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

Producer and guitarist T Bone Burnett has developed a new physical audio format that he’s named Ionic Originals.

Aiming to surpass the playback quality of both CD and vinyl, one-of-a-kind Ionic Originals are created by painting lacquer onto an aluminium disc, which is then played via a stylus like a standard record.

Burnett claims it 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.”

However, quite exactly how the new discs represent “the first breakthrough in analog sound reproduction in more than 70 year” remains unclear.

In order to test out the new technology, Burnett has brought Bob Dylan on board to re-record some of his music. The recordings are not currently available, and no further information or release date on them has been publicly confirmed.

The Dylan recordings appear to be the first in a line of releases on the new format, with Burnett launching a new company, NeoFidelity, Inc., to work with “artists across a wide range of musical genres and provide a platform of distribution for Ionic Originals.”

Photo by: Jason Myers