Soundcheck Playlists

[Jamtastic3]

One of the sound engineers who comes in every week insists on using...

 

Bjork - Play Dead

 

... as it is in his words, it's 'one of the best produced songs in the world'. Fair enough, because Debut is a really good album.

 

If I'm doing a soundcheck just for decks I stick on:

 

Royksopp - Eple / So Easy

Portishead - Strangers

Missy Elliot feat Jay Z - Wake Up (good for sub EQ)

Moby - Porcelien / Natural Blues

Anything by A Perfect Circle

[k_j_love]

A Sound Engineer who we hired in for a gig, and also a friend of ours insisted that the growns and moans of what can only be described as sexual activity where vital for the Mid-High's.

 

The look and everyones faces during the sys check.

 

Priceless!

[CPlater1]

I personally use the album Aero by Jean Michel Jarre. This normally annoys everyone around, but it is a pan check. I also play heavy trance and techno songs. (this is for discos mainly)

[Rich newby]

Hi guys,

 

I have a few tracks that I play for sound-check

 

Faithless - insomnia

Dj Zitkus - I saw an angel and If I were you (bass workout, I mean serious bass work out)

Sonique - Sky

Eminance - Ashes

General sweep using the A+H realtime analyser on my laptop.

 

Its quite a good list to play although the dance stuff doesn't go down very well with the other techs.

 

Rich

[The Magus]

I like playing big orchestral and choral works - Verdi's Requiem (Dies Irae), Stravinsky 'Rite of Spring', Prokofiev 'Romeo and Juliet', Orf 'Carmina Burana' are all good for determining the strengths and weaknesses of a system. Then other pieces that tend to accentuate any room problems - choral and female vocal stuff for sorting out problems with a 'strident' sound, or muddiness in the lower / mid vocal range (a perennial problem).

 

Ultimately you need to use recordings that you (a) know very well - I tend often to use my own recordings; and (b) is similar to the type of music you'll be putting through the system for your gig.

 

Once it's all sounding sweet and lovely..... I tend to favour a bit of '70s rock until someone tells me to shut up.

 

I worked on a show a couple of years ago with an SM who was an unreconstructed feminist.... 'Diesel' and 'dyke' were two of the words that sprang to mind... so I tried some Madonna. This did not go down well!

[pritch]

Personal favourites include:

 

Private Investigations by Direstraits (good variety of different moods, going from quiet twiddly bits to full on bits that sound like they're bashing the piano with a 16lb sledge)

 

Hammer to Fall by Queen (nothing notable, just sounds really good when played loud)

 

Time by Pink Floyd, for an absolutely fantastic drum solo

 

And some white noise for the occasions when I've lost a speaker and I know that it's plugged in <I>somewhere</I> in the theatre, and need a constant noise to help me find it.

[Bobbsy]

Ultimately you need to use recordings that you (a) know very well - I tend often to use my own recordings; and (b) is similar to the type of music you'll be putting through the system for your gig.

 

Nicely put and my way of working as well.

 

I do mainly theatre work and tend to use recordings I've made myself of shows I've worked on. I'm lucky enough to have done a few "originals" working with the writer/composer so I have permission to use them without infringing copyright.

 

...and, as per the original query, it still manages to annoy the LX department. For some reason the ones I've worked with lately have all wanted Techno/Dance/HipHop type stuff. If they ever learn how to get sound out of a DM2000 when I'm not there, I'm in trouble.

 

Bob

[Solstace]

My fave's include:

 

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms (Album) - lots of variation, and very definitely a "hifi" bias to the recording and production. Certainly I remember you couldn't get away from it if you were into hifi during the mid-to-late 80's

 

Marillion - Misplaced Childhood (remaster) - again lots of variation, speedy drum licks and DEFINITELY warped enough to annoy the living daylights out of most lampies or cast I've worked with. Another "80's hifi demo" album, according to some.

 

All About Eve (not to be played while cast members are in the building - it leads to messy suicidal tendencies...)

Suzanne Vega (relaxes everyone)

Clannad - PastPresent. Again lots of variation, and the vocal layers are suprisingly intricate.

 

Jean Michel Jarre or Tangerine Dream tracks are played when I'm trying to get the hint across that I need to be taken to the pub!!!

 

C.

[mal421]

I use 'Achy Breaky Heart' Seriously , Taj Mahal 'Mr Pitiful' good hard drum sound that makes you blink when played loud and a great bass line all toppped of with a nice sounding brass section . A well produced track that sounds greatl when played loud !!!!!!!

[ian.michael.williams]

The following are great in my and my sound techs opinion:

 

Queen - Don't Stop Me Now

 

Rhapsody - The Emerald Sword

 

Jean Micheal Jarre - Les Chants Magnetiques II

 

Enya - Tempus Vernum + Next Track

 

All have dynamic variety and broad frequency ranges, which we figure is important, ** laughs out loud **!

[Mr.Si]

Just for fun and sheer delight, I like to play the Hell freezes Over version of Hotel California. Just so I know the low end is going to punch it's way through the air.

[smidge]

From the discussion so far,it seams a lot of people are for classical music, and some people for more modern recording. Both equally good in my opinion (but for different musical aspects).

 

One of my personal favourites is the "Techno Opera" ("Diva Dance") from the Fifth Element.

Combines both classical female vocals with modern sampled music. Plenty of sub-bass and the reversed cymbols are a good high frequency.

 

[Silver_Rayne]

as I do both lights and sound for most things I get my own way all the time :) go me

[dbuckley]

Always fun this question.

 

On the hard disk we start with a few tracks off the Hifi news and record review CD, namely the pink noise, the Fenny Poppers (some strange cannons, rather well recorded) and then a track called "Blues for Klook", which features a Jan Hammer wannabe on DX7 going from rumble to scream, also fairly dynamic, along with very solid drumming and bass, all of exercises the whole of your system. If I canonly have one track, Blues for Klook is always it.

 

Then we get fun, starting with Dollar's "Who were you with in the moonlight" or "Tokyo". The production on this album (Chris Neil) is gorgeous.

 

If any of the above sounds less than fab, scrap the EQ and start again.

 

Some modern music, like Goldfrapp Strict Machine, the old analogue shifting synth filters work everything over, and give a feel for how a room is gonna ring.

 

Theres a track or two of the American soundies favorites, ie just about anything by Steely Dan, and a Kiwi favorite, The gambler by Kenny Rogers. In the vocal only bit in the middle of the track there is a serious lower mid workout. Add some usual "best of" stuff eg Floyd, Split Enz etc and we're done.

 

All tracks are ripped as WAVs, not compressed, and its all stuff I've actually bought!

 

I seem to remember stories about Stephen Court (of Court Acoustics fame) who used to have a recording (on tape 30ips or something) or a tank firing a round he used to demonstrate his rig with, which (so the rumour goes) caused cracks in the concrete of their building...

[symondsjames]

One of the standards seems to Crowded House, Bloc Party, Tracy Chapman and Sadie. All very good in different ways. The best thing is to use your ears, know your own voice.