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There’s a whisper in the world of audiophiles, a spinning rumble that digital audio is out, and analog is back in a big way. Amongst the spinning of vinyl and the hum of tube amps, another important analog medium is rolling out of the past and right into the hearts of the modern-day sound purist — the reel-to-reel tape player.

There’s something magical about watching a reel-to-reel tape spin. The hypnotic movement of those spoked wheels, the soft hiss of analog warmth, and the sheer tactile joy of threading tape — all of it transports you to a time when music wasn’t just consumed, but revered. In this age of digital convenience, the reel-to-reel tape player, once but a respected relic of audio’s golden era, is enjoying a remarkable resurgence. How come?

To know how we got back here, we first must know where we came from. This is your ultimate guide to the world of reel-to-reel players — their history, why they sound so spectacular, and how this analog darling is rolling back into vogue. Whether you’re a curious newcomer or a seasoned hi-fi enthusiast, this two-part primer will spool you up on the rich history, unparalleled sound, and exciting revival of reel-to-reel players. To understand why they’ve been making a comeback, we need to spool back to the beginning of their story, so let’s rewind to where it all began.

The origins of reel-to-reel technology trace back to 1928 Germany. Fritz Pfleumer invented magnetic tape as a means of recording sound, and the first reel-to-reel machines, dubbed Magnetophons, followed soon after. The technology expanded on the Danish use of magnetic wire recordings. During World War II, the Germans kept this groundbreaking technology under wraps — literally and figuratively — until Allied forces stumbled upon it. (Shown above is a WWII-era Military Tonschreiber Magnetofon, a variation of the K7, courtesy historictech.com.)

Enter Ampex, an American company that became the pioneer of reel-to-reel technology post-war. In 1948, Ampex revolutionized the recording industry. With the launch of the Model 200 — a gamechanger for recording studios — reel-to-reel quickly became the gold standard for professionals, delivering pristine sound quality that vinyl and shellac couldn’t touch. Suddenly, professional studios could record music with unprecedented clarity and fidelity. Radio stations followed suit, ditching fragile shellac records for the versatility of tape.

Back in the 1950s, reel-to-reel machines had shrunk in size and price, making them accessible to audiophiles at home. Companies like Revox, Sony, Akai, and TEAC began churning out consumer-friendly models and working their way into high-end consumers’ living rooms and hearts. These machines weren’t just tools for playback — they were statement pieces, the hi-fi equivalent of a Ferrari in your living room. Audiophiles marveled at the rich, warm tones that tape could reproduce. They became the centerpiece of serious home audio setups. Tape decks symbolized sophistication, both sonically and aesthetically.

During the 1960s and ’70s, reel-to-reel reigned supreme, both in professional studios and among serious music lovers. So many of the early iconic albums we enjoy today by young The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Elvis Presley — literally every album except the rare direct-to-disc albums — were recorded and mastered on reel-to-reel machines. Meanwhile, consumers enjoyed commercial tapes of their favorite artists, or used blank reels to record radio shows and create mixtapes. Audiophiles marveled at the rich, warm tones that tape could reproduce.

The evolution from two-track reel-to-reel tape recorders to multitrack tape recorders in recording studios was a transformative process in the development of music production and recording technology. It represented the split from commercial reel-to-reels and professional recording machines. It involved advancements in both the physical design of the equipment and the methods of sound recording. Here’s a step-by-step look at how this progression occurred.

The main advancement over earlier monaural (i.e., single-track mono) technology was the ability to create a stereo image, which revolutionized music listening. The main limitation of these early machines was their inability to separate different sound sources or instruments in the recording. Everything was captured on a single track, making it difficult to mix or alter individual elements after recording.

In the early days of magnetic tape recording, two-track or stereo reel-to-reel recorders were the primary tools for capturing audio. These machines recorded two tracks of sound — typically, one for the left, and one for the right channel — allowing for stereo playback, or as two separate channels of information. This technology has endured until today’s two-track machines, which have stood by while the professional studios moved into multitrack machines.

