recording head

American  

Or record head

noun

1. the part of a tape recorder that records a sound source by converting the electrical analog of the sound, as from a microphone, into a magnetic signal for storage on magnetic tape.

---

Etymology

Origin of recording head

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

As the tape moves past the recording head, the magnetic field orientations of the iron oxide molecules on the tape are changed thus recording the signal.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

In the playback mode, the magnetized tape is run past another head, similar in structure to the recording head.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

A signal in the form of a varying input current from a microphone or camera goes to the recording head.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

A plastic tape, coated with iron oxide, moves past a recording head.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Changing tapes was only a matter of slapping a new reel into place, dropping the tape into the recording head, and threading it into the empty reel.

From The Egyptian Cat Mystery by Goodwin, Harold L. (Harold Leland)