Axiom Home Page
Posted By: Nick B Best Demo Material for Home Theater System. - 07/16/10 06:33 PM
Many times magazines and online articles mention different movies that would be good demo material. But, when I've used such things when people come over to the house and want to see and hear what my system can do, it's usually pretty mixed results.

Here's what I have noticed. If there are older folks, like my parents or in-laws that want a demo, they could care less about some big action/adventure/sci-fi/ fantasy movie, which is where all of the good demo scenes come from. But, if you get a concert Blu-ray disc, as long as it is an artist that they like, then they are much more likely to enjoy it. The same goes for most women as well. Most don't really get excited about explosions, guns and car chases.

I find concert Blu-rays almost better than being there. Since there isn't a big selection that you can rent, I've been just purchasing them and, like I said, when someone comes over and wants to check out my system they make a very nice demo.

There are a few movies that should work universally well for almost anyone that wants a demo: Master and Commander chapter 4, Jurassic Park when the T-Rex is creeps up on the car in the dark (but there isn't a Blu-ray out yet).
Posted By: Jc Re: Best Demo Material for Home Theater System. - 07/16/10 07:19 PM
Originally Posted By: nickboros
. . . I find concert Blu-rays almost better than being there . . .


I totally agree, concerts on Blu-ray ( Celine Dion, Hit Man-David Foster, Diana Krall) and other quality ones will win your auditioners over all the time.

After being a shortwhile without having watched them; I'm still getting impressed every time.
finding nemo, when darla is thumping on the fish tank, use to be VERY popular, as far as the "bass" demo goes, depending on what sub you have, that scene can rattle the plates in the kitchen if your not careful.... i know cause i did this with my ep-600.....
This is another topic that would benefit from a sticky. It comes up periodically.

I tried search, but it does not work much better than before.
Originally Posted By: fredk

I tried search, but it does not work much better than before.


i have yet to do a successful search with this forum software.....
Which is a strong endorsement of stickys, but for some reason, they are not of interest here.
I love Blue-Ray concerts.
One of the suggestions I got is Eagles Hell Freezes Over! I was delaying the purchase but since my speakers have been shipped now I guess I will just go to Amazon and order it now! smile
If you play these "concert Blu-rays" on a stereo (or 2.1) system, do they still sound good? Does a surround system make a significant difference with these recordings?
Posted By: bdpf Re: Best Demo Material for Home Theater System. - 07/16/10 08:35 PM
I agree, I hope they'll release is on Blu ray one day. I also like Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Live at Radio city Hall, the best BD recording I've heard on BD so far.
WOTW's Tri-pod scene on the BR version is incredible. Even the parts where the laser starts blowing people to ashes is shockingly good. I don't care who hears that, they will be blown away. It was my favorite on SD DVD before HD audio, then many others topped it. Now it's back to my #1 spot.

I agree with Bruno. Great disk.

Too bad Eric Clapton’s Crossroads isn’t on BR. That’s one fine concert DVD for just about anyone.
Henry,
Concert Blu Rays usually have a stereo PCM option. They sound great on 2 channel.
Posted By: CV Re: Best Demo Material for Home Theater System. - 07/17/10 04:37 AM
Originally Posted By: Jc
I totally agree, concerts on Blu-ray ( Celine Dion, Hit Man-David Foster, Diana Krall) and other quality ones will win your auditioners over all the time.


JC, what are the chances some of us can check out your home theater when we travel up to Axiom for the 30th anniversary gathering? I'm assuming you're not too far, right?
Nine Inch Nails - Beside you in Time Blu-Ray with TrueHD and a 118 inch projector screen. It's like I'm back at the concert again but I can see Trent a little better. I've never heard a better live concert recording.

"Queen - We will rock you" Live in Montreal (1982) is a close second. Freddie Mercury was such a talented guy! What a voice!

