![]() Compare this to the over 13 million vinyl albums sold in the USA during the same period. In absolute numbers, this only translates to 129,000 music cassettes over 74,000 the previous year. The magazine Billboard reported a 74% increase in the sale of cassette tapes in 2016 in the United States. Of course, ever since the comeback of vinyl and the all-around popularity of older technologies like typewriters and boomboxes, we’d be hesitant to write off cassette tapes entirely.Īnd sure enough, a glance at recent trends in the music industry reveals that many new albums are being released as cassettes. This increased the high frequency response of tapes for a brighter, more realistic sound.įrankly, there are a lot of practical concerns that speak against the cassette tape: Storage space on the tape is limited and tracks cannot be located with any precision, involving a cumbersome forward and backward spooling. Another decisive innovation was the introduction of chromium dioxide in the 1970s. These technologies eliminated what had been a major problem for recordings made on magnetic tape up to then: A consistent background hiss – not exactly the epitome of hi-fi. ![]() Ray Dolby introduced Dolby A in 1965 for reducing noise in recording studios and Dolby B in 1968 for consumer use. The iconic sound technology company, Dolby, got its start by developing a way to improve the sound of tape recordings. Originally, the sound quality of tapes was marred by noise issues but greatly improved over the years. ![]() Accidents and misuse aside, a well-looked-after cassette tape has a life expectancy of at least 40 years. In addition, the tape in a cassette that is too infrequently played can end up sticking together. Cassette tapes can also be damaged by moisture and excessive heat. Tapes that are played very often will not last as long as tapes that are seldom played. Unlike an MP3, however, cassette tapes are prone to wear and tear. The delicate tape is stored within a hard plastic cassette that can be tossed into a backpack or the backseat of a car without damage. Spools are responsible for guiding the tape under the tape head at a consistent speed, essential for maintaining the right frequency. The particles stored on the film create a fluctuating magnetic field that are converted into an electrical signal for playback. Playback is carried out by running the tape under a tape head. Magnetic needle-shaped ferric oxide particles on the tape are manipulated into a certain arrangement according to electrical signals from the recording. The technology behind the tape: How cassettes record musicĬassette tapes store audio information in analogue form as a continuous physical pattern on a plastic-type film. ![]() #CASSETTE TAPE PORTABLE#Up to the present day, a variety of cassette players from the portable to high-end stereo cassette decks are still produced. Walkman’s utilized the relatively small size of a cassette to create portable players for private use. #CASSETTE TAPE DRIVERS#Thanks to their portability, cassettes freed drivers from radio dependency, allowing them to control their own music playback. ![]() Their sale outpaced records by the 1980s and new music continued to be released on cassettes up to the late 1990s. The ability to record radio stations and other music onto tapes from a standard player was also something completely new that records did not offer.īy the 1970s, cassette tapes had become a popular way to listen to music. Cassette recordings generally cost half of a vinyl pressing. A mono version was introduced in 1965 followed by a stereo version in 1967.Ĭassettes offered several key advantages over records, the most popular sound format of the day, such as: A small handy size, durability and low price. At first, the quality was not quite good enough for music playback, but the technology quickly improved. The original “compact cassettes” were developed by Philips as an audio recording technology for taking dictations. Cassette tapes for music playback first appeared on the scene in 1962. ![]()
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