Consumer Technology Formats: Cassette

Question 1

Cassettes were developed as an ? from the tapes used in studios from the 30s. Yet, as a consumer product, it was launched by ? in 1961.

Answer 1

Evolution.

Phillips.

Question 2

An analogue representation of the audio signal’s transferred onto the tape by rearranging magnetised particles of ? ? (Fe2O3) that are secured to the surface of the tape. This ? of particles is a representation of the audio signal that’s transferred to the tape via the ? ?

Answer 2

Ferried oxide.
Polarisation.
Record head.

Question 3

Cassettes were popular in the 70s and mid 80s, overtaking ? in popularity as they suffered from fewer physical problems.

Answer 3

Vinyl.

Question 4

Cassettes became the media of choice for car ? and portable music devices.

Answer 4

Stereos.

Question 5

Placing the cassette close to a large magnet could cause damage to the information stored and they were prone to background noise, and the hiss associated led to the development of ? ? ?

Answer 5

Dolby Noise Reduction.

Question 6

Cassettes didn’t age well: the sticky material that suspended the ? ? degraded and the magnetic representation of the signal would be lost.

Answer 6

Ferric oxide.

Question 7

Cassettes suffered from ? and ? when the ? turned unevenly on the tape recorder there were variations in pitch in the recorded audio.

Answer 7

Wow.
Flutter.
Capstan.

Question 8

? ? could occur when a magnetic tape was overloaded. Slight tape saturation was used as a form of mild ? A tape’s saturation point reached when an increase in volume of the input signal can’t produce an equivalent increase in ?

Answer 8

Tape saturation.
Compression.
Magnetisation.