Magnetic tape has come a long way since it was first invented. Surprisingly, it is much older than the 8-Track most commonly associated with it. Magnetic tape was first used for military purposes in Germany to record messages and conversations as far back as World War II.
Origins
Fritz Pfleumer files the first patent for audiotape in Germany in 1929. AEG creates a prototype playback machine in 1935, and BASF refines the tape creating usable magnetic tape later that year.
Reel to Reel
This was the next type of player introduced for magnetic tape. These machines were large, complicated and awkward to use.
8-Track
The 8-Track was invented in the late 1950s and would become the standard playback method in the late '60s and early '70s; they used an endless loop format to play the tape continuously.
Cassette
The cassette was the next use of magnetic tape; this was first created in 1963 in the Netherlands, and made using the tape fast and easy compared to prior methods.
Digital Audio Tape
As recent as the 1990s, plastic tape has begun to replace older styles of magnetic tape. By recording in binary code, digital eliminates the distortion that occurs when recording a copy of a particular music or sound track .
Tags: magnetic tape, Magnetic tape
