A new vinyl-CD hybrid format is being developed in the US

US Music Producer and former bandmate of legendary artist Bob Dylan, T Bone Burnett, is developing a new hybrid analogue audio format that combines vinyl and CD.

The new high-definition format, called ‘Ionic Originals’, uses a combination of lacquer and aluminium to craft what Burnett describes as “the pinnacle of recorded sound.”

Speaking in detail about his creation, Burnett says: “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 aluminium 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.”

Although he refers to the new format as “the first breakthrough in analogue sound reproduction in more than 70 years”, Burnett added no further detail on how it presents any benefit over the conventional CD format – which surpassed vinyl records some decades ago.

In terms of testing the new format, Burnett has enlisted the help of former bandmate and global icon Bob Dylan to re-record some of his records. The recordings are currently unavailable, and no information has been shared about how people may access these recordings to hear the quality for themselves.

Regardless, Bob Dylan’s recordings look to be the first of many new releases scheduled by Burnett’s newly founded NeoFidelity, Inc., which pledges to work with “artists across a wide range of musical genres and provide a platform of distribution for Ionic Originals”.

With vinyl sales at their highest in three decades in 2021, it seems a little ill-timed and an intriguing approach from Burnett. Time will tell what Ionic Originals has to offer, but the vision seems vividly bold.