Pettys vinyl/CD experiment has audiophiles in mind

Tag : vinyl cd

T om Petty channeled his 20-year-old self while recording the belateddebut of his recently reunited, pre-Heartbreakers band Mudcrutch.This meant writing early ’70s-style country rock, recordingthe old-fashioned way (without headphones and overdubs), and doinga vinyl pressing of the album.
But the vinyl release of the self-titled Mudcrutch album comes witha modern twist.
Along with the double LP, fans get an audiophile CD made from theuncompressed master tapes used to make the vinyl. Unlike the CDreleased in late April, this is a new version that aims toreplicate the full dynamic audio range of the LP.
Why two CDs? Why confuse or enrage fans who will have to buyMudcrutch again (and pay more than twice the price of theconventional CD) if they want to hear the music the way Pettyintended it to sound?
“There’s obviously always going to be a difference ofopinion over what sounds best to different people,” saidWarner Brothers executive Tom Biery, who oversees the label’svinyl catalog. “We wanted to give people a choice toexperience the music the way they want to,” Biery said.
If you’re not a stereo geek with a $10,000 hi-fi, you mightscratch your head comparing the two CDs. On an average soundsystem, the main difference is that the original, compressed CDsounds better - or at least louder (Almost all consumer CDs arecompressed, which means the volume of soft sounds is increased andloud sounds decreased).
That’s why the audiophile CD comes with this advice:“Put it on a high quality system and turn it up!” Thoseare words vinyl guru Michael Fremer loves to see.
“You can absolutely hear a difference between the twoCDs,” said Fremer of Stereophile magazine. “It’snot a gimmick. It’s an attempt to educate the consumers abouthow dynamic range sounds. The stupid loud wars have ruined a lot ofreleases by compressing all dynamics out of an album. But peoplelike Tom Petty know what sounds good.”
Biery concurs.
“(The difference between the CDs) isn’t a dramaticthing on normal systems, but there are subtle differences,”Biery said. “Certain choruses have more punch, certain kickdrums are brighter on the uncompressed CD.”
Maybe you can’t hear a difference on your boombox or iPod.But artists and labels believe a growing number of listeners careabout these subtle sonic differences.
The vinyl release of Beck’s new “Modern Guilt”comes with a similar audiophile bonus. Instead of a CD, the LPincludes a code for a “needle drop” download.
“Beck thought it would be cool idea to give vinyl fans thevinyl listening experience in a mobile format,” said Beckspokesman Eliot Wadsworth. “(The downloads are) hi-fidelityMP3s (320 kbps) that are generated from the vinyl. In other words,you hear the needle drop on that first track.”
More sound-obsessed artists are sure to follow Beck andPetty’s lead.
Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham may be Warner’s nextartist to embrace the dual compressed-and-uncompressed releasestrategy when his new solo album, “Gift of Screws,”drops Sept. 16.
“I don’t know when we’ll do this again,”Biery said, “but I had Lindsey in my office last week and wewere playing the masters and they sound unbelievable. This may bethe perfect next release for an audiophile-CD-and-vinylcombo.”