For movies, use the Avatar bluray. The first 5 minutes are spectacular.
I thought the first Live Aid was so boring. Until Queen got on stage.
In addition to the Dave and Tim bluray mentioned, the John Mayer Where the Light is Bluray is one amazing sounding concert bluray!
One demo disk that I "REALLY LIKE" but it doesn't get any air time here is BARAKA. I watched it again last night and I get blown away by the video and sound everytime I watch it.
Posted By: CV Re: Best Demo Material for Home Theater System. - 07/17/10 09:04 PM
I was just re-watching chapter 18, "Cease-fire," on the Children of Men Blu-ray, where they're slowly walking out the building. Lots of nice ambient sound and lulling music, then suddenly you remember you're in a war zone again with some nice explosions and gunfire. Lots of energy from my EP800s. The sound design of the whole movie has always impressed me. I think I'll use that scene the next time I show off my system.

As far as concert Blu-rays, I still haven't found the one I want to demo. I keep hoping Regina Spektor will release one. I'm still surprised Björk hasn't released anything on Blu-ray considering how many DVD releases she's had. I think Rodrigo y Gabriela and Bat For Lashes could make good concert Blu-rays, and they're popular enough to get sales. Not that I think smaller artists should shy away from the format. I would love to see a lot of my favorite bands get Blu-ray releases.
I was pleasantly surprised this afternoon after my wife insisted on stealing my main LP to listen to Enya and Evanescence. This unexplainable sense of calmness took over, and I sank into the sofa. All the wife said was wow!
As I have been reading some forums I stumbled across one movie called Haunting. Have any of you guys ever watched it?
Are you referring to the movie "The Haunting"? there are a couple of versions of the movie, the original from the early '60's and a remake in the late 90's.
I guess it is the same movie I mentioned. I will have to wait till I get my dvd to check it out.
Baraka is most definitely fantastic. I watched Cloverfield the other day and it has an impressive soundtrack with loads of LFE. The opening scene that is supposed to be monster footsteps, rattles my entire room.
Because in this case it WAS ACTUALLY MONSTER FOOTSTEPS OUTSIDE YOUR ROOM!!!!

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Baraka has a little bit of everything. Audio wise, there is some background music through a lot of it, with a flute type of music and bells. There is a huge explosion. Some nature sounds with running water and waterfalls. There's a storm with lots of thunder. There's 2 or 3 groups of native people dancing and singing. There are many different countries. There are intricate temples to look at, inside and out. There are several time lapse shots. This is one blu-ray that I never get tired of watching and listening to.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians while not a great movie has some great LFE.
NIN-Besides you in Time is masterful in its immersion and atmosphere.

Star Trek: Awesome visuals and sound
Watchmen: Great movie with amazing sonics and visuals.
Dark City: same as above
Avatar: Nuff Said
Speaking of BR concerts, there's a couple of SD concerts I currently have that I would absolutely love to have in BR and I don't believe they are available in BR...

EC's - 'One More Car, One More Rider' and 'Live in Hyde Park'
Both '04 and '07 Crossroads
Cream - 'Royal Albert Hall'
Pink Floyd - 'PULSE'
Sade - 'Live'

And of course - Anything from Stevie Ray Vaughan (especially 'El Mocambo')

I can't understand why so many crappy movies/shows/concerts get put to Blu Ray where so many good ones do not. It can't be just about $$ if you look at some of the flops on BR.
Maybe they are saving the best for last Adrian! laugh
I know Cream - 'Royal Albert Hall' was shot in HD.....

Edit:
Will HD-DVD do? smile
Mark I use that as one of my reference DVD's ... Crossroads and Ginger doing his drum solo on Toad is incredible. That disc actually has pretty decent video as it is, is it available in BR? If so, I haven't seen it.
HD-DVD will work perfectly fine for me Mark, I still have the old A2 and exercise it occasionally.
I got this list from SVS FAQs.

