V or X Blind test

  • Thread starter Thread starter theblackBay
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theblackBay

theblackBay

Mean average best idiot..
i'm posting a less than perfect V or X ( A or B ) blind test up if anyone is interested:

this is based on my almost final - "1351 adaptive principal" which is a mixing / mastering analysis theory

listen carefully to each you can download them:

I’d like if possible as the answer:

1. which did you choose?

2. what are you listening on?

3. why did you choose it?

4. major perceptual difference.

5. what volume did you listen at etc if on monitors "high level" or headphones "max" or "low level".

note : both are 13.5 aprox RMS Db.

http://www.theblackbay.com/testwma.php

thank you if you do it.
 
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1. V

2. Tannoy System 12 concentric mains in a treated room

3. Overall I just liked it better. I thought everything blended better together...especially guitars and vocals. The vocals don't stand out as much, but I like that. I did like the bass guitar sound in X...it sounds more natural to me, but not enough for me to pick X over V. I also prefer the snare sound in V. The weird guitar distortion at the beginning and in the middle is annoying, IMO too...but that's just an effect you were going for. X just sounds too muddled.

4. see 3.

5. Mains are calibrated to 79dBSPL individually with -20dBFS RMS pink noise. I just played it back at my normal mixing volume which averaged around 82-83dbSPL
 
1. X

2. KRK V8's in a designed/treated CR

3. Thought the weird spatial treatment was overdone in both samples, but way overdone in the first one.

4. see 3


5. moderate level.
 
V

Event 20/20

Bass guitar had more drive to it; more aggressive-sounding. Drums sounded more compressed; more energy overall to the mix.

""

Moderate volume
 
1. not applicable

2. Mackie HR824s and Klipsch kg0.5s in treated room & Sony MDR-V600 phones on my head.

3. Both mixes IMHO had way too much sonic and soundspace competition amongst the tracks; vocals that were stuck too far in the mud, even as just a melodic instrument, and soundstage soundscape that sounded like giving a pan control to someone that just popped their first tab. The tracks all just crash and mash into each other in both spectrum and space and don't really co-exist or make a cohesive enough mix for my tastes. Experimentation and being different is fine, but there are always basic needs like purpose and balance that need to be met. Neither mix met either of those needs for me overall. IMHO YMMV and all that.

4. V had more of a smiley face distribution to it - more energy on the edges of the spectrum (punchier and crisper) and had more emphasis on harmonics in the mids, but fucked around with the soundsatge too much. X had more and smoother energy in the mids; more lifeless than V, but a more comprensible soundstage than V.

5. Listened on headphones, nearfields, and wall-mounted 2-ways all individually and all at both low,converstaional volume (~35-40dBSPL) and at higher volume (~80-85dBSPL) - except headphones, which I normally don't push quite so high.

NOTE; Blackey, you know that this test is little more than a Rorscarch ink-blot test for those of us replying than it is an actual judgement on your mixes, right? You are asking for subjective "which is better" answers; everbody will have their own opinions. Concensus will be about as easy as finding concensus on monitor selection.

G.
 
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1. X

2. fairly large 2 way stereo speakers

3. Vox & guitars sounded much clearer in X. V has more of a harsh high end sound to it that gets annoying very quickly. I found that the cymbals in V were overpowering in a couple of spots. I could barely hear the cymbals in X, but it seemed like the lesser of two evils.

4. See 3.

5. 72 dB SPL, A weighted. Again at 80 dB, A weighted. Neither seemed to hold together as well at the higher level. Guitars & vocals lack "meat".


sl
 
thanks for the replies guys!

"You are asking for subjective "which is better" answers"

My reasons for asking are not to gain consensus.

i have two versions, i ask because we humans perceive sound differently and we humans will like one over the other or none of course.

this helps me a lot.

very interesting to see the variance.
 
V had a little more "oomph" to it, and X had a little more clarity IMO. Can't really say which one, though I'd probably opt for V.

Listening on yamaha HS80m's at a very modest level. Also BeyerDynamics cans...
 
thanks for the replies.

and all the advice, i was able to hear this track on a better system that showed it's obvious faults to me, you guys helped me to look for these things.

thank you everyone.
 
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