Audio Tapes

Audio tapes are also becoming obsolete with the advent of CDs and MP3 players, but there is still a demand for them. There are still millions of people who listen to cassette tapes on their old radios. In addition, for those people who like to record presentations and notes, audio tapes serve a crucial purpose. When I worked as a consultant, I carried around a small hand held tape recorder so I could keep track of ideas.

Most car stereo systems still have tape decks. Audio tapes are still alive and well and consumer electronics manufacturers are still churning out products that require audio tapes. In fact, most American households have some sort of device, be it a stereo or some type of tape recorder, which uses audio tapes. In fact, many people are now using these tapes to record things from other digital sources.

The Conception of Audio Tapes

The great Thomas Edison was the first person to ever record and play back the human voice and he accomplished this feat on December 4, 1877. The technology that eventually led to the creation of the phonograph came from Edison's developments with the telephone and telegraph. At that point in Edison's life, he was tooling with how a moving diaphragm attached to a coil could generate a voice modulated signal.

The recording world has made some considerable advancements since then. The first viable recording media was tin foil. Imagine using tin foil to record your own voice. It was Edison's vision and his commitment to possibility that spawned tape recording. I think record companies and recording artists owe Edison a huge thank you. Audio tapes continue to be a part of modern technologies, against the predictions of many.