Are there any standard test tracks for audio codecs? I mean something as classic as Lena for testing image processing?

Moderation: Moved from Development - (fb2k) forum.

Are you interested in implemented a new audio codec or a foobar2000 decoder component? In the former case, the lossy or lossless audio codecs forums would be a better place for that question.

I'm interested in testing 'new' codec implementations (actually testing various lossless algorithms and how they behave with different types of audio data - just for educational use. I managed to make a collection of my own samples, but my thesis supervisor asked me to look for some 'standard samples', if they exist).

does this help?

Well, this is the only one I know.

This is the classic test disc:

http://www.ebu.ch/en/technical/publication...h3253/index.php

also found here:
http://andrew.csie.ncyu.edu.tw/html/mpeg4/...sqam/index.html


Advice about test CDs is here:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep03/articles/testcd.htm
... but not strictly for lossy encoding.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
David.

But "Tom's Diner" is good for testing mp3 (and maybe other lossy codecs), not lossless.

Thanks for all the links. I will probably use some of the EBU test waves.

Maybe I'm just blind, but I cannot find the license for the use of those samples explicitly listed anywhere. Do you happen to know the exact licensing of those files?

This is at the bottom of the first link:
Acknowledgements
The EBU gratefully acknowledges the authorisation given by the following recording companies for the reproduction of excerpts from their Compact Discs



TrackExcerpt from(P)Notice55Philips 420 203-21987Phonogram Int. B.V.56Polydor 823 497-21984Polydor Int. GmbH - Hamburg57Polydor 823 497-21984Polydor Int. GmbH - Hamburg58Philips 810 027-21981Nippon Phonogram, Tokyo59Denon C37-70051982.10Nippon Columbia61Philips 411 461-21984Phonogram Int. B.V.62Philips 400 019-21981Phonogram Int. B.V.63Decca 410 210-21985The Decca Record Co. Ltd., London64EMI CDC 7 47100 21980EMI Records Ltd.65Philips 400 072-21982Phonogram Int. B.V.66Decca 414 202-21984The Decca Record Co. Ltd., London67DG 415 669-21986Polydor Int. GmbH, Hamburg69Polydor 800 011-2 1981Polar Music Int.l A.B., Stockholm70CD 810 027-21981Eddie Rabbit, USA
Thanks are also due to the Institut für Rundfunktechnik and the Bayerischer Rundfunk for their compilation of the original test sequences and the editing of the digital master tape.

Bleh, I read that but didn't interpret it properly. So the copyrights are maintained but the EBU has the right to disseminate. I was a bit confused. I was hoping they'd be public domain so I could sample some of them.

No, the credits listed by GHammer are for the commercial tracks on that disc, which are not included on that website.

I can't remember what the license is for the EBU/IRT recorded tracks. I did have the original disc once, but now only have the .wavs I ripped from it.

Ah, but the CD inlay is here...
http://www.ebu.ch/CMSimages/en/tec_doc_t3253_tcm6-10525.pdf
...and it says nothing! I'm sure there was more with the CD than that - for one thing it had a stylised SQAM + ear logo on the front which isn't there.

Cheers,
David.

For lossless, I'd consider a hearing test pointless, since you'd be comparing copies of the source file over and over
again -> lossless. File comparison should do the job for that, i.e. to tell if it is really lossless.
Otherwise you'd be judging the quality of the source recording, let it be SQAM or anything else.
Cheers