What are some "musical" bass tracks?

[Sasha_G]

Deep bass entered into popular music in the 80s with the advent of electronic, digital instruments. They were recorded digitally, mastered digitally, and distributed digitally. This is called DDD.

Studios back then, and even many today, were not really capable of handling bass well. (1) the studios typically didn't have subwoofers or speakers that could go deep enough to monitor the bass well (2) inexpensive mics were not good enough to capture the bass.

Today, a large percent of mixing studios use tiny studio monitors without bass. The bass might be in the recording, but not mixed for. My contention is that analog, natural bass below 80 Hz is musical, it just hasn't been recorded, mixed for, or monitored to the extent is should be. Further, full frequency albums sound noticeably better and studios are loosing money because their songs don't have enough good, deep bass.

A good kickdrum, for example, can go down to 40 Hz, but few studio monitors can. One trend in studio monitors has been to try and get the monitors down to 50 Hz or so and not use a subwoofer. However, it is a partial solution. As a result, the kickdrums are not attended to as they should--they are not mic'd well enough so they are not punchy enough.

I'm sure some studios will argue that if the bass is too deep, it will distort people's "average" sound systems and won't sound good. I would point out that with more people owning subwoofers that go down to 30 Hz or deeper, there is a demand for tracks that carry the lower octaves. The very fact people are keeping lists with bass tracks should be a clue that a trend will emerge.

Thankfully, many studios are moving towards surround sound mixing and use subwoofers. Finally, the studios can monitor bass. (Our TN series or VTF-3 would be an excellent choice for a studio monitor).

As the mass market moves to lower quality compressed formats, audiophiles will take refuge in high quality surround formats like SACD. These CDs will often be mixed with attention to bass since the studio will have a subwoofer when mixing in surround sound.

What follows is a growing list of music with good, deep bass for your consideration. These are tracks that do it right, do it musically, and sound better than tracks without deep, detailed bass.

The following track has sliding bass notes that go down deep. With a good subwoofer, you will hear texture down deep. With a bad one, the texture will be replaced with a featureless, fuzzy booming note reminiscent of a burp.

Flight of the Cosmic Hippo on Flight of the Cosmic Hippo, by Bela Fleck
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002LOZ.01._PE8_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Listen at Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000002LOZ/)
Listen at the Itunes Music Store (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=606371&selectedItemId=606369)

Please feel free to add your own!

[Sasha_G]

Ray Montford's Guitar work

Beautiful guitar work in concert with a bass. Musicality that cuts accross the full frequency spectrum. Seems to be "close mic'd", which makes the bass more prominent.

Track 1, "One Witness", from the album "Shed Your Skin"

http://www.raymontford.com/

Available at:
http://www.maplemusic.com/artists/rmo/disc.asp

[cschang]

Perfect Sasha...that is what I was looking for!!

[ckcforeman]

I have this great jazz disc I used as my "torture" disc to compare my old sub to my new VTF-2. It is John Patitucci's "Now". On my old sub the bass turns to boomy mush. On my VTF-2 every note is distinct and clear.

[MarkinSF]

Sasha,

Great thread to start!
I'm glad you're liking the Ray Montford disc I gave you! I now have his other 2 and their very good. No other demo standouts, but good music.

I'll make a subsequent post with my current fave lower register demo tracks.

[cschang]

Originally posted by MarkinSF
Sasha,

Great thread to start!
I'm glad you're liking the Ray Montford disc I gave you! I now have his other 2 and their very good. No other demo standouts, but good music.

I'll make a subsequent post with my current fave lower register demo tracks.

I just ordered that disc because Sasha put a track on his Hsu demo. Can't wait for it to get to my place.

Another great bass guitar disc is Dean Peer "UCross"....not a real workout for subs, but it is good.....all bass guitar, nothingelse.

[maxman]

I bought it also.

[david_da_kine]

I've had the TN1220 for a few weeks now ... changed my life! What an awesome product.

Pat Metheney's "Speaking of Now" is a great release in its own right, but for us there's a very driving sub-bass dimension up front in the mix.

Enjoy!

[spiffnme]

One of my favorite discs to give my VTF-2 a workout is the Propellerheads "Decksdrumsandrockandroll". Wow...VERY few subs I've heard can keep up. Lots of superfast lowend stuff. The disc is just fun to listen to.

