Audio Recorders

Audio Recording formats, encompassing both stereo and multitrack configurations, are essential tools in the creation and preservation of audio content. Stereo recording formats capture two audio channels, typically left and right, providing a simple yet effective method for reproducing sound with spatial accuracy. Stereo formats are commonly used in music production, broadcasting, and consumer audio devices, offering immersive listening experiences across various media platforms.

Multitrack recording formats, on the other hand, enable the simultaneous recording of multiple audio channels or tracks onto a single medium. This allows for the independent manipulation of each track during the mixing and editing process, offering unparalleled flexibility and creativity in audio production. Multitrack formats are widely used in professional music studios, film and television production, live sound reinforcement, and podcasting, enabling artists and engineers to craft complex arrangements, add effects, and achieve precise control over the final audio product.

Both stereo and multitrack recording formats have evolved over the years, from analog tape-based audio recorders to digital technologies such as hard disc recording, solid-state recording, and computer-based digital audio workstations (DAWs). These advancements have democratized audio production, making high-quality recording accessible to a broader audience while pushing the boundaries of creativity and innovation in the field of sound engineering and music production.

Decades
Made In Japan
Released in 1978 /
A more accessible alternative to the flagship EL-7, the Sony EL-4 brought the core benefits of the Elcaset format to a simpler domestic recorder. With wider tape, 9.5 cm/s tape speed, Dolby noise reduction, automatic tape-type switching, logic-controlled transport, ferrite-and-ferrite heads and large illuminated VU meters, it offered a serious step beyond standard compact cassette performance while remaining straightforward to use.
Made In Japan
Released in 1978 /
The Pioneer CT-F900 was a three-head cassette deck introduced in 1978, featuring Sendust recording and playback heads, a two-motor closed-loop dual-capstan transport, Fluoroscan level metering, Dolby B noise reduction, adjustable bias and an electronic counter with four memory and repeat functions.
Made In Korea
Released in 1978 /
The SAE Two C3D was a two-head stereo cassette deck introduced in 1978 as part of SAE’s moderately priced SAE Two component range. It featured a microcomputer-governed, solenoid-operated full-logic transport, DC-servo motor, Dolby B noise reduction, tape memory, timer operation and separate settings for standard ferric, ferrichrome and chromium dioxide tapes. Its large illuminated VU meters, oversized recording-level control and black brushed front panel gave it a distinctive appearance within the late-1970s cassette deck market.
Made In Switzerland
Released in 1978 /
The Studer A800 holds a special place in recording history as one of the most legendary multitrack tape machines ever made. Introduced in 1978, it became a studio staple throughout the 1980s and 1990s, prized for its exceptional sound quality, reliability, and engineering precision. Widely adopted by top studios around the world, the Studer A800 was used on countless classic albums across genres, becoming synonymous with the rich, warm sound of analogue multitrack recording.
Made In Japan
Released in 1978 /
The Akai GXC-735D was a deluxe Quick Reverse cassette deck featuring automatic bidirectional recording and playback, a long-life GX head, Dolby noise reduction, memory rewind, ferrichrome tape compatibility and illuminated VU meters.
Made In U.K.
Released in 1978 /
The Brenell Mini 8 is a professional-grade tape recorder that combines traditional precision engineering with cutting-edge electronic circuitry, offering superior performance and reliability for recording and broadcasting studios.
Made In U.S.A.
Released in 1978 /
The 3M Digital Audio Mastering System, introduced in 1978, combined the DMS-32 32-track digital recorder and the DMS-2 2/4-track mastering deck. Recording at 16 bits and 50 kHz on 1-inch tape, it was the first fully integrated professional digital recording system. Extremely rare and prohibitively expensive, it marked the dawn of multitrack digital recording.
Released in 1978 /
The Hitachi D-900 is a top-of-the-range late-1970s stereo cassette deck with a dual-capstan 3-head transport, Hitachi Siamesed R/P heads, Dolby noise reduction, Dolby calibration control, illuminated Peak/VU meters, front-loading cassette access and servo-assisted controls. It was designed as a high-specification hi-fi cassette recorder, with tape monitoring during recording and tape selection for normal, CrO2 and FeCr cassette types.
Made In Japan
Released in 1978 /
The Luxman 5K50 is a Laboratory Reference Series 3-head stereo cassette deck with separate record, playback and erase heads, Dolby B noise reduction, a fluorescent peak level indicator, electronic tape counter, bias adjustment, azimuth adjustment and source/tape monitoring. It was made in Japan and built as a high-grade recording deck with detailed manual calibration controls and support for normal, CrO2 and FeCr tapes.
Made In Japan
Released in 1978 /
The Pioneer CT-F1000 was a comprehensively equipped three-head cassette deck with direct tape monitoring, a two-motor closed-loop dual-capstan transport, Dolby B noise reduction, recording calibration, automatic chromium dioxide tape detection, selectable bias and equalisation, pitch control and memory-controlled transport functions.
Made In Japan
Released in 1978 /
Introduced in Japan in 1978, the Akai GXC-570D was a three-motor, dual-capstan cassette deck featuring GX recording and playback heads, direct-drive reel motors, Dolby noise reduction, automatic distortion reduction, built-in calibration facilities and Sensi-Touch transport controls.
Made In Japan
Released in 1978 /
The Sony EL-7 was a three-head ELCASET recorder featuring a three-motor closed-loop dual-capstan transport, ferrite heads, logic-controlled operation, Dolby noise reduction, source and tape monitoring, microphone and line mixing, memory functions and optional remote control.