A tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device.

A tape recorder, tape deck, , or tape machine is an device that records and plays back sound using , either wound on a reel or in a , for storage. It records a fluctuating by moving the tape across a that polarizes the in the tape in proportion to the audio signal.

An important use of tape recorders is the recording of video. differ substantially from audio recorders due to the use of a rotating magnetic head that uses a over the tape medium. Helical scans increase the relative speed of the tape surface over the head.

While they are primarily used for , tape machines were also important for data storage before the advent of and , and are still used today, although primarily to provide an offline backup to hard disk drives.