Recording head

The two most common forms of recording head are:

• Magnetic - Magnetic recording heads use the principles of electromagnetism to coerce a paramagnetic recording medium, such as iron oxides, to orient in a magnetic storage medium such as magnetic tape, floppy disk or hard disk. Record heads are constructed of laminated permalloy, ferrite, sendust or magnetoresistive materials. Tape heads and hard disk drive heads are today generally some form of magnetoresistive head

• Optical - Optical recording heads use the principles of optics and light to impart energy on a recording medium, which accepts the energy in a readable manner, e.g. by melting or photography. Note that Magneto-optical recording, though using optics and heat, should properly be considered a magnetic process, since the data stored on magneto-optical media is stored magnetically.

Earlier systems, such as phonograph records, used mechanical heads known as styli to physically cut grooves in the recording medium, in a configuration (of size, width, depth and position) recoverable as sound.

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  D6 HDTV VTR Scanner and video head, removed
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  Inside a D6 HDTV VTR Tape Deck, VTR Scanner and video head in place.
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  Type B videotape video Scanner Head
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  Type B VTR, BCN 20 Tape Desk and video Scanner
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  Quadruplex videotape Ampex AVR-2 Video Head
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  Sony U-Matic Video head
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  Ampex audio recorder
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  VHS heads
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  Nagra audio heads: erase, record and play
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  Exposed head gap due to excessive head-wear. Sony UVW Betacam SP video heads

• Analog recording
• Cassette demagnetizer
• Compact Cassette
• Digital recording
• Sound recording and reproduction
• VCR
• Videotape
• Video head cleaner
• VTR

• Diagrams and explanations of recording heads and the tape recording process.
• An Ampex recording head, deconstructed.
• A tape recorder, showing the head assemblies.
• Photo of an early recording head as part of a wire recorder.