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 1981 /
The Nakamichi LX-3 is a 2-head cassette deck from 1982, designed to deliver much of Nakamichi’s higher-end cassette performance in a simpler, easier-to-use format. It uses a sendust combination record/playback head, dual-capstan transport, Dolby B/C noise reduction, bias fine tuning, microprocessor control and Nakamichi’s motor-driven Silent Mechanism.
Made In Japan
Released in 1981 /
The TASCAM 44 is a 4-track ¼-inch reel-to-reel recorder designed for professional mastering, editing, and video sync applications. It supports 7½ and 15 ips tape speeds, offers full servo-controlled transport with quartz-referenced motors, and delivers wide frequency response up to 22 kHz, low wow and flutter, and high signal-to-noise ratio.
Made In Germany
Released in 1981 /
The Revox B 710 is a four-motor, quartz-synchronised cassette recorder built to professional standards by Studer Revox. It features a direct-drive dual-capstan transport, microprocessor control, and automatic tape-type detection. With separate Dolby B processors for each channel, a quartz-locked time counter, and fully electronic operation, the B 710 delivers long-term stability, precise tape handling, and high-fidelity performance.
Made In Japan
Released in 1981 /
The TEAC X-1000R was a bidirectional stereo open-reel recorder introduced in 1981, featuring dual-capstan tape transport, automatic reverse operation, an electronic programme counter, integrated dbx Type I noise reduction, timer control and support for 17.8cm and 26.5cm reels.
Made In Japan
Released in 1981 /
The Nakamichi LX-5 was a microprocessor-controlled three-head cassette deck featuring a double-capstan silent mechanism, off-tape monitoring, Dolby B and C noise reduction, electronic master fader, fine bias adjustment and memory-controlled automatic playback.
Made In Japan
Released in 1981 /
The Alpine AL-80, sometimes badged as the Alpage AL-80, was a 3-head cassette deck with Dolby B and C noise reduction, metal tape support, optical peak metering and detailed recording controls. Its combination of off-tape monitoring, bias fine adjustment, automatic transport functions and optional remote operation placed it among Alpine’s more capable cassette decks of the period.
Made In Germany
Released in 1981 /
The Revox PR 99 is a Swiss-engineered professional reel-to-reel recorder designed for broadcast, mastering, and editing use. Based on the Revox B77 but upgraded with balanced XLR I/O, full logic transport, and precise editing features, it offers outstanding tape handling, low noise, and high fidelity. Used widely in studios and radio stations, the PR 99 remains a respected classic for its reliability, precision, and enduring sound quality.
Made In Japan, Malaysia
Released in 1981 /
The Tandberg TCD 3034 was a Series 3000 stereo cassette deck developed to exploit the capabilities of high-coercivity and metal tapes while retaining a combined record/playback head.
Made In Japan
Released in 1981 /
The Mitsubishi X-800 32-Channel Digital Recorder was a pioneering professional digital multitrack recorder promoted by 1981 and proposed as a 32-track 25.4mm tape system in 1982. As part of Mitsubishi’s ProDigi development, the Mitsubishi X-800 helped define the early battle between ProDigi and DASH, offering 32 channels of digital recording at a time when the industry was moving away from large-format analogue tape and towards professional digital multitrack production.
Made In Germany
Released in 1981 /
The ASC AS 3000 was a high-end West German cassette deck released in 1981, combining a three-motor dual-capstan transport, three-head Sendust system, High Com noise reduction, electronic counter, memory functions, integrated mixer and ASC’s automatic RALF tape-calibration system. Its extensive controls, direct-loading mechanism, peak-hold display, pitch adjustment and infrared remote capability placed it among ASC’s most advanced cassette recorders.
Made In Japan
Released in 1981 /
Introduced in 1981, the JVC DD-99 combines a three-head Sen-Alloy system, double-servo quartz direct-drive transport, microprocessor-controlled B/E/S tape calibration, Dolby B and Dolby C noise reduction, direct monitoring and fluorescent peak metering.
Made In Japan
Released in 1982 /
The Nakamichi ZX-9 Cassette Deck was a Japanese-made 3-head cassette deck produced from 1982 to 1985, featuring a dual-capstan direct drive transport, separate record and playback heads, Dolby B and C noise reduction, manual bias calibration and adjustable recording azimuth.