Hey, I didn't first bring it up! This (extrememly useful) thread needs the usual disclaimer, ideally somewhere on every page.
This week's DRDB digital lossless DR14+ additions not previously mentioned in this thread: Code: DR14: Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Lev Markiz / Mendelssohn - Complete String Symphonies [SACD] (2008) DR14: Dio / Evil or Divine - Live In New York City (2002) DR14: Genesis / Trespass (1987) DR14: Icehouse / Primitive Man (1986) DR14: John Lee Hooker / Don't Look Back (1997) DR14: Julia Fischer / Mendelssohn: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 2 (2006) DR14: Melechesh / As Jerusalem Burns... Al'Intisar (1996) DR14: Nena / 99 Luftballons (1987) DR14: Rush / Moving Pictures (1987) DR14: Rush / Moving Pictures (2009) DR14: Steven Isserlis, Robert Levin / Ludwig van Beethoven: Cello Sonatas [24bit 96kHz] (2014) DR14: Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard / Schumann - Symphonies Nos 3 & 4 [24bit 44.1kHz] (2008) DR15: Brand X / Do They Hurt? (2014) DR15: Brand X / Masques (2014) DR15: Joan Armatrading / Secret Secrets (1985) DR15: The Shadows / At Their Very Best (1989) DR16: Donna Summer / Cats Without Claws (1984) DR16: The Crusaders / Street Life (1984) DR16: Tom Arthurs, Miles Perkin, Yorgos Dimitriadis / Glue (2011)
In an era where Loudness War was starting to appear, one of my favourite debut albums of all time had a quite impressive DR13 for CD Cry of Love - Brother (1993) http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/view/59518
This week's DRDB digital lossless DR14+ album/single additions not previously mentioned in this thread: Code: DR14: Art Pepper / Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section [DSD64] (2002) DR14: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Robert Shaw / Stravinsky - The Firebird/Borodin - Music From Prince Igor (2000) DR14: Depeche Mode / Just Can't Get Enough (Maxi-Single) (1992) DR14: George Benson / Bad Benson (1988) DR14: Grover Washington, Jr. / Inside Moves (1984) DR14: London Symphony Orchestra, Jerry Goldsmith / The Film Music Of Jerry Goldsmith (2001) DR14: Peter Gabriel / Plays Live - Highlights (1984) DR14: Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin / Georges Bizet - Carmen Suite/Edvard Grieg - Peer Gynt Suite (1979) DR14: The Cleveland Orchestra, Lorin Maazel / Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique/Tchaikovsky - Nutcracker Suite (Hybrid-SACD) (2004) DR14: The Joe Holland Quartet / Klipsch Tape Reissues Vol. II [DSD128] (2013) DR14: The Romantics / In Heat (1993) DR15: Cincinnatti Jazz Orchestra, Erich Kunzel; William Tritt - Piano / George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue - Concerto in F - "I Got Rhythm" Variations - "Rialto Ripples" Rag (1988) DR15: Cincinnatti Symphony Orchestra, Jesús López-Cobos / Music Of Turina & Debussy (2001) DR15: Depeche Mode / Love In Itself (Maxi-Single) (1991) DR15: Gaspar Sanz / Laberintos Ingeniosos (2007) DR15: Orchestre National de France, Daniele Gatti / Debussy: Orchestral Works (La Mer, Prélude à l'apres midi d'un faune, Images) (2012) DR15: Philharmonia Orchestra, Benjamin Zander / Mahler - Symphony No. 5 (2001) DR15: Vanessa Wagner / Maurice Ravel : Piano Works (2013) DR16: Boz Scaggs / Middle Man (1980) DR16: Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin / Mahler - Symphony No. 1 in D "Titan" (1986) DR18: Bucky Pizzarelli / Three For All [HDtracks 192kHz/24bit] (2014)
This week's DRDB digital lossless DR14+ additions yet to be reported here: Code: DR14: Adult Net / The Honey Tangle (1989) DR14: Animotion / Strange Behavior (1986) DR14: Blancmange / Believe You Me (1985) DR14: Cincinnatti Pops Orchestra, Erich Kunzel / Chiller (1989) DR14: Daryl Hall & John Oates / Big Bam Boom (1984) DR14: Daryl Hall & John Oates / H2O (1990) DR14: Duran Duran / Big Thing - japan (2014) DR14: Haircut One Hundred / Pelican West (1989) DR14: John Coltrane / Impressions (1987) DR14: RATT / Invasion of Your Privacy (2008) DR14: Run-D.M.C. / Greatest Hits 1983-1991 (1991) DR14: Simon & Garfunkel / The Concert in Central Park (Live) [HDTracks 24/192] (2014) DR15: Bryan Adams / Hits on Fire [Disc 1] (1988) DR15: Freddy Kempf / Beethoven. Sonatas: Pathetique, Moonlight and Appassionata [24bit 88.1kHz] (2010) DR15: The Choir / Diamonds And Rain (1986) DR15: The Crusaders / Free As The Wind (1987) DR16: Duran Duran / Notorious - japan (2014) DR16: Ricardo Gallén / Fernando Sor: Guitar Sonatas [DSD256] (2014)
Passion Flower by Rosemary Clooney and Duke Ellington I love this song just because of the great dynamics!