* "3D Atom Bomb" Big booms, atomic style. Prepare yourself, and your sub.
1. "15 Megatons", Chap. 4 (0:50:01)

* "Aliens" Not just another modern sci-fi horror classic, this one rocks from intro to final scene.
1. "THX Intro" *
2. "Express elevator to hell", Scene 9 (41:20) *
3. "Awakenings", Scene 15 (1:12:52)
4. "Marines we are leaving!", Scene 15 (1:19:45)*
5. "Drop ship explodes", Scene 17 (1:24:49)*

* "Alien v. Predator" The end of a franchise, or rather, two. Lots of great bass, just don't plan to get cozy with the protagonists, or even figure out who they are.
1. "Laser Beam Mining", Scene 5 (00:13:40) *
2. "Lift Off", Scene 27 (01:27:35) *

* "Alien 4" Call it curse of the sequel(s) it has some cool bass, so we'll watch it anyway.
1. "Betty Flies In", Scene 5 (13:09)

* "Antz" Another good family movie, though not perhaps for small children. Extremely loud bass above 30 Hz.
1. "Terror from Above", Scene 17 (51:48)

* "Apollo 13" Moving story, with some surprisingly subtle, but revealing, bass where it counts.
1. "Lift off", Scene 13 (35:12)*
2. "Re-entry", Scene 53 (2:05:20)*

* "Apocalypse Now" Making This Vietnam war movie, Francis Ford Copolla nearly went crazy...imagine what it'll do to your subwoofer!
1. "Chopper ride" Scene 2 (0:19:47)*
2. "ARC LIGHT" Scene 4 (0:26:02)*
3. "Grenade launch" Scene 12 (1:27:58)

* "Atlantis Lost Empire" More Disney animation, this time with some killer bass.
1. "Leviathan Moves", Scene 5 (0:20:53)*

* "Attack of the Clones" Follows in the deep, off the map bass of Phantom Menace.
1. "Ship explodes", Scene 3 (0:3:19)*

* "Backdraft" One of the first DVDs out, with smokin' bass
1. "Dad", Scene 1 (4:30)
2. "Check that door", Scene 10 (1:19:05)

* "Basketball Diaries" Thunder that should sound and feel real.
1. "Thunder", Scene 8 (37:53)

* "Blade" Not one for the kiddies, but loaded with deep bass.
1. "Footstep", Scene 4 (7:15)*
2. "Pinned", Scene 4 (9:05)*
3. "Invitation?" Scene 17 (41:20)*
4. "Door blown" Scene 20 (50:05)*

* "Blue Man Group" The Boys in Blue, with characteristically dynamic bass that has to be felt to be believed..
1. "PVC", (IV: 0:9:50)*

* "Braveheart" Mel Gibson directs himself in this brutally realistic depiction of war and intrigue, and not a little bass!
1. "Knocking on the Door", Scene 12 (1:39:30)
2. "Cavalry Charge", Scene 11 (1:26:50)

* "Broken Arrow" Another "military out of control" flick, but lot's of deep stuff.
1. "Underground explosion", Scene 13 (1:08:50)

* "Butterfly Effect" Creepy "what if" story that twists and turns right to the end.
1. "Opening sequence", Scene 1 (0:01:05)*
2. "I'll come back...", Scene 11 (0:54:55)*

* "Castaway" Proof that one actor can carry a movie, and that ultra low, ultra demanding bass is everywhere these days.
1. "Brace for impact!", Scene 8 (0:26:01)*
2. "Engine splash", Scene 8 (0:27:43)*

* "Contact" SETI with a (bass) twist or two along the way.
1. "Bombing", Scene 28 (1:36:30)
2. "Space truckin", Scene 33 (1:55:56)

* "The Core" Another "the world as we know it is about to end" movie... but one with unusually aggressive low frequency effects!
1. "Destruction of Rome", Scene 9 (0:49:26)*
2. "Golden Gate Bridge Breaks", Scene 14 (1:30.56)*

