In the name of preserving and promoting decent sound quality (i.e. not the crappy & highly compressed MP3 files or substandard CDs that most people listen to now) a number of artists are pushing formats that will enhance the experience of listening to music for those of us who give a damn.Among them, producer and musician T Bone Burnett is promoting a new project called Code, which according to a recent article in Rolling Stone, "aims to do for music what THX did for
movie-theater sound".
Apparently the first "code albums" will be upcoming releases from John Mellencamp and Elvis Costello. In addition to containing a regular CD, these releases will also include a DVD with superior audio quality and range, as well as an AAC file ripped straight from the masters that will even give the iPod crowd decent sound quality.
For audiophile geeks like me this is welcome news, especially considering that the SACD format that I loved so much has died a slow and painful death. It is amazing really that as the ability to share and transport music has improved vastly, the quality has decreased proportionately.
I suppose that convenience of a having a gazillion songs at your immediate disposal comes at a cost, though I am glad to hear that there will soon be some decent options again for those of who are interested in sitting back and enjoying the experience of having a piece of music take us to another place.
2 comments:
Hey, I just saw your comment on my site. Thanks very much. I could definitely use the plug. And judging from the artists in your Blogger profile, I think our musical tastes are pretty compatible.
The T-Bone story was interesting, too. I hope more and more artists do this.
There's absolutely no reason why most major label CDs should sound as lousy as they do.
I recently listened to the DVD audio version of Springsteen's Devils And Dust which came in the same jewel box as the CD for no extra cost, and the sound quality is clearly superior.
Yet, oddly enough, you can choose a different audio track on the DVD audio disc, and it sounds just as compressed and distorted as the CD. :rolls eyes:
For a minute there I was hoping you were going to say they were bringing back LPs.
CD is probably the best we can hope for.
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