Info about Audio Tapes
The Audio tapes: The Devise that Revolutionized Entertainment and Learning
Though experiments on magnetic tapes were going on in many parts of the world, the most successful early attempts were taking place in Germany in the early part of the twentieth century. The first magnetic tapes, the name for the audio recording tapes, were produced in Germany in 1934. Fifty of them were made having a length of 1000 meters each. By 1939 the number rose to 12,000 and by 1944 to 86,000. These were the exclusive products used only by the German radio stations as standard equipments for specialist use in the production studios. It is an amazing story that the audio tape that was only in the hands of couple of specialists have become one of the most familiar of household objects the world over.
The American foray into the world of audio tapes came with the recording of the Bing Crosby in 1947. The early audio tapes were meant for the use of specialists and needed engineers to operate them on specialized equipments. They also consumed lot of space. Since these early tapes were manufactured for the broadcasting houses of different countries there was no standardization neither in the size of the tapes nor in the use of technology that is used in the equipments used for recording or retrieving sound. However, because of the British colonial background and the net work of radio stations which was perhaps started on British initiative the European models became more popular in many parts of the world in the radio stations. These issues were unimportant for the common man as the ordinary folks have never thought that audio tapes will be part of the every day objects in their homes.
The earlier audio tapes were wound on spools. They were of varying length. The equipment had two spools. One spool was empty and the other had the tape. The tape passes through the recording head and is hooked to the empty spool. The motor on the empty spool turns which winds the tapes on the empty spool as the winding takes place recording or replay takes place. When the empty spool is full it could be rewound. The whole thing was very cumbersome. The tapes have to be handled very carefully as the tapes are exposed to dust and are prone to receive scratches on them.
From the early spool type magnetic audio tapes came the much more practical compact disc which is seen these days. The main attraction is that they are so small in size and will fit in the pockets. They are protected as in the shell of a turtle which protects it from dust and damage. It is an amazing product that makes available entertainment and fun at your finger tips. The privilege of listening to great music as the prerogative of queens, kings and royalty today is the opportunity for the poorest of the poor is a boon of technology. Even the present video tape is only an offshoot of the good old audio tape. The audio tapes are the ultimate example of the great power of technology to provide the good things of life to all.