* "Dark City" One of Roger Ebert’s favorites; think he likes bass too?
1. "Let the tuning commence", Scene 8 (34:30)
2. "City makeover", Scene 15 (1:27:45)

* "Das Boot" Arguably one of the best war pictures of all time with bass dipping under 20 Hz. Very loud, very intense.
1. "Depth charges", Scene 21 (59:30)
2. "Storm surfing", Scene 25 (1:15:15)
3. "Hitting bottom", Scene 17 (53:15, Side "B")

* "The Day After Tomorrow" More end of days theme, that'll have you signing the Kyoto Accords as a private citizen. Flash frozen movie that was better than expected.
1. "Freezing", Scene 12 (0:40:20)*
2. "Tidal wave", Scene 14 (0:49:05)*
3. "Tanker on the boulevard", Scene 16 (01:02:55)*

* "Dawn of the Dead" Remake of the original zombie cult-classic. Some bass good enough to wake the dead, of course.
1. "Opening flame sequence", Scene 1 (0:00:40)*
2. "Explosion", Scene 18 (01:35:50)*
3. "Another explosion", Scene 19 (01:42:01)*

* "Detroit Rock City" More proof that stunning digital bass tracks can show up where you least expect them.
1. "Oh Chungo...." Scene 12 (53:50)

* "Fahrenheit 9-11" Politically incorrect, and unabashedly biased documentary about the "war on terrorism". Surprising bass passages.
1. "Fireworks", Scene 1 (0:00:30)*
2. "Credits", Scene 4 (0:13:46)*
3. "Bombing begins", Scene 16 (01:09:30)*

* "Fight Club" Dark, brutal, shocking. And that's just the bass. Strong below 10Hz. Take your gloves off. Wimpy subs don't even try this.
1. "THX Intro" *
2. "Mid-air collision" Chapter 8 (0:21:39)*
3. "Ass-whippin" Chapter 9 (0:21:59)
4. "Calling Marla" Chapter 10 (0:27:29)*
5. "Fridge explosion" Chapter 10 (0:27:35)*
6. "Car wreck" Chapter 27 (1:40:28)*
7. "My eyes are open" Chapter 35 (2:13:00)
8. "Final explosions" Chapter 36 (2:15:31)*

* "Final Destination 2" Horror thriller that will have you putting your seatbelt on, always.
1. "Logs hit highway", Scene 2 (0:10:09)*

* "Finding Nemo" The usual stunning Disney animation, with a nice story for the entire family. If you have an SVS and you are playing at theater levels, get ready for some SERIOUS bass.
1. "Darla taps the tank", Scene 25 (1:18:14)*

* "Godzilla" That's right, the big lizard flick does more than just tear up NYC, it brings you some very good deep bass. Even the menu for this one is something of a bass reference!
1. Menu, building crumbling*
2. "Godzilla enters harbor" Chapter 8 (0:25:23)*
3. "Godzilla emerges from subway" Chapter 15 (1:20:30)*

* "The Haunting" Dark, spooky, bassy:
1. Menu (Intro)
2. "Coming mother!" Scene 10 (38:08)
3. "The cold" Scene 10 (39:18)

* "Heat" The "spare no one" heist movie. Lock and load!
1. "Gun blasts in car" Chapter 32 (1:48:20)*

* "The Hulk" BTE (Better Than Expected) remake of the old comic book and TV show. Some dynamic bass, and plenty of mayhem ... all combined with a love story!
1. "Hulk jumps on a plane", Scene 25 (1:47:43)*
2. "Hulk pounds the pavement", Scene 26 (1:51:16)*

* "Ice Age" BTE (Better Than Expected) animation flick which, like The Iron Giant below, is remarkable perhaps because it's not from Disney!
1. "Squirrel races from a glacier", Scene 1 (0:02:33)*

