New Analog Technology???

“An Ionic Original is the pinnacle of recorded sound. It is archival quality. It is future-proof. It is one of one. Not only is an Ionic Original the equivalent of a painting, it is a painting. It is lacquer painted onto an aluminum disc, with a spiral etched into it by music. This painting, however, has the additional quality of containing that music, which can be heard by putting a stylus into the spiral and spinning it.”

Huh. Sure sounds like... an LP....

I have huge respect for T-Bone, but this sounds amazingly like the hype surrounding Pono. There are 2 ways to record- analog tape or digital in various forms. And direct to disc of course.  All this new system can do is bring us closer to the master tape or file, which is good, but I think our current top recordings get fairly close now. But that Pono-type hype just bothers me. 

Shouldn't we be holding our breath for the Tekton process?

The article is in Variety. It’s not directed towards audiophiles.  Sounds like something for the hipsters spinning vinyl because they think it’s cool. I don’t want to seem overly negative about it, but it just sounds like a load of bulls@hit.

According to these (2)  quotes from the article:

"new ultra-high-fidelity medium"

"newly developed discs that advance the art of recorded sound and mark the first breakthrough in analog sound reproduction in more than 70 years.”

Kinda says audiophile to me, but that's just me, I guess?

Sounds like a new player will be required.  Maybe the equivalent to an analog blu-ray?  Count me out if I can't play it on my existing turntable.

Reminds me of the prelaunch hype that surrounded the Segway.

How did that turn out?

One thing I will guarantee is that whatever it is, it will cost a small fortune.

actually sounds a LOT like laserdisk....

They're just lacquers. The only difference that I can sus out is that the lacquer is applied to an aluminum disc vs lacquer all the way through. In other words, it's more of a hybrid than something new.

....personally, I've tired of holding my breath over new audio SOTA.

When it rears its' appearance at somewhere I can go hear it without a major trek to do so....*shrug*

If it wasn't at AXPONA....seems 'hipster hype' is a good guess... ;)

Let's toss HD Vinyl into the mix, shall we?

https://hdvinyl.org/hd-vinyl-benefits/

…does it come with the pops and hiss?

Assuming this isn't just false news, the most interesting aspect is that Dylan recently recorded new versions of at least an LPs? worth of old repertoire.

Why would he want to do this for a small private company, even if it is run by an old mate?  Having sold his composing rights, interestingly T-Bone will be paying royalties to money-men.

If the news is real, I guess we shouldn't be looking forward to great vocal reinterpretations at this stage.

Anyhow, BD will be 81 next month, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB!

@mofimadness, your article reminded me of something I read some months back regarding Direct Metal Mastering (DMM) - see link below:

I am squarely in the digital domain these days, but the process described in the article seems intriguing enough.  What’s implied is that the closer one gets to the mother disk, the higher quality the musical reproduction.

Maybe a major tangent - while fidelity is clearly inferior to today’s standards, I am intrigued by the presence of many acoustic non-electronic recordings (Caruso, Louis Armstrong, etc.).  One might argue that subsequent electronic-based technologies always add some level of distortion.  Question:  could one improve on the old Edison cylinder or 78 non-electric technologies and bring them to modern standards?

Just a thought.

Gorm

One duo is releasing a new song on a 4 minute cylinder.

And Vulcan is releasing something.

I'm squarely in the "sounds like he's invented the record player" camp.

Velly intaresting!

My brother-in-law and fellow audiophile just clued me into this alleged new analog recording & reproduction process. There’s really not a lot of information to go on for this Pinnacle method. It sounds a little like Mobile Fidelity’s Ultradisc One-Step process stamped on aluminum discs, rather than PVC. I’d be interested in learning what advantages, if any, aluminum would have over PVC LP’s. One question I would have for Mr. T Bone is: why have an old croaker like Mr. Zimmerman re-record some of his music to debut this alleged new process? Even in his prime, Mr. Zimmerman wasn’t exactly noted for being an accomplished musician or a fine vocalist. Now, he seems to have learned how to keep his guitars in tune and stay in key, for the most part, but he sounds more like an old bullfrog than ever. Don’t get me wrong! I love Dylan! I’ve got some of his older albums. However, his "music", so to speak, was always about his powerful lyrics; not musicianship. Those lyrics, simple tunes that any backyard guitarist could play and sing and the 60’s are what propelled him to the Pinnacle of fame.

The HDvinyl process of using a laser to cut a spiral groove in a ceramic disk to make a stamper good for thousands of vinyl pressings without degradation would be a major advance in analog mastering! NO MORE LACQUERS!

They’re just lacquers. The only difference that I can sus out is that the lacquer is applied to an aluminum disc vs lacquer all the way through. In other words, it’s more of a hybrid than something new.

@gregdude

Actually regular lacquers are in fact an aluminum disc that is coated with lacquer; there are no lacquers made that don’t have the aluminum disk inside. The Appollodisk plant burned down a few years ago and is looking like it won’t get rebuilt so now the only source of product like this comes from a guy in his late 80s working out of a garage in Japan.

@atmasphere thank you sir. I wasn't totally sure about lacquer composition. Only that these weren't "new" 

👍

a better mousetrap - who hoo!

I'm pressed to imagine a new "protocol" for an analog recording on a surface. That's more of a digital domain concept.  I suppose there could be some shocking new advance in the recording circuitry, though that doesn't seem too likely.  Aluminum, especially are harder alloy, would possibly allow more precise "peaks and valleys" to be cut into the sides of the groove which with the proper equip could increase resolution.  I'm not ready to start smearing their reputations until I understand more about their idea.  I'm stupid, but not that stupid.

I never ceased to be amazed at the hubris of some people with money and a platform to think that they are uniquely smarter and more knowledgeable than all the scientists and engineers who have trained and worked all their lives on similar and usually much more difficult problems.

I don't know whether to classify this as anti-science or ignorance. The result looks the same.

I hope it’s true and affordable. 

T. Bone has an impeccable resume of producing gorgeous music.  Some of his records are sublime--to me.  I'm certainly going to give him the benefit of the doubt, and let this play out.  

I'm down the reel-to-reel rabbit hole just to get closer to the source when possible. I'd definitely try this even if it cost me something more.  I don't golf. :)

Producing music is much different from developing a recording format. Different skill set.

There is not new technology in analog. As a design engineer I seem it improve components. But there nothing new, lasers, radio waves, tape, records nothing new that has not been done before. The implications that’s there and he’s doing it is bizarre.

So has anything ever come of this?