Non-scientific little poll. Vote with intuition.

[ouroboros]

Poll's here at KVR aren't ever scientific, since we couldn't be considered a random sample. We all share at least one thing in common (visiting KVR) and probably several other things that would make us a distinct demographic. So if you wanted to know if 35% of people surveyed preferred sound file A on first listen, the results here are already skewed anyway.

But I think you'll still get something valid and keep things lighthearted by presenting a listening test and outlining a series of changed variables, and then ask people what they like. Bias is inevitable, but this way we might learn something and still present you with the same data you'd get any other way. We here already know that we are listening for some kind of post-processing change in the music, we might as well know what kind of change. Blindfolded taste tests are merely parlour tricks.

The public linearity of response on a board also skews responses. Shamanns suggestion might yield more useful results without the burden of utter objective accuracy.

[jmh]

Except that if the original hypothesis doesn't even take "random sampling" into consideration. It's all about what the observed/measured thing is and setting the whole research (if I dare use that word) around it.

The problem with this poll is that a lot of people are taking it way more seriously than it's indended - or even presented. Yours truly included

Sadly I can't say more on the subject, apart from... initial assumptions regarding the purpose or intent of a poll can easily skew the results as much as anything else

[kenn]

you guys...

I think the reactions to, and attack on the methodology of the survey is almost as interesting as the outcome of the survey and revelation of the processes.

(side note to bmanic - if you do NOT spill the beans after closing the survey... )

I haven't followed bmanic's other surveys (...Pushtec or whatever?), just this one, so I'm not aware of any "agenda" he might have. Based just on what he's proposed here, i 100% agree with his methodology - "here's 3 samples, listen and vote", being lighthearted about it, teasing even.

What's the problem, people?? Listen to 3 samples and vote, already.

I would respectfully suggest that anyone who is afraid or unwilling to simply listen to 3 samples and make a subjective judgement, based just on what they hear, is unlikely to have much of a career as an engineer or producer.

Just sayin...

[MrM]

C was my vote, because of the enhanced highs that I liked.
I listened to the files on my DAW, using cheap PC speakers.

I'll repeat the test soon, on my larger speakers and on my headphones to see if that would've changed my vote.

[Watto]

I'd be bloody annoyed with you if you closed the poll (or let it drift away) without telling us what we were hearing, bmaniac!

[bmanic]

I'd be bloody annoyed with you if you closed the poll (or let it drift away) without telling us what we were hearing, bmaniac!

Don't worry, I will surely reveal it all but not just yet. Like I said, I need quite a lot of votes for this to even be valid in any way (and I might have already f**ked it up with the little variable that I added).

Cheers!
bManic

[kylen]

Well - it's just me again. This time I took the wav files, copied them to CD and drove up to a desolate hill out here in El Dorado Hills California. Nobody but me and the rattlesnakes...I still am not hearing any difference between A/B/C but I'm still on consumer equipment (at least I got out of the noisey hotel!). I guess that's generally the end of the line for much of today's pop creations any-who, consumer equipment that is. I don't really think I'd hear it much better on my stuff at home which is DAC1, ASP8s and MondoTraps. The difference between hearing and not hearing must be me - I guess my ears have been around the block a few times...

[bmanic]

Naah, the difference is subtle but I'm a bit suprised you don't detect any frequency response differences? It's definately hearable even on my boom box (which totally sucks in representing accurate frequency response).

Keep trying!
bManic

[shamann]

So, what came of this? 45 poll responses, that's over your original number. Do we get the answers yet?

[bmanic]

Didn't I say a minimum of 40? About 100 would be better..

I'll still keep this running for a little while, please have some patience. I just got a new computer so I'll start to set up the next poll (I'm still debating if it's good to tell the reasoning behind this one or not, to get unbiased poll responses next round).

- bManic

[Kingston]

minimise variables, go straight to the core, get results of substance. Indeed you might ruin something if you reveal it all here.

my vote is on poll II.

[shamann]

Bah, you all suck.

[hitman8081]

i vote c. imo c is most bassy and in the highs, most crisp, c also realy brings out the crackle at the end

[xtp]

I thought the differences were so subtle I wondered whether it was a case of autosuggestion at first.

After creating a loop containing of all 3 files and sitting with my eyes closed for a bout 30 mins I came up with this.

A. was more mello
b. I kept hearing a volume dip in the bass in the first 5 sec of this one
c. I thought this was the hardest bass.

As far as which one i thought best is fairly subjective. I normally don't listen to this sort of music, so I dont really feel opinionated on it enough.

After a while b made me feel like improvising over it, especially in the probably-imagined volume hike at the beginning, (I kept thinking another instrument should come in at that point or vocals or something (this maybe influenced by the fact it was at 15 secs because 'A' had already played previously for the first 9 secs))

so I'll vote for bee for no other reason than that.

[bmanic]

Awesome xtp! That's the way to do it.

Cheers!
bManic