* "The Incredibles" Typical Pixar Studios animation perfection. Adults, kids, anyone can watch this DVD and have a great time. Some well done, heart-stopping bass. Recording levels uneven during previews and movie intro. Sound is right on feature however.
1. "Building comes down", Scene 6 (0:22:59)*
2. "Syndrome", Scene 13 (0:52:01)*
3. "Ouch", Scene 15 (0:58:15)*
4. "Sticky balled", Scene 16 (01:02:30)*

* "Independence Day" Dark comedy thriller with the feel-good ending, and most importantly, strong bass below 20Hz.:
1. "Intro spaceship flyover" Scene 1 (0:2:12)
2. "Time's Up" Scene 24 (0:51:55)
3. "Got Airbags?" Scene 31 (1:05:15)

* "The Iron Giant" Great family animation with SERIOUS bass, including very strong peaks below 25 Hz. Jump to:
1. "The Giant Sits Down" Scene 8 (0:20:01)
2. "Robot Landing" (Train Impact) Scene 10 (25:41)
3. "Green Boom" Scene 27 (1:11:40)

* "Jumanji" A fresh thrill-a-minute movie you can watch with the family (though not the toddlers!). One of the first state of the art DVD's with bass that still embarrasses some newer fare.
1. "Big Cat" Scene 9 (0:29:01)
2. "Stampede" Scene 14 (0:59:16)

* "Jurassic Park III" After the the second "JP" expectations were low for the third in the series. Better than the second, by far, but still short of the original. Splendid bass however.
1. "T-Rex Lunch", Scene 6 (0:26:30)*
2. "Dueling dinosaurs", Scene 6 (0:26:49)*

* "K19" If you needed another reason not to join the defunct USSR Navy, here you go! Ensure all audience members can handle the intense action plus graphical depictions of radiation burns.
1. "In case I die", Scene 4 (0:36:11)*

* "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings" Those not familiar with the story will have to pay attention very closely... or don't bother ...and just bask in state of the art sound and some of the deepest bass yet put on DVD.
1. "Ring drops", Scene 1 (0:03:49)*
2. "Sauron Explodes", Scene 1 (0:04:04)*
3. "Skeleton falls into well", Scene 8 (0:27:39)*

* "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" A rare thing, a sequel that's done at least as well as its predecessor. With stunning siege and battle scenes, and naturally, bass worthy of the SVS "Bassy Scenes" Hall of Fame.
1. "Gandalf falls", Scene 1 (0:02:48)*
2. "Black riders", Scene 14 (0:49:42)*
3. "Gandalf slays Balrog", Scene 15 (0:53:54)*
4. "Oliphants charge", Scene 30 (1:44:52)*

* "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" The epic finale of the famed Lord of the Rings trilogy. If your sub can handle this DVD it really is "precious".
1. "Green light" Chapter 11 (0:41:40)*
2. "Undead King" Chapter 27 (01:27:22)*
3. "Shelob" Chapter 33 (01:51:40)*
4. "Olephant charge, again" Chapter 42 (2:12:48)*
5. "Mount Doom" Chapter 53 (2:40:50)*

* "Lost In Space" Yes, an oft times cheesy feature film remake... of the oft times cheesy "classic" TV Sci-Fi show. Forget the CGI "monkey" and watch for this bass!:
1. Menu (Intro)
2. "Fighter Launch" Scene 1 (0:1:10)*
3. "Showtime" Scene 1 (0:02:25)*
4. "Exiting Hyperspace" Scene 11 (0:36:15)*

* "Mask of Zorro" The last of the opening music is decaying in mid chart. The the opening logo then turns to fire...and the bottom of the chart shows a great 25hz signal as the fire burns:
1. Opening Logo Scene 1 (0:0:50)
2. "Explosion" Scene 27 (2:04:53

* "The Matrix" Modern, violent, science fiction thriller with plenty of shoot-’em-up bass blasts. Here’s some subtle and not so subtle.
1. "Where we are grown" Scene 12 (0:42:55)
2. "Landing in fight", Scene 15 (50:51)
3. "Chopper explosion" Scene 31 (1:51:11)