[Sorny]

Don't crucify me for listening to some music that is a bit heavier than the rest mentioned here, but Coal Chamber "Dark Days" from the Dark Days CD has some really LOW bass that is recorded very loud and will definitely stess a lesser subwoofer. The entire CD is chock full of low bass, but the title track has a section in it that really brings subwoofers to their knees (but not HSU TN1220HO subs; likely not VTF-3 either, but I can't be sure as I've not had the opportunity to hear a VTF-3).

I'm not sure if some of you would call Coal Chamber "musical", but I sure do. :D

FWIW, my Sunfire MKIV bottomed out on this song at "reasonable" volume levels; about -20dB with the sub(s) ~3dB "hot"... my TN1220HO subs play it without ANY hint of strain at reference when I mistakenly set them +14dB "hot" by ear soon after I got them (since set about +3dB hot plus the error in the analog Radio Shack SPL meter).

Also, I take offense to the FAQ saying that the TN1220HO subs are "better for music than home theater", as IMHO anything that can play the lowest of the low pipe organ music at high output levels with low distortion is by default more than qualified for HT usage :D. Even StarWars I & II don't stress the mighty TN sub(s).

Sorny

[david_da_kine]

Flight of the Cosmic Hippo: nice choice! Instant favorite. Thanks.

[Sasha_G]

To add some fule to the fire, here is Dr. Hsu's old list of bass tracks. Most of them are fairily musical:

Telarc CD80097: The Ruffatti Organ in Davies Symphony Hall, Michael Murray. Try tracks 1 and 11 -- sub 20Hz bass.


Telarc CD80146: Star Tracks II. Try track 2 for sub to mid 20Hz bass.


Phillips 412 619-2: Saint Saens Organ Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Edo de Waart. Tones reach down to 16Hz on track 2, with the purest tones occuring at 9:00 into the track. Abnormally high gain is needed to play this at wall-shaking levels, so be sure to turn the volume down after the movement!


Dorial DOR 90117: Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Try tracks 5 and 15. Recorded on the great organ of the Tonhalle, Zurich.


London 410 164-2: Prokofiev Alexander Nevsky, Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus, Ricardo Chailly, conductor. The bass drum in this CD reaches 25Hz.


Argo 417 159-2: Hindemith Organ Works, Peter Huford, organist. Try track 5 at 4:45. The 19Hz note here is 6dB louder than the highest level at any other frequency on the entire disc. Start with moderate level settings.


London 410 145-2: Respighi Pines of Rome, etc., Charles Dutoit, Montreal Symphony. There is an almost pure 22 Hz note on track 4 between 1:22 and 2:29.


Argo 414 420-2: Mendelssohn Organ Works, Peter Huford, organist. Very loud 19Hz on track 8. Preceed with caution when playing this disc!


Geffen 24233-2: Enya Watermarks. Lots of low bass on this New Age music (20s to low 30s). Try track 10.


Reference Recording RR-59CD: Pomp and Pipes! This CD has sub 20Hz signals on tracks 4 and 9.


Reference Recording RR-S3CD: HDCD Sampler. Excellent for testing bass tightness, especially on track 1.


Sheffield Lab CD-14/20: The Sheffield Drum & Track Record.The Drum Record tracks are excellent for testing bass tightness, especially track 5.


BPM CD-460: Thom Rotella Band. Bass solo in track 12 is excellent for testing bass transients.


Private Music 01005-82089-2: Jennifer Warnes -- The Hunter. Tracks 8 and 9 have very tight mid to low bass.


Warner Bros 262562-2: Bella Fleck and the Flecktones, Flight of the Cosmic Hippos. Track 4 has extremely high levels of deep and mid bass.


Verve 314 517 657: Tom Grant, The View from Here. Try track 3.


LaserLight 15 313: Virgil Fox. Try track 4 for sub 20Hz from 1:30 into track.


Newtown NTN2210: Bass Outlaws, Illegal Bass. Try track 12, "Stereo Bass" -- ultra loud bass in the low to sub-20Hz range.

[haionlife]

OK I'll finally add my 2 cents on bass demo tracks. These are tracks I use on my system demo CDs for evaluating the low end of speakers and subs...and they are great to show off your new Hsu purchase! I also have another list of just good music with some nice bass in it...that'll come later.

