In the early 1960s, technology companies like Phillips began experimenting with condensing reel-to-reel tape players and recorders into something that could be carried around and used by a layperson.

A 1958 RCA cassette recorder. Video Interchange. Early recording technologies were all pure analog, ... In the 1950s, reel-to-reel analog tape recorders were used at home and by studios.

Mr. Ottens’s cassette tape was about half the width of RCA’s tape cartridge, which had been released in 1958, and ran at half speed, requiring less tape and further cutting down on size.

Its rival, RCA Records, opted instead to develop a 45 rpm seven-inch record. Both became popular and vinyl ... The 1963 arrival of the cassette tape changed perceptions of recorded music, ...

First, unearth your old cassette deck. Purchase an RCA-to-3.5mm audio cable (Monoprice link), connect the RCA ends to the cassette player’s outputs and the 3.5mm plug to your Mac’s audio input ...

Ottens’s cassette tape was about half the width of RCA’s tape cartridge, which had been released in 1958, and ran at half speed, requiring less tape and further cutting down on size.