* "The Matrix Reloaded" Baffling yet still intriguing story of future.. real, cyber, and quasi-religious sci-fi all mixed up. Any surprise there's some intense bass in there?
1. "Door to the source", Scene 26 (1:38:23)*
2. "It's the hammer", Scene 34 (2:05:15)*

* "Minority Report" Tom Cruise carries this future sci-fi thriller and uses loads of believable technology to do it. Worth the rental even if only for the stellar "factory scene".
1. "Pulse gun in the factory", Scene 9 (0:52:29)*

* "Monsters Inc." Masterful PIXAR animation. Great story for kids or adults and one of the new reference DVD's on audio too.
1. "Ted walks to work", Scene 5 (0:09:01)*
2. "Sock detonation", Scene 12 (0:18:33)*
3. "City block decon", Scene 12 (0:28:23)*
4. "Boo laughs", Scene 13 (0:30:39)*

* "Predator" The Arnold thriller with an unbeatable plot twist (and the Governor of Minnesota like you've never seen him).
1. "Jesse's Gun", Scene 12 (47:43)

* "Resident Evil" Something of a cult classic, end of the world, seriously bad germ flick. If you didn't get enough of Milla Jovovich from The Fifth Element, well, here you go.
1. "T-bone car wreck", Scene 1 (00:05:21) *
2. "Rocket Launcher", Scene 10 (00:38:05) *
3. "Five Kilotons", Scene 24 (01:17:37) *

* "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" The epic finale of the famed Lord of the Rings trilogy. If your sub can handle this DVD it really is "precious"
1. "Green light" Chapter 11 (0:41:40)*
2. "Undead King" Chapter 27 (01:27:22)*
3. "Shelob" Chapter 33 (01:51:40)*
4. "Olephant charge" Chapter 42 (2:12:48)*
5. "Mount Doom" Chapter 53 (2:40:50)*



* "Ronin" Still more plot twists, and some of the wildest car chases put on film. You can see the the graph "anvil" in the 30-45hz range about halfway down the chart. This indicates the signal was so loud at that moment that it went off the scale. Maybe not the lowest bass around, but this has some of the loudest 30-50hz bass on any DVD.

1. "RPG Launch", Scene 13 (44:31)



* "Soldier" OK, so it's not on the AFI "Top 100", but it'll make your subwoofer stand up and salute!

1. "Dumping The Trash", Chap 6, (0:19:25)
2. "Windstorm" Chap 6 (0:19:25)
3. "Planet Killer" Chap 28 / 1:29:54

* "Spy Game" And easily overlooked thriller with action set in China. Some great work by Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. That there would be some demanding audio might be expected.
1. "Chopper crash", Scene 4 (0:25:54)*
2. "Explosion", Scene 17 (1:33.33)*

* "Stargate" A great Sci-Fi DVD, with Kurt Russel as you've seen him many times. Bad to the bone.
1. "Space Traveling", Scene 11 (30:10)

* "Super Speedway" Hanging out with Mario. Bass at the track you can FEEL.
1. "Bump At Speed", Scene 10 (0:16:56)
2. "F1 Closeup", Scene 7 (0:12:45)
3. "Title: Burnin", Title

* "Thirteenth Warrior" Didn't get enough "Antonio"? In the first scene, the top section is the opening...as camera rolls in synch with lighting. You can see most of the bass slopes off....and then the thunder clap hits hard about 8 seconds later (the bottom surge)---the thunder has monster signal at 30hz:
1. "Opening Storm" Scene 1 (0:0:30)
2. "Ambushed" Scene 7 (0:38:27)

* "Terminator 2" Arnold couldn't be a bad buy two times in a row! He did bring some bad bass with him to this killer sequel however.
1. "DVD Intro"
2. "First Footstep" Chap 2 (0:01:40)

