Before iPods and MP3 players, and for that matter CDs, tape cassette players were the go-to portable technology for listening to music and other audio recordings. Cassette players are fast becoming a novel technological relic, but they haven't gone the way of the eight-track just yet.
Features
The two most prominent features on a tape cassette player are the "play" and "record" features. Tape cassette players are capable of recording and playing back audio information. The "rewind" and "fast forward" features are used to cue the cassette to the spot on the tape where you would like to begin your playback or recording.
Technical Function
During recording, tape cassette players generate a magnetic field which corresponds with the electrical input signal produced by the incoming sound. This field organizes the magnetic particles on the tape into a very specific arrangement, which is representational of the recorded sound. During playback, tape cassette players reproduce the electrical signals made by the recorded sound, based on the arrangement of magnetic particles on the tape.
Medium
Cassette players are an analog storage medium, as opposed to a digital storage medium like CDs and iPods.
Special Features
Some tape cassette players also come with a dubbing feature that allows you to record from one audio cassette to another, oftentimes at an accelerated speed.
Practical Uses
Many portable tape cassette players come integrated with radio receivers. Because of this feature, cassette players still offer one of the most convenient methods of recording radio programs.
Tags: cassette players, tape cassette players, magnetic particles, magnetic particles tape, particles tape