Jazz/New Age:
Holly Cole Tango Till They're Sore and The heart of Saturday Nite from Temptation...in fact the whole Temptaion CD has full blooming low end.
Spies - The Tale of an Arc and Now and Then from By Way of The World - Telarc [tight well controlled should be crisp and no overhang]
Spies Barcelona from Spies [ male vocals and a great kick drum)
Flim & The BBs Tricycle from tricycle and Fun House from Big Notes [These are DYNAMIC tracks - play 'em once on low volume then crank 'em till you can't see straight :) ]
Rob Wasserman - See Duets or Trios for some fun music. Rob is a bassist and plays all types, so their good for sampling acoustic, plucked, stringed, thumped and electric bass.
Fourplay - its all good!
Billy Cobham - Warning or his Best of [he's a drummer and its close miked and hot]
Patrick O'hearn - Any of 'em [he's a bassist and if you like dreamy elemental space like music this is some good stuff]
Bob Mintzer Band - Get the Best of CD...its great modern big band arrangements that just pop out from your speakers...not a lot of bass but a great general demo material.

Pop/Rock
Red Hot Chili Peppers - This is the Place and Venice Queen from By The Way [Bass as lead guitar - Flea rocks! Good for testing the sub sat transition]
Creed One from My Own Prison [lead bass and kick drum working it...and this alblum is better than there other 2]
Lenny Kravitz - American Woman [Tight remake, and some surprisingly LOW end]

Dance/Rap:
Holly Valance Cocktails and Parties and Kiss Kiss from Footprints [great dance CD and some good bass]
Destiny's Child - Bootylicious from Survivor and Jumpin Jumpin from the Writing's on the Wall [fun and flirty and not too bad bass!]
Eminem Without Me from The Eminem Show [the bassline is sh&*^, but its just fun to crank this during a semi serious demo session at a high end retailer!!!]
Missy Elliott Work IT [I just think its afun song and see comments form Eminem]

Bass:
Bass Metropolis Drop the Bass Now [This thing starts low and keeps going - I've used it to bottom out many subs and especially "full range" speakers. It has good sustained notes in the mid 20's...good for checking the woofers suspensions and for port noise AND rattling anything loose on any shelf in the house]
Bass Hit Woofer Cooker [The first 10 seconds rides the bass note all the way down the scale...it WILL show you if you have anything loose! Crank it and listen for rattles. Sustained notes with punchy bursts, good for checking power capabilities of the amp in the sub. About 1:28 its starts varying notes...watch the driver for accuracy and control]
Bass Connection Bass Consciousness [the first few second sound like they might hurt (when played LOUD). Good groove combined with tight movement and low end breath. Transitions should be quick and sharp and not smeared]
Bass Hit Bass Revolution [a low end breath with some scale riding that can be quite dramatic when its clear.]

The 4 Bass selections above are all from Neurodisc Records. They may be a bit wierd, but they're a lot more fun than just playing test tones!!!

Hi Resolution:
James Taylor October Road SACD [I was surprised that the SACD version had so much more and cleaner bass. Its quite a treat - if you like JT]

N Joy!

email if you have any questions - HDTVnut@hotmail.com

mark

[HeyMo]

Want to knock some books off the shelf or move some chess pieces? Try Joe Satriani - Engines of Creation. Most of the tracks on this release will remind you why you bought the Hsu.

Samples can be found at the following URL:

http://www.satriani.com/2002/discography/Engines_Of_Creation/

Regards,

HeyMo

[tdekany]

too many to list!

Any DJ Quick cd
Deep forest "made in Japan" Very puchy, not as deep
Swayzak
rusted root - when I woke
sergio mendes - brasileiro - what a recording! lots of deep bass

[haionlife]

This just in...

After listening/watching the new James Taylor DVD Pull Over a half dozen times, I am happy to report a robust, and well defined low end. Very surprising for a concert DVD. Great listening for those mellow evenings!

Oh, and the new SACD of Dark Side of the Moon. I can't say enough about the engineering of this release! The bass is back as it should be...much like the remastered vinyl release. Yum. And the very spacious 5.1 mix is involving enough to keep me interested, but not gimmicky. Any Floyd fans...this is a must have - if you're SACD capable. :cool:

[maxman]

Just bought it yesterday, as a matter of fact. Hooked up my SACD cables today for the first time.

