Inside: Soundwave Tattoo + How They Work.
If you have been researching tattoo ideas in your quest to find the perfect one for you, you might have stumbled across a popular trend within the tattoo community called soundwave tattoos. These minimalist tattoos are inked actual soundwaves that can be designed on any part of the body.
The simple design, however, holds more significant meaning and function. Soundwave tattoos are part of a new wave of innovation in the tattoo industry that incorporates technology in a new way. Read on to find out just how these tattoos work and their significance.
What are Soundwave Tattoos?
These tattoos are visually black soundwaves that can be inked onto your skin. However, these soundwaves incorporate a recent scanning technology that is all the rage these days in the tattoo community. People are getting scannable tattoos, most in the form of QR codes that can be scanned using a smartphone and take you to the content people decided to immortalize on their skin. WOW!
Soundwave tattoos are an extension of these scannable tattoos, but they work only with audio files. These soundwaves are unique and produced by an app called Skinmotion. You can upload your desired audio onto the app, generating a unique soundwave for you to copy. You take that soundwave to your tattoo artist who designs an identical replica of the soundwave on your skin. The tattoos are, therefore, just tattoo versions of sounds that hold meaning to you.
Why Are Soundwave Tattoos So Popular?
It is not hard to imagine these tattoos would gain immense popularity amongst tattoo enthusiasts. Even people who are not fans of inking their skins can see this design’s appeal. Several factors cause these tattoos to be popular. The tattoos are truly modern as they incorporate technology. Scanning the tattoos is a fun conversation starter and adds a sort of interactive element to the tattoo. The design fits right into the minimalist aesthetic that is very popular these days. A simple black soundwave looks elegant and understated, adding to its aesthetic.
These tattoos are also trendy as they are perhaps even more personal than regular tattoos. People can ink a part of their personality on their skin that has a more tangible output than a drawing. One of the first people to get a soundwave tattoo was a French tattoo artist who designed a soundwave tattoo of the audio of his wife saying “I love you” and his child laughing in the background.
Commemorate anyones voice with this special tattoo idea
Examples like these show how intensely personal these tattoos can be and why people might choose to get them. Many people have chosen to get these tattoos of their deceased loved ones, illustrating the emotional appeal of their tattoos and the meaning they hold for people. Like this one above done by @inkdeluge which was a soundwave of her clients grandmother calling her for the last time. That is so special.
Soundwave tattoos are also popular among music enthusiasts. Many people have chosen to ink their favorite pieces of music on their skin to show appreciation. The tattoo’s meaningful nature and the minimalist design also make them a popular choice amongst people getting their first tattoos.
They are not elaborate and very personal, making them gateway tattoos.
Soundwave Ideas
1. Simple Lines
Are Soundwave Tattoos Worth It?
While the novelty of these tattoos is appealing, it is vital to recognize that these tattoos come associated with an app. Skinmotion applies the same principle of a QR code on these tattoos, and you can only scan the tattoo through the app, where it recognizes the unique visual of the soundwave and plays the audio attached to it. Like everything in life, these tattoos also come attached with a cost. You have to pay a considerable amount first to generate a soundwave and then a yearly fee for scanning the soundwave.
These tattoos are also unique because they come with an annual cost, unlike the regular ones. It might be cheaper to get the soundwave tattooed and play the audio separately, but it will not come with the opportunity to scan a part of your body.
Despite the cost, soundwave tattoos remain popular, so there seems to be a market for novelty tattoos. It can be argued that the novelty of these tattoos attracts many people, and the future of the tattoo industry might be these blends of digital and analog technology.
Technology & Tattoos The Future
These creative tattoos represent a new wave of design in the tattoo community that reflects our increasingly technological world. Though tattoos are a strictly conventional art form, they are also not immune to outside influences, and these scannable tattoos are testament to it. While some purists might argue these tattoos are not necessarily art, they are intensely personal and take self-expression to the next level.
The popularity of soundwave tattoos shows that the future of tattoos might lie with technology.
Let us know in the comments what you would make into a soundwave tattoo! The possibilities are endless.
PS. Check out these Dragonfly Tattoos for more inspiration.