The magnetic tape paint calls for a more experimental attitude towards modes of playback and recording. The technical constitution of tape recorders should not limit the extent to which the tape paint can be distributed in terms of spatial composition. Working with the tape paint through the lens of artistic painting techniques challenges to rethink the format of the sonic medium. Can we listen to a two-dimensional surface? Can we record to the skin of an object?
These questions set in motion a series of design phases in which the tape head was imagined outside the context of the tape recorder. One of the first steps was building the tape head amplifier from Nic Collins‘ Handmade Electronic Music. Next, we opened up a cassette player and rerouted the tape heads out of the machine while leaving the internal ciruit of the recorder intact. We then created a new ciruit that amplified the playback signal of the tape head, but could not record because of differentiated voltage requirements. Finally, we found that the tape heads of a WEM Copicat can seamlessly shift between recording and playback. This led to the first prototype of a sonic brush, a small device that can be attached to the arm, providing a handheld rec/play head, DC voltage and jack in- and output. The sonic brush still has many facets to further develop such as bias, callibration and frequency response. Over the next years I am looking for partnerships to further develop this instrument in order to include it in performing contexts.