RATHER THAN RELEASE ONE ALBUM WITH 12
songs every year, Will Dailey has taken to putting
out EPs as often as he feels like. His latest, Torrent
Vol. 1 and Torrent Vol. 2, not only feature special
guests Roger McGuinn and Elliott Easton, but are
also being presented in CODE, a high-definition
audio format pioneered by T Bone Burnett.
—Matt Blackett
What is CODE?
Burnett: It is a high-fidelity audio standard
and optimization system that we created as a
response to the complete lack of quality controls
in the production, manufacturing, and
distribution of recorded music today.
Dailey: By the time a fan buys a CD or mp3
they are getting a copy of a copy, sometimes
even more. CODE is the highest quality audio
yet delivered to the consumer. It is untarnished
by the manufacturing and distribution process.
Burnett: Today most people are listening
to the equivalent of a Xerox of a Polaroid of a
photograph of a painting. We want listeners to
be able to hear the music as we intended it to
sound when we recorded it.
From a guitar standpoint, what are the sonic
advantages?
Dailey: It allows us to feel confident that
we can capture the sounds of the amps, guitars,
and mics we want and that they will be
conveyed faithfully. Specifically, on Torrent Vol.
1 and 2, the guitars are clean to semi-distorted.
But we captured the overall sounds of the guitars
by blending two close mics on the amp
and having a room mic on each guitar. The guitar
tracks fill out the sound beautifully, and
you’ll hear the spread of the room mics panned
on the other side of the stereo field. Often this
depth is wishful thinking with mp3s, but we
were confident our efforts and care would be
represented via the CODE process.