Audiotape

The use of magnetic tape for sound recording can be traced back to 1924 when German engineer, Kurt Stille, developed a dictation machine that used steel wires called the Poulsen wire recorder.

The idea was based on Fritz Pfleumer's 1928 invention of paper tape with oxide powder lacquered onto it.

The first machines to be able to read and record on tape did so using reels similar to film.

The advancements in technology also meant that tape could be stored in more compatible formats although with reduced quality in audio.

RCA released the first such format with the RCA tape cartridge which still used the cartridge name[6] but it would be Philips that released the most viable and still popular format for audio cassette with the Compact Cassette.