This week's DRDB digital lossless DR14+ album/single additions not previously mentioned here: Code: DR14: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Gaetano Delogu / Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5; The Hebrides (1988) DR14: Gino Vannelli / Black Cars (1984) DR14: Josef Suk / Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Romances (1988) DR14: Kim Wilde / Close (Japan Edition) (1988) DR14: R.E.M. / Radio Song [Single, Limited Edition] (1991) DR14: Soundtrack / Bright Lights, Big City (1988) DR14: The Bolshoi / Lindy's Party (1987) DR15: Big Audio Dynamite / No. 10, Upping St. (1986) DR15: Heinrich von Kalnein / Katzenberger Music Productions 03 (2013) DR15: Mazarati / Mazarati (1990) DR15: Various Artists / Greetings From Russia (1988)
This week's DRDB digital lossless DR14+ album/single additions yet to be mentioned here: Code: DR14: Dick Hyman / From The Age Of Swing [HDtracks 24/88.2] (1994) DR14: Hootie & The Blowfish / Kootchypop EP (1992) DR14: John Williams / By Request (1987) DR14: John Williams / Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones [Target Ed] (2002) DR14: XTC / Drums And Wires (1985) DR15: Bobby Womack / The Poet II (1984) DR15: INXS / The Swing (1987) DR15: Nuova Era / Dopo l'infinito (1989) DR15: Rachelle Ferrell / Rachelle Ferrell (1992)
This week's DRDB digital lossless DR14+ album additions not previously discussed here: Code: DR14: Carmignola, Giuliano - Marcon, Andrea / Concerto Veneziano (Giuliano Carmignola, Venice Baroque Orch, Andrea Marcon) (2005) DR14: Haydn - Mozart - Beethoven - Schubert / L'art du quatuor (1989) DR14: Huey Lewis and The News / Sports (1984) DR14: Indochine / 3 (1985) DR14: Ravel - Debussy / Galleria (1988) DR14: Taxi-Girl / 84-86 (1995) DR15: Craig Taborn / Avenging Angel (2011) DR15: Michael Jackson / Off The Wall [ESCA 5407 De-emphasized] (1991) DR16: Heaven 17 / The Luxury Gap (1988)
This one does not look like a real commercial release. Someone processed it specifically to enhance DR and then posted the result on the DR database, didn't they?
I believe, Japanese 1991 CD pressing of Off The Wall (featuring CD pre-emphasis) has simply been de-emphasised, that's all. Nothing wrong with that.
I really don't want to blow my own trumpet, but more than half of these entries I put on the DR Database. As I am a huge fan of ECM Records (and a DR junkie), I thought it would be nice to add some missing albums there. While listening to some of those (especially solo guitar, percussion albums and of course classical), I knew instantly without scanning the DR that the dynamics are huge. Santana's 5CD Original Album Classics really surprised me. I knew that the Boxsets of Al Di Meola and Stanley Clarke contain the 1991 Columbia Masters, which is a good thing from a dynamical point of view. Finally, I thought I couldn't top Victor Kissine - Between Two Waves (isn't it a nice title for such a dynamic record?), but Morton Feldman got me the Top 3 entry on the database. The DR database doesn't like one-track albums, so it was impossible to post The Late Piano Works Vol. 1 and 2, so here they are: DR15 and DR17 I'm really glad, that these entries found their way in this forum. Thank you so much for posting!
Here is the waveform of the absolute best track in terms of dynamic range that I have encountered in recent time: Krakow, track 11 of Andre Heuvelman & members of The Live! Orchestra - After Silence (24/88 PCM master recording). This track has peak of -0.73dBFS and a couple fading trumpet notes at the end with below -105dBFS amplitudes (true dynamic range exceeding 100dB; track TT DR value is no slouch DR17, too): The quality of this recording is simply phenomenal, IMO...