[Sasha_G]

I've been using Speclab to find songs with good bass. I just leave it on while listening to Rhapsody Digital Music services on my computer.
Here is where to download it for free:
http://www.qsl.net/dl4yhf/spectra1.html
Here is Rhapsody:
http://www.listen.com/

There is a current pop song by Beyonce called Baby Boy. It features Sean Paul, who has reggae influences. I've found that reggae in general has some of the deepest bass found in pop songs, and Sean Paul is representing his roots here
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000099T2L
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000099T2L.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
Listen at iTunes music store (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=1657902&selectedItemId=1658180)


As you can see from the warm reddish and yellow colors in the attatched image, the bass goes down to 30 Hz and is quite strong compared to the other sounds on the graph (0-600 Hz). Most songs that have kick drums and such usually go down to 40 Hz or so, so this is a bit deeper than most. Also interesting, the bass does not "dominate" the song subjectively. It comes off as a balanced piece.

[Sasha_G]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00006GA4S.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006GA4S

Okay, okay. I can hear the complaints already. Well, in my defense, this song is posted here to make a point. Plus, I bet a number of people think this is "musical."

For those who think that a true 25 Hz isn't deep, take a look at this "booty bass" song. This is the kind of bass music you hear in shaking the windows as people drive down the street, and although I wouldn't put it in the same class as the other songs I've listed so far, it does have deep, DEEP bass. The name of the song is "Get Low", which should also give a clue.

Almost all the bass is in the 30 - 40 Hz region! 25 Hz is VERY deep. If your subwoofer goes that low, you can play all the Miami booty bass you want.

[Scrawner]

'A thousand years' by Sting is a great song, and it has a lot of low bass throughout.

At around 1:28, 3:52 and 5:36 in the song there are several peaks showing up around 20hz, and significant detail as low as 12hz. Anyone with a VTF-3 or 1220 care to comment on what it is? My system won't go that low!! :)

[cschang]

Originally posted by Scrawner
'A thousand years' by Sting is a great song, and it has a lot of low bass throughout.

At around 1:28, 3:52 and 5:36 in the song there are several peaks showing up around 20hz, and significant detail as low as 12hz. Anyone with a VTF-3 or 1220 care to comment on what it is? My system won't go that low!! :)

Which CD is it on?

[Scrawner]

Oops, sorry. It's on Sting - "A Brand New Day" There's another version on another album but it doesn't have the same bass.

[haionlife]

I just heard that track the other day while demo-ing the Ventriloquist system and my custom made sub...I'll give it a run this evening when I'm working out the TN1220s and see what shakes. At first blush it sounded like it was a rumble sound effect...it didn't sound like it was supposed to be an insrument.

Mark

[Sasha_G]

OK I'll finally add my 2 cents on bass demo tracks.
Mark,
These are some amazing tracks. :D THANK YOU.

[octalon7]

If you are in to some spacey music with non-english vocals (band is from Iceland) check out:

Sigur Ros

Their () album throws out some nice clean bass. I bought the CD for a relaxation type of thing, but now I find myself distracted by the pounding on my chest when I'm trying to read...

www.sigurros.com (http://www.sigurros.com)

[mrtristan]

Another problem occurs when studios use monitors that are incapable of accurate, deep bass - you'll hear it on albums with bass that sounds overly bloated or heavy. When inexperienced recording engineers use small monitors without subwoofer, they often have a tendancy to compensate by turning bass levels up on their EQ so it sounds full in their inadequately equipped studio (probably located in someone's basement). This compensation for missing bass ends up in the recording. What happens when played back on a system with deep accurate bass? Too much bass! You'd be surprised how often this occurs. It's truly a disfavour to those who have properly calibrated systems. If the music industry wants us to pay money for CDs little problems like this should never occur. I'm sure anyone with a sub knows the hassle of having to turn levels down so that bass isn't so overwhelming. Good news is, with the advent of high resolution formats which demand high quality multi-channel studios for recording, I think they're much more careful now.

Tristan
www.homedigitalav.com (http://www.homedigitalav.com)

[Active Speaker]

How about Madonna "Justify My Love", Seal "Seal", Al Dimeola "Kiss My Axe".