* "Titan AE" Fantastic science fiction animation with unreal bass, don't rent this one, buy it!
1. "Ship flyby" Chap 10 (0:36:10)*
2. "Ship engine roar" Chap 10 (0:36:44)*
3. "Drej" Chap 10 (39:50)
4. "Ice Field Part 1" Chap 16 (103:45)*
5. "Ice Field Part 2" Chap 16 (1:04:55)

* "Titanic" You love it...or you hate it. Regardless of which side of the ship you sit, this flick does some serious rumbling for you:
1. "THX Intro"
2. "We can’t leave him" Scene 22 (2:21:50)

* "Toy Story 2" A modern animation classic, and one of the few sequels ever to rival the original movie. More deep bass than we've seen in a while. Serious stuff well below 20Hz! "Monsters Inc." also has a "trailer" prior to Toy Story's start, don't miss it!:
1. "Door knock" (Monsters Inc. trailer)*
2. "Dog growling" (Monsters Inc. trailer)*
3. Opening logo Chap. 1 (0:00:55)*
4. "Aliens explode" Chap. 2 (0:02:30)*
5. "Game over" Chap. 2 (0:04:21)*

* "The Phantom Menace" OK, maybe you hate "Jar Jar Binks" too, but this disk is the KING of killer bass. If you thought you might only want one SVS, you might reconsider after spinning this one. Bass so big it got its own web page! TPM --- Advanced Bass Analysis. Lesser subs don't even try to reproduce most of the bass in this movie. Some highlights:
1. "THX Intro" *
2. "Ambush" Chapter 3 (0:05:12)*
3. "Pod race tunnel exit" Chapter 20 (1:01:40)*

* "U-571" Hollywood's answer to "Das Boot". More underwater explosions that any normal sub(woofer) should be allowed to reproduce.
1. Alarm! Chap. 8 0:40:15
2. "Torpedo hit" Chap 9 (0:47:48)*
3. "They all missed" Chap 9 (0:55:55)*
4. "Plane flyover" Chap 12 (1:06:28)*
5. "Depth Charge" Chap 15 (1:17:34)*

* "Unbreakable" Another Bruce Willis, "what-the-heck-is-going-on-in-THIS-movie?" Sixth Sense-like thriller. Mixed in is the sort of truly disturbing bass that almost by itself creates foreboding tension you have to experience to understand.
1. "Train ride" Chap 1 (0:08:35)*
2. "Walk in the rain" Chap 23 (1:22:55)*

* "Waterworld" A modern curiosity. One of a handful of action DVDs without a dedicated LFE track. A feature sadly missing on this shoot'em up, Kevin Costner flick:
1. "Later cousins" Scene 4 (38:23)
2. "Flare dropped" Scene 12 (1:51:30)
3. "Ship sinking" Scene 13 (1:56:45)

Bass Demo Music
You thought maybe all the good bass was in movies? Think again. Some of the newest, and some of the oldest music you are likely to run into can have prodigious bass that'll put many action flicks to shame! Check out some of these selections below, and feel free to forward any you feel out to be on the list. We'd be happy to measure and add them someday. With SACS and DVD-Audio hitting the mainstream finally, you can find clean and inspiring bass in all sorts of places. Yes, even in the lowly CD!

Since we know you're wondering, we did the low class scandalous stuff first. Finally, we've addressed some of the more well know classical and "pipe organ" music. Just because we know who the "Beastie Boys" are doesn't mean SVS hasn't been caught enjoying Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor! Wonder what sort of bass it takes for music to sound real? Look no further than the below torture tests, and we dare you to admit you have delved into both sections... "Classical" and "Head banger".

Classical repertoire!

* Mahler From the DTS demo DVD.