This week's DRDB digital lossless DR14+ album additions yet to be mentioned here: Code: DR14: Alfredo Marcucci / Touched By Tango [DSD64] (2002) DR14: Ani DiFranco / Imperfectly (1992) DR14: Axel Rudi Pell / Nasty Reputation [SPV 084-76342] (1991) DR14: Devil Doll / Sacrilegium (1st Edition) (1992) DR14: Devil Doll / The Girl Who Was...Death (1994) DR14: Fleetwood Mac / 1970-01-29 (1970) DR14: James Horner / Apollo 13 (Promotional CD Single) (1995) DR14: Rachelle Ferrell / First Instrument (1995) DR14: Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians / Element Of Light (1986) DR14: Van Morrison / Live At The Grand Opera House Belfast (1984) DR14: Willie Nelson / Willie Nelson Sings Kristofferson [96kHz-24 bit] (2014) DR15: Ani DiFranco / Like I Said: Songs 1990-91 (1993) DR15: Estas Tonne / Internal Flight Live at Garavasara 2013 (2013) DR16: Ani DiFranco / Ani DiFranco (1990) DR17: Ani DiFranco / Not So Soft (1991)
The last 2014's batch of recent DRDB digital lossless TT DR14+ album/single additions not previously mentioned in this thread: Code: DR14: Chailly, RCO, Nes / Berio: Sinfonia, Formazioni, Folk Songs (1990) DR14: Jansug Kakhidze / Giya Kancheli - Symphonies Nos 6 & 7 (1994) DR14: Koopman, The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra / Mozart, W.A.: Divertimenti, KV 136, 137, 138, 251 (1990) DR14: Latvian Radio Choir/Sigvards Kļava / Rachmaninov: All-Night Vigil (2012) DR14: Les Percussions de Strasbourg, Abe / Xenakis - Ishii : Pléiades - Concertante (1989) DR14: Little Feat / The Last Record Album [Rad Gumbo boxset] (2014) DR14: Madge, Xenakis Ensemble / Iannis Xenakis (1998) DR14: Smetana Quartet / Mozart: Two String Quartets, KV 458 & KV 421 (2005) DR14: The Beach Boys / Summer In Paradise (1992) DR15: Little Feat / Let It Roll [Rad Gumbo boxset] (2014) DR15: Little Feat / Representing the Mambo [Rad Gumbo boxset] (2014) DR15: Metallica / The $5.98 E.P. Garage Days Re-revisited (1987) DR15: Quatuor Ysaye / Ravel & Debussy String Quartets (1991) DR15: Richard Strauss / Arthur Honegger / Concerto da Camera / Duet Concertino (1984) DR17: Tasmin Little, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner / Walton: Symphony No. 1; Violin Concerto [24/96] (2014)
Many albums with the highest dynamic range sound boring.... one of my faves: Aerial Boundaries, the acoustic guitar album by Michael Hedges Music: 10 Sound: 10 Dynamic range DR18
I know that I am not the first one to criticize the DR meter as a meaningful measure, but I wanted to share this: I took a certain CD mastering as the starting point. It is known for having a strong bass content and a comparably low DR measure, compared to other CD releases. I then re-equalized it by subtracting bass. As a result, the DR number increased by 2. So please take this into account in your interpretation of DR numbers.
I think it's pretty well known by now (at least around here) that this DR Database tool really doesn't measure dynamic range, but attempts to assess "loudness" by relating the worst case peak to RMS value, and of course with more bass the RMS value (and overall loudness) will be higher. Probably a bigger issue is that it was developed to show how squashed modern recordings are, but the DR value for a digital file that has been severely compressed in the digital domain is quite a bit different from the value measured after that same file has been converted to analog and then recaptured in digital. I guess it would really need to make the "measurement" on a filtered version to be more meaningful for comparison, such as when comparing modern CD to vinyl masterings (older ones, or modern ones that aren't highly compressed seem to agree pretty closely). What's your take on that discrepancy?
The story goes that engineer Tony Faulkner urged the label to splurge to record it in a better acoustic venue than was planned. I can only say it sounds fabulous.