[mulnhd]

I found that anything by Peter Gabriel sounds great. His songs tend to have alot of bass and are mixed well to sound good in 6.1 surround sound. Steely Dan has alot of the same sound attributes -- good bass and sound mixing.

[r3Wind]

The Beastie Boys DVD Video Anthology is pretty tough to beat for HUGE bass (especially Intergalactic, it rattles my ribcage), plus you get some fun videos to go along with it.
http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/dvd.cfm?itemID=HVD001640

Anything by the Sneaker Pimps is great. A couple of bass standouts on "Becoming X" are "Post-Modern Sleaze," "Roll On," and the title track. And while "Bloodsport" seemed to slip under the radar, I thought it was a better overall CD (I guess some people were bitter about it because they loved the singer on Becoming X, and she wasn't on Bloodsport). You can check out some of the songs at the iTunes store here:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=2737602

[Sasha_G]

Crystal Method has some of the deepest bass I've heard in the electronic music genre, besides electro and miami booty bass of course.

[danman]

I have noticed that the Maroon 5 CD has some wonderful tight bass.

[tdekany]

Crystal Method has some of the deepest bass I've heard in the electronic music genre, besides electro and miami booty bass of course.
yes that is true - I have one of their album. Beasty Boys also sound deep.

[martin]

For some variety, try:
"Deep Voices -- Recordings of humpback, blue and right whales"

It's the sequel to "Songs of the Humpback Whale".

In the liner notes on track #5, "Deep Voices", which is a recording of Blue Whales:
"Here [the blue whale sounds] are speeded up so that they are an octave higher. Even so, you must use a good audio system to hear them at all, and when you do you will more feel than hear them."
Big animals make deep sounds, and whales are as big as they get...
It's available through www.livingmusic.com.

[Sasha_G]

Martin,

I think I had that record! I would also try Blue Whale songs...they are the deepest sounding living creature in the ocean.

Elephants also communicate with bass, but I haven't heard a record with them. Some say you just can sense that air pressure changing when you are around them...it must be kinda spooky.

[Tunguska]

Deep bass entered into popular music in the 80s with the advent of electronic, digital instruments. They were recorded digitally, mastered digitally, and distributed digitally. This is called DDD.

Please feel free to add your own!

First let me say that I have yet to purchase a subwoofer. I am saving up for a Hsu, but with two kids in college its taking me a while to save.

One extremely cool deep bass sound can be heard on Alan Parsons' cd (and DTS) disc, "On Air" The last song - 'Blue, Blue Sky part2 - ends with a very deep note, lasting 15 seconds or so. I've read it explained as follows:

"This is a very loud, low D, a whole step lower than the
bass's ordinary range (accomplished by using a 5-string bass, an
E-string extension, or scordatura). Part of what gives it its
distinctive sound is a doubling in the violins, several octaves up. It
is much softer than the bass, making it sound like one of the bass's
overtones: a cool effect from a sensitive orchestrator. BTW, the
effect is not acoustic; and there is no brass, just strings."


Without actually hearing it with a subwoofer attached, I can ony imagine how great it would sound. With just my 5.0 setup the DTS version rattles pictures on my walls.

[tdekany]

First let me say that I have yet to purchase a subwoofer. I am saving up for a Hsu, but with two kids in college its taking me a while to save.

Comp Usa are selling out HSU. Check to see if they have any left in your area. Dirt cheap.

[Tunguska]

Thanks for the tip tdekany but I think I'm too late. I checked the Comp USA website and don't see any HSU's listed and the nearest store is 80 miles away.

[Dudley]

Call the store. Clearance items are not posted on the web site.

[tafguy]

Has anyone of you tried out the remastered version of Eagles's Hotel California? I don't know how deep bass is but I was blown away by tight and solid bass in the title track. Man, this is one of my best tracks of pedal sounds with the bass drum kick I can clearly feel how musical the VTF-2 Mk2 sub is. Unreal! Highly recommended to test out subwoofers. I can't wait to test this track again with the turbocharger when it will become available.

[RugerFan]

Arabian Bass from Bass Hit is one my favorite tracks. Beware though it will cook most subs, but not the HSU.

