Special Purpose Tape Recorder
Designed by Canadian physicist and composer Hugh Le Caine, the multi-track tape recorder altered the playback speed of recorded sound. This innovation was instrumental in facilitating the use of recorded sound as a tool for musical composition. The prototype model seen here could play six tapes simultaneously, independently changing the playback speed of each tape and combining the resulting sound into a single recording. One of the “heroes” of electronic music, Le Caine built twenty-two new instruments during his time at the National Research Council of Canada, including the innovative Electronic Sackbut Synthesizer. Le Caine composed his landmark “Dripsody” in 1955 using both the Electronic Sackbut and the Special Purpose Tape Recorder.
On loan from Ingenium
