz, 1.6kHz, 2kHz, 2.5kHz, 3.15kHz, 4kHz, 5kHz, 6.3kHz,
8kHz, 10kHz, 12.5kHz, 16kHz, 20kHz
SWEEP TONES
These are intended for sweep response measurements and are especially useful for checking system resonances.
Track 41 is the reference warble and lasts 20 seconds. The sweeps are in one octave sections down from 1kHz and
in one octave sections up from 1kHz - for easier frequency identification.
Track 41: 1kHz reference warble for sweeps
Track 42: Sectional sweep tones down in 1 octave steps: 1kHz-500Hz, 500Hz-250Hz, 250Hz-125Hz, 125Hz-20Hz
Track 43: Sweep tones up in 1 octave steps: 1kHz-2kHz, 2kHz-4kHz, 4kHz-8kHz.
SINE AND SQUARE WAVE SPOT FREQUENCIES
This section is for recording and reproduction equipment line-up, analysis and fault finding. The square wave spot
frequencies are also useful for bandwidth assessment and loudspeaker phase and time alignment. Track 44 is the
reference tone, lasting 10 seconds. All other tones in this section are 10 seconds. All sine waves are at the
reference level, -14dB FS. The square waves are at -20dB FS.
Tracks 44-55: 1kHz reference tone @ -14dB FS, 60Hz, 100Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, 1kHz, 2kHz, 3kHz, 5kHz, 10kHz, 12kHz, 15kHz
Track 56: Sine wave sweep 20Hz-20kHz
Track 57: 1kHz square wave @ -20dB FS
Track 58: 5kHz square wave @ -20dB FS
MAXIMUM TONE LEVEL
Warning - This track is at the theoretical maximum recording level, 0dB FS.
THIS IS A VERY LOUD TONE - USE WITH CAUTION
Track 59: 1kHz sine wave at 0dB FS (Duration 20 seconds)
INSTRUMENTAL AND VOCAL
This section contains closely miked instrumental recordings without electronic processing such as limiting or
compression. They contain subtle transients which define true high fidelity and which are often lost in the
reverberation and processing of commercial records. These tracks are therefore invaluable for assessing the
transient response and fidelity of audio equipment and for experimentation with effects units. These are original
studio master recordings and in some cases intrument overspill may be heard.
While the sonic complexity of music is widely recognised, the human voice is equally difficult to reproduce
accurately and a voice recording that one is familiar with is a useful reference source. Before Sound Check came
along, a good, unprocessed voice recording was very difficult to obtain, especially under test conditions. Tracks
60 and 70 provide that reference and start with Alan Parsons' spoken voice. Rock and Pop engineers will find
the dynamic voice of rock singer Steve Oveland (Track 70) an ideal test source for limiters and compressors.
Track 60: Spoken word (mono)
Track 61: Piano (stereo)
Track 62: Acoustic steel-strung guitar - finger style (mono)
Track 63: Acoustic steel-strung guitar - strummed (mono)
Track 64: Nylon strung Spanish guitar (mono)
Track 65: Electric guitar - clean sound (mono)
Track 66: Electric guitar - distorted rock sound (mono)
Track 67: Bass guitar (mono)
Track 68: Flute (mono)
Track 69: Saxophone (mono)
Track 70: Male Rock (mono)
Track 71: Bongos (mono)
Track 72: Tambourine (mono)
Track 73: Kick drum (mono)
Track 74: Snare drum (mono)
Track 75: Cymbals and hi-hat (stereo)
Track 76: Toms (stereo)
Track 77: Whole drum kit (stereo)
Track 78: Violins (stereo -1st violins panned left, 2nd violins paned right)
Track 79: Cellos and violas (stereo - starting with cellos only panned right, joined by violas panned left)
MUSIC TRACKS
Extracts from selected master recordings, specially selected to assess the various qualities of loudspeakers and sound equipment. Limelight, for example, has a very even frequency and dynamic balance throughout the audio spectrum and therefore is an ideal reference for overall sound quality.
Track 80: The Race by Yello
Track 81: Limelight by The Alan Parsons Project, featuring Gary Brooker.
Track 82: Seasons Of Our Lives by Graham de Wilde and Mitch Dalton.
Track 83: Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor. Daniel Chorzempa, organ.
SOUND EFFECTS
These sound effects provide extreme tests of dynamic and frequency range. The steam trains, the sub machine gun
and the Chieftain tank are historical analogue recordings which have been digitally re-mastered.
Track 84: Sub machine gun - Chieftain tank target ranging (mono)
Track 85: Chieftain tank: Firing - shell detonation - the target (mono)
Track 86: Thunderstorm (stereo)
Track 87: Steam trains (stereo)
Track 88: F-16 and Tornado jets: flypast with afterburners (stereo)
UTILITY TRACKS
A series of useful tools - a tuning reference and timecode in all three standard formats for checking timecode-based
equipment and striping code onto tapes.
Track 89: EBU 25 frame timecode 10:00:00 to 10:05:00.
Track 90: SMPTE non drop frame timecode 10:00:00 to 10:05:00.
Track 91: SMPTE drop frame timecode 10:00:00 to 10:05:00.
Track 92: A-440 tuning reference.
Stephen Court, who invented Sound Check, worked for the BBC, London’s Advision studios and Ealing Film Studios. He formed Court Acoustics Limited in 1974, and achieved a world wide reputation for his pioneering work on high power touring and club systems. A 20kw court System used at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Marc Almond’s world tour, can be seen on the front cover. Court users also include Roxy Music, WetWetWet, Prince and Pink Floyd. Stephen has lectured in Japan, USA and Europe and is the author of many articles on sound re-enforcement and studio monitoring, including papers on high sound level hearing damage. He is a founder member of the Distinguished Engineers Audio Federation - D.E.A.F. - the recording industry’s charity for deaf children.
Alan Parsons - renowned record producer, sound engineer and more recently live performer, has worked with The Beatles, Paul McCartney & Wings, and The Hollies. He first met Stephen Court while recording Pink Floyd’s classic Dark Side Of The Moon at Abbey Road. As a producer, Alan has enjoyed successes with Pilot, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, John Miles and three albums with Al Stewart including Year of the Cat. His production and engineering work with the Alan Parsons "Projects" have earned him a multitude of international awards, and it was his musical and technical creativity that made Sound Check possible. Alan writes regularly for the industry press and is a founder member of RePro, The Guild of Recording Producers, Directors and Engineers.
Both Stephen and Alan have had a long association with Abbey Road Studios where they carried out the final editing and mastering of Sound Check. |