The first conceptual leap toward multitrack recording came in the 1950s. Engineers and producers began experimenting with ways to record more than two tracks on a single tape reel. One of the pioneers in this area was guitarist and inventor Les Paul, who, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developed an early form of multitrack recording. He used multiple machines to layer recordings, effectively creating the concept of multitracking. His invention of the “overdubbing” technique allowed him to record multiple layers of guitar, vocals, and other instruments separately, and combine them into a single track. (Les Paul’s Ampex-laden home studio, seen just a few grafs above this one, and the photo of the man in-studio himself directly above, are both courtesy les-paul.com.)

The first true multitrack recorder was developed in the mid-1950s by the Ampex company. The Ampex 200 was a breakthrough machine capable of recording four tracks of audio on a single reel of tape. The Ampex 300 series (a variation of which is shown below) introduced a practical way of recording separate tracks for different instruments or voices, allowing for the first true multitrack recordings.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, studios started using these four-track machines for commercial recordings. One of the most famous early users were The Beatles, who used a four-track machine on their “I Want to Hold Your Hand” single on Parlophone in 1963, and then on later albums. The ability to record four distinct tracks on a single reel of tape opened up new possibilities for music production, as it allowed different parts of a song to be recorded separately, mixed, and altered individually.

As the demand for even more flexibility in music production grew, companies began to develop eight-track recorders. These machines were capable of recording eight distinct tracks on a single tape, making them a standard in many professional studios. The increased number of tracks allowed for more complex mixes, with the ability to separate vocals, instruments, and effects on their own tracks. This also allowed for greater experimentation and creativity during the recording process and could feature complex layered recordings.

In the 1970s, the development of 16-track and 24-track recorders provided even more flexibility for music producers and engineers, with tape width expanding to 2in reels. These recorders allowed for even more separation between the different elements of a track.

Companies like Studer (shown above) and MCI produced high-end 16-track and 24-track reel-to-reel recorders that became industry standards. This period saw the rise of very sophisticated, dense, and polished recordings with elaborate multi-layered arrangements. Albums recorded using 24-track machines allowed for the precise mixing and manipulation of complex sound layers.

A further enhancement to the sound quality of studio recordings was the shift from 15ips (inches per second) tape speed to 30ips, which massively improved signal-to-noise ratios and frequency response. Using SMPTE time code allowed two or more 24-track machines to be synced to expand to 48 tracks (minus two since the code used a track on each machine), and more. As the 1980s progressed, digital multitrack recorders began to replace analog tape machines in many studios. Digital technology offered higher fidelity and less generational loss compared to analog tape.

By the early 1990s, digital audio workstations (DAWs) began to take over, allowing for even more complex multitrack recordings. DAWs could emulate the functionality of multitrack tape machines, with the added benefit of non-destructive editing and more precise control over each track. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, digital recording had largely supplanted analog tape in most professional studios, although analog tape was still used by some audiophiles and purists. The evolution of computer-based recording systems like Pro Tools, Logic, Fairlight (which this engineer/author used for many years), and others revolutionized music production even further, making it accessible to home studios and independent musicians.

The journey from two-track reel-to-reel recorders to multitrack systems represents a remarkable evolution in music production. The transition allowed for greater artistic control, from the early days of overdubbing on two tracks to the era of vast multitrack sessions with 24 or more tracks, enabling groundbreaking creative possibilities. These technological advancements were integral to the complex soundscapes and highly produced albums of the 1960s through the 1980s, and set the stage for the modern digital recording era.

However, it must be noted that, up until the advent of digital recordings, almost all multitrack sessions were mixed to and mastered onto our beloved two-track tapes. There is a touch of pride when using the same technology at home as was used in the original recording.

By the 1980s in the consumer market, however, the rise of cassettes, and later CDs, spelled doom for reel-to-reel. These smaller, more convenient formats won over the masses, relegating what were perceived to be bulky and fiddly tape decks to the realm of collectors, purists, and die-hards (like us!). Reel-to-reel machines were relegated to dusty basements — or worse, discarded.

So just how did this vaunted format return, and who are among today’s major reel-to-reel players? Come back tomorrow, January 28, 2024, for those answers and more in Part 2.

Author bio: Leslie Shapiro knows analog inside and out, going back to her days of working behind the boards as a trusted audio engineer. She has also been a longtime contributor to our sister site, Sound & Vision.