By: Kevin (@Prufesuroak)
In the light of Tom Petty releasing his whole catalog in Hi-res 24bit 96kHz (24 bit depth processing and 96kHz sampling rate), which brings out the intricate little details that were previously unheard outside of the band themselves, producers and select few who were blessed with hearing the recordings. You would be surprised how much improved audio quality can breath life into songs you’ve listen to a million times. So I thought it would be a good idea to recommend this album.
The album that I’m going to recommend is Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s 2010 release; Mojo. The album the most guitar centric album that Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s have ever had. The album really let Mike Campbell to breathe and bring out his Mojo (hah.. hah..). “I Should’ve Known It” opens with a monstrous riff that instantly does it’s magic on you. Followed by the loose drums from Steve Ferrone and coupled with that patented Tom Petty slurred vocals. The whole album really plays around in that instrument driven songs that fit for “Driving Music” as Petty often speaks of as his goal when writing music.
Back to the Hi-Res release, the jump from the 16 bit 44.1kHz files I was used to listening to the now 24bit 96kHz files I listened to was quite astounding. Not only did the higher quality sample breathe more life into the music, they brought out an energy that wasn’t always present. Now, I don’t want to be the guy that thinks that music has no energy, because It does. You can feel the music with any level of quality but having more data being sent means that your speakers will have more to push, moving air really does have a more instant, physical effect that wasn’t always there.
“To allow for full dynamic range, and to let the music “breathe” the Hi-Res versions have about 6-8db less digital level than a typical “loud” peak-limited CD or mp3. To enjoy these albums to their fullest extent, play them back though a good system and turn up the volume.” said Ryan Ulyate, who remastered the whole catalog.
Now I have what I would consider a very modest set up but even then I could immediately hear an undeniable difference. A big hurdle with trying to play any file is that if your hardware can actually present it accurately and whether on you can actually discern a difference. But if you’ve got a decent stereo or a decent pair of headphones (at the minimum) then you should check it out.