Panasonic Revamps Vintage Stereo With Ability to Play Back Freehand Drawings

Panasonic’s latest experiment boasts the capability of turning simple freehand drawings into complex multimedia art forms.

Paradoxically, the story behind this cutting-edge stereo player is partially a tale of reform. It began with the discovery of an old Super Phonic HE-3000, a 1960s-era stereo with a rock-solid constitution, but otherwise missing its critical record-playing functionality. The unit had been relegated to the back of a warehouse, collecting dust before it was finally rediscovered.

Panasonic sought to preserve the stereo’s good condition while restoring its missing infrastructure in a modern, more experimental way.

Instead of restoring the traditional framework, the company instead outfitted the record plater with a clear, backlit platter capable of playing transparent records made out of paper.

As to what those paper records could ultimately sound like, that’s up to the user. Depending on the orientation of the lines and the colors drawn upon the record itself, different sounds are ultimately triggered as the record is spun on the illuminated surface, according to Panasonic Design.

The project, titled “Remix,” was recently on display in Japan at the Osaka Nakanoshima Museum of Art. Audiophiles at home can try a simulated version of the experience by drawing up and playing their own home-grown records here.