Reel-to-Reel Experimentation (Wordhole)

Reel to Reel and cassette recorders

Process

(a) A team comes together and has a reel-to-reel tape recorder and at least one tape at its disposal.

(b) The team listens to the tape in order to test if it's still in working condition [in one case it was a militaristic anthem, in another an aria, in a promising Joan Baez recording there was nothing, as the tape had been demagnetized], either out of curiosity or in order to choose pieces it would like to keep and integrate in a new recording.

(c) The team might choose to record directly on top of the tape or proceed first to step (d) and then record. Recording takes place directly through microphone(s) and its speed can be manually adjusted by pulling the tape or holding and releasing, or even speeding up the movement of the casing while the tape rolls.

(d) The team members proceed to cutting the tape to the relevant parts or at random, using a razor using a plate that has a useful cut in place, and then reconnect the tape pieces of value to them with special tape.

(e) The last step is to play the new tape (or indeed the loops) created and make adjustments where needed.

(f) The result can be further recorded using eg. a cassette tape (or digital means).

Purpose

Explore the possibilities of physical tape and the potential crossing with digital media.