1. "Mahler's Symphony No. 2" Finale (0:52:50)*

* Tchaikovsky Telarc recording, also from the DTS demo DVD. Can any audio collection be complete without this stirring standard?:

1. "1812 Overture" by the Cincinnati Symphony (0:12:45)*
2. "1812 Overture" Final cannon shots (0:15:06)*

The below selection are from Michael Murray's "Organ Blaster CD" sampler

* Johann Sebastian Bach "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" the quintessential organ bass classic. All below time selections from the Skinner/Schilicker organs, First Congregational Church in Los Angeles:
1. (0:00:31)*
2. (0:07:25)*
3. (0:08:25)*

* Andre' Campra "Riqaudon from Idomeneo" Aeolian-Skinner organ, Church of the Advent, Boston:
1. (0:01:20)*
2. (0:02:45)*

*

Joseph Jongen "Toccata from the Symphonie Concertante", Ruffati organ, Davis Symphony Hall in San Francisco:
1.

(0:02:55)*
2.

(0:03:59)*
3.

(0:04:38)*
4.

(0:06:40)*

* Charles Marie Widor "Toccata from Symphonie No. 5, Opus 42", Aeolian-Skinner organ, Symphony Hall, Boston:
1.

(0:01:45)*
2.

(0:03:45)*
3.

Finale*

* Antonio Soler "The Emperors Fanfare", Aeolian-Skinner organ, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City:
1.

(0:00:30)*
2.

(0:02:17)*

* Cesar Franck "Beaucoup from Grande Piece Symphonique, Opus 17, Cavailli-Coll organ, St. Sernin Basilica, Touloose France:
1.

(0:01:25)*
2.

(0:04:40)*

* Oliver Messiaen "Dieu Parmi Nous from La Nativite", Ruffatti organ, Davies Symphony Hall:
1.

(0:01:56)*
2.

(0:04:45)*
3.

(0:05:42)*

* Josef Rheinberger "Finale fro Concerto in F Major, Opus 137", Willis organ, Royal Albert Hall, London:
1.

(0:01:14)*
2.

(0:03:07)*

* John Cook "Fanfare", Willis organ, Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury England:
1.

(0:03:41)*
2.

(0:05:25)*

* Camille Saint Saens "Maestoso from Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, Opus 78", Church of Saint Francis de Sales, Philidelphia:
1.

(0:00:30)*
2.

(0:05:00)*
3.

(0:07:25)*

Head banger ball!

* Beastie Boys -- "Brass Monkey" Killer 50Hz stuff.

* City of Angels (Soundtrack) -- "Uninvited" The graph shows one "boom" slowly fading, and then the next starts right at the bottom of the graph. Great high 20s bass in this one. If you look closely at the bottom--- you can see the harmonics of the low bass in the actual recording (28/56/84hz peaks).

*

AC/DC -- "Highway to Hell" The little spikes in the upper right is the guitar intro leading into the kick drum. Any musicians might be able to correlate those to music notes. The kick drum starts toward the bottom. One interesting bit of bass trivia -- there's a bit of 10-18hz noise throughout the track. Maybe a defective high-pass filter? Who said audio was boring?

* Metallica "Cunning Stunts" has been something of a head-banger bass standard for some time. See why here:

1. "Enter Sandman" (cannon shot)* Disk 3 Track 3 (0:10:05)
2. "One" (opening gunfire)* Disk 1 Track 7*

* Nine Inch Nails -- "Closer"

* Notorious B.I.G. -- "Dead Wrong" Main bass is 30hz and up...but there's a good bit of signal real low too --- like 10-20Hz low.

* System of a Down -- "Sugar"

* Marilyn Manson -- "Great Big White World" At about 45-55 seconds into the song, check out the synthesized bass bridge. And...the end of the same song (see next chart), as the volume drops quickly and just before DOPE SHOW starts (signified by the burst at the very bottom of the chart). More good synthesized stuff down to the mid 20Hz range.
Whoa.

That's what I call a list right there.
Thanks for taking the time to type all that in(or cut and paste as the case may be), I would have simply put up a link to the list.
I just watched Catbrat's suggestion of Baracka. I saw it years ago and didn't remember much... but it is beautiful. It is drop dead gorgeous. I am going to purchase it. I am rewatching it right now.
© Axiom Message Boards