[caseyh]

Tafguy, what is this "turbocharger" you speak of the for VTF-2 MkII. I just got the VTF2 last week. Thanks.

[SHood]

This just in...

After listening/watching the new James Taylor DVD Pull Over a half dozen times, I am happy to report a robust, and well defined low end. Very surprising for a concert DVD. Great listening for those mellow evenings!

Oh, and the new SACD of Dark Side of the Moon. I can't say enough about the engineering of this release! The bass is back as it should be...much like the remastered vinyl release. Yum. And the very spacious 5.1 mix is involving enough to keep me interested, but not gimmicky. Any Floyd fans...this is a must have - if you're SACD capable. :cool:

I'm not a Pink Floyd fan or a fan of HD Audio discs that have been reworked into 5.1. BUT, Dark Side of the Moon is exactly what haionlife says. It's not a must have for Pink Floyd fans - it's a must have for anyone who's SACD capable.

[tafguy]

Tafguy, what is this "turbocharger" you speak of the for VTF-2 MkII. I just got the VTF2 last week. Thanks.

Until the real one comes out to market, you can temporarily use the one I have tried from Lwang but I need to ask him the detailed specs of its, because you need to bend it in a certain angle and adjust it to a certain length but Lwang's picture has been magnified to show texture, so it is pretty hard as you can see in below link:http://www.hsuresearch.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif


Why don't you try it out before you commit with these variable tuning turbo?


http://www.airflo.co.nz/Images/flexitube.jpg


Just to be serious now, caseyh, nobody except HSU knows how the turbocharger looks but we have pretty good idea what it does from Peter. Of course, except the one we try to imagine. I thought I mentioned that only when it becomes available meaning when HSU releases it to market.

By the way, you will love the VTF-2 Mk2. I loved it the first day I got it. And it still amazes me every day. And the sub is designed to be used with the turbocharger too.

[Thasp]

Massive Attack stuff has good bass in it.

[bottomzone]

For some SEROIUSLY DEEP AND CLEAN BASS, please listen to the following:

- "Use Me" from Patricia Barber's Companion CD

- "The Romantic Warrior" and "Duel of the Jester and the Tyrant" from Return to Forever's Romantic Warrior CD

- "Straight No Chaser" from Brian Bromberg's Wood CD

- " The Spirit Within" from the Final Fantasy soundtrack CD

-Any track from the Bass 305 Bass-The Future CD

I currently own a REL Q-108E and am ABSOLUTELY THRILLED WITH IT'S PERFORMANCE!! REL SUBS ARE THE BEST THAT I HAVE HEARD TO DATE. I haven't auditioned a HSU product yet, but everything that I have read indicates that their subs are first-rate. Being that I am a bassist, I have a very good idea what GOOD BASS IS SUPPOSED TO SOUND LIKE!

ALWAYS DEMAND THE BOTTOM LINE!!

[fg22]

Chemical Brothers - Music Response

Chemical Brothers - Under The Influence

Mystikal - Oochie Pop

Kid Rock - Welcome To The Party

Jay-z - H To The Izzo

Vandi - Gia (Skits Airplay Mix)

DMX - Get it on the Floor

DMX feat. Eminem and Obie Trice - Go to Sleep

Mystikal - Oochie Pop

Jay-z - Hey Papi

Kid Rock - Balls In Your Mouth

Kid Rock feat. Eminem - Fuck Off

Eminem - Run Rabbit Run

R Kelly & Young Bloodz - Thoia Thoing Remix

Obie Trice - Lady

Ying Yang Twins - Say I Yi Yi (the remix is also good)

This is the short list. If you want the extended list email me at lopvin@gmail.com. Hope this helps some!

(btw mrtristan, nice post)

[Bill Odom]

Haven't yet recieved my VTF 3 MK2,Just ordered it today.
For deep bass from music,
Amon Tobin's " Super Modified "or " Out of No Where" is truly deep.
It's his music that helped me make a deccision to Hsu or not to Hsu.
Massive Attacks "Mazinine' have a song or two that my current set-up need help on also.

[Pete_Hsu]

That is a great line, Bill! To HSU or not to HSU, that is the question?