2015 started with quite a bang ! Here are this week's DRDB digital lossless DR14+ album additions not previously discussed here: Code: DR14: "Weird Al" Yankovic / In 3-D (1990) DR14: Anne-Sophie Mutter / Carmen Fantasie (1993) DR14: Arne Domnérus, Bengt Hallberg, Lars Erstrand, Georg Riedel, Egil Johansen / Jazz at the Pawnshop [HDtracks 24/192] (2014) DR14: Arne Domnérus, Bengt Hallberg, Lars Erstrand, Georg Riedel, Egil Johansen / Jazz at the Pawnshop [HDtracks 24/352] (2014) DR14: Barış Manço / Değmesin Yağlı Boya (1986) DR14: Barış Manço / Müsaadenizle Çocuklar (1995) DR14: Block Out / Crno belo i srebrno (1994) DR14: Clock DVA / Advantage (1989) DR14: Dave Grusin / Discovered Again, Plus (2003) DR14: Eddie Higgins / Portrait In Black And White (1996) DR14: Freddie Hubbard / Live at the Northsea Jazz Festival, 1980 (1998) DR14: Funk Inc. / Hangin' Out (1993) DR14: Funk Inc. / Superfunk (1993) DR14: George Benson / 20/20 (1985) DR14: Inscape / American Aggregate [Blu-ray Audio to 24/192 flac] (2014) DR14: Internal Bleeding / Invocation Of Evil (1993) DR14: Leonard Cohen / Live in Dublin (48/24 Bit Download) (2014) DR14: Maazel, PSO / Respighi - Roman Trilogy [SK 66843, 1996] (1996) DR14: Melissa Ferrick / 70 People at 7000 Feet (2003) DR14: Myung Whun Chung & Orchestre de l'Opera Bastille / Berlioz: Harold en Italie, Ouvertures (1996) DR14: Pierre Boulez, Wiener Philharmoniker / Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 5 (1997) DR14: Pierre Boulez, Wiener Philharmoniker / Gustav Mahler - Symphony no. 6 (1995) DR14: Sister Sledge / The Very Best of Sister Sledge 1973-93 (1993) DR14: Sting / The Soul Cages (1991) DR14: The Grapes of Wrath / Now And Again (1989) DR14: Tina Turner / Break Every Rule (1986) DR15: Anne-Sophie Mutter / Modern - Disk-02 (1994) DR15: Anne-Sophie Mutter / Mozart: Piano Trios KV 502, KV 542,KV 548 (2006) DR15: Barış Manço / Live in Japan (1996) DR15: Boulez, Berliner Philharmoniker / Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe, La Valse (1995) DR15: Bugge Wesseltoft / It's Snowing On My Piano (1997) DR15: Dohnányi, Cleveland Orchestra / Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 5 (1989) DR15: Dohnányi, Cleveland Orchestra / Mahler, Schoenberg, Webern: Symphony No 6 etc. (1992) DR15: Herbert von Karajan / Beethoven Violin Concerto In D, Op.61 (1980) DR15: Myung Whun Chung & Orchestre de l'Opera de Bastille / Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Dutilleux: Metaboles (1995) DR15: Paul Hardcastle / The Jazzmasters I (1993) DR15: Pierre Boulez, The Cleveland Orchestra / Gustav Mahler - Symphony No.7 (1996) DR16: Anne-Sophie Mutter / Modern - Disk-01 (1994) DR16: Claudio Abbado, Berliner Philharmoniker / Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 5 (1993) DR16: Dohnányi, Cleveland Orchestra / Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 4 (1994) DR16: Luiz Bonfá / Non-Stop to Brazil [HDtracks] (2007) DR16: McCoy Tyner / Nights Of Ballads & Blues [SACD] (2011) DR16: Pierre Boulez, The Cleveland Orchestra / Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 4 (2000) DR17: Dohnányi, Cleveland Orchestra / Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 1 (1990) DR18: Anne-Sophie Mutter / Modern - Disk-03 (1994) DR18: Leonidas Kavakos / Sibelius: Violin Concerto (Original & Final Version) (1991) DR18: Mauricio Kagel / Exotica, Tactil (1990)
I remember one classical disc that featured an assortment of the various classical keyboards that preceded the modern piano: forte-piano, harpsichord, some others. The relative volumes of the keyboards were not normalized, so that the listener could appreciate the differences between the instruments. I assume this disc had tremendous dynamic range! The point was to hear some of the core keyboard repertoire as listeners would have heard it throughout history, as opposed to our contemporary standard of a grand piano, either in a concert hall or multi-miked recording. You had to really crank up the earlier keyboards to get anything out of the speakers. But if you didn't back off the volume as the disc progressed to larger, more modern pianos, you were blown out of the room.
