Ever wonder what the difference between an MP3 and a WAV is and why people make such a fuss over higher-quality files? Ryan Maguire, a Ph.D. student in Composition and Computer Technologies at the University of Virginia, turned wonder into action when he started a project called “The Ghost in the MP3,” a song project that only allows us to hear the sounds that are lost when files are compressed from higher quality– like WAV to MP3.
Ryan worked in collaboration with video artist Takahiro Suzuki on “moDernisT”. The audio is a collection of lost mp3 compression material from “Tom’s Diner” a song known for it’s integral use in listening tests while developing the MP3 encoding algorithm. The corresponding video is comprised of the ghostly images left behind during MP4 compression.