My next favorite would be "HSU YOU!" :D

[pbanders]

Lots of great stuff in this thread, my CD Universe wish list is going to get even bigger..... A few off the top of my head from my collection:

For a very low sweep in a song, try the CD or DVD-Audio version of "Lucky Man" by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. The last minute of the song has several synth sweeps that go very LOW. The DVD-A version is in the bonus material of the "Brain Salad Surgery" album.

The first minute of "Another Dimension" on the "Liquid Tension Experiment 2" album (John Petrucci, Tony Levin, Mike Portnoy, Jordan Rudess) has very low sweeps that will torch most subs. The rest of the song has some pretty epic banging that will leave you near death by the end.

The entrance to the title track of "Time Machine" by Joe Satriani has some great bass drum content and is followed by plenty of low bass content.

Now that I have a VTF-3 MkII, I'll have to scour my collection, I'm sure there is plenty of stuff I've missed just because I couldn't hear it before!

[dsg]

Is there a test demo disc that I should have received with my VT-12 and STF-2? I didn't see one. Is there a way to get it?

Thanks-

[HighEndSkeptic]

I'm not a Pink Floyd fan or a fan of HD Audio discs that have been reworked into 5.1. BUT, Dark Side of the Moon is exactly what haionlife says. It's not a must have for Pink Floyd fans - it's a must have for anyone who's SACD capable.Actually The Dark Side of the Moon and other PF albums were originally recorded for 5.1 way back then. The group's engineers essentially invented surround sound in the late '60s. Their setup is different from the "movie" 5.1 in that there are two front channels, two side channels and one rear channel. In concert, it's something that is beyond words.

The 5-channel mixdowns were no doubt due to the quadraphonic fad that came along at roughly the same time. The problem with quad was that there was no media at the time that could support it, other than 8-track tapes. Attempts to encode it into records never worked right. But now that the technology exists, it's good to see older original surround sound recordings finally being released to the public. Better 33 years late than never!

[Bill Odom]

Just had a chance to listen to " SHAKATURA". The track Solar Cell is the lowest,loudest bass I've heard to date.
Probably not an CD for everyone. Ambient/World music if I had to discribe it.
The track Solar Cell ( 8 minutes long)is in itself worth the purchase.
Most of the CD leans toward deep bass tracks. IMO they did an outstanding job. Good rythmic beats,not to much sonic layering. It's more of a" Chill Out "concept .
Now when do we get the chance to try our VTF 3 MK II with that new thingy ma jig, TURBO ?

[DNelms]

On the new Pink Floyd Pluse DVD. Run Like Hell hass some good bass near the end of the song. It just seems to sneak up on you and hit pretty hard.

[Degroove]

I took the first track from this CD with me:

http://cover6.cduniverse.com/MuzeAudioArt/510/514267.jpg

Its a great recording with tons of Synths, Funky Bass, Crazy Drums, Loud Guitars, Techo touches, and Jamming. There is actually quite a panning soundfield on the stereo soundfield of the tune. I used the first song, Launchpad, by the band Particle.

I am getting quite a taste for an HSU sub to add next.

Saving money now.

[DNelms]

Try MI-5 season one and two on DVD. Lots of bass. I think the sound editor wanted to add lots of tension.

[SreenathM]

Here is a great list of Rock bass songs.

http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_bassperf.html
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_basslines.html

[Hiccups]

For incredible jazz bass, check out Mike Arnopol's playing on Patricia Barber's Companion CD, especially the first track, an unconventional version of Sonny Bono's "The Beat Goes On." I didn't think it was possible for acoustic bass to play that low, much less to record it cleanly in a live setting. It drops jaws every time I play it for someone.

[guidoc]

Wow, so this thread is old, but glad it's here. I just got an HSU VTF2-MK3 and the ventriliquists (with an older onkyo receiver TX-SR502), so i figure i'll also put my two cents in here.

Anything sounds good on the speakers, but i play a couple songs to really show them off

Verdi: Requiem: Dies Irae; Mors Stupebit from the sample CD that came with the sub. the kettle drums in the beginning shake my shelves yet sound really really good.

OAR (of a revolution) - Dareh Meyod - either from the studio album or the live from madison square garden.

OAR (of a revolution) - 52-50 - again, either from the studio album or the live from madison square garden.

[Staplehead]

This track on her 'This Fire' album has nice deep rolling bass. It's not your typical deep thump, but a hard fast roll to the depths.