The connection between Ampex reel-to-reel audio recorders and today's tape-based data storage (such as LTO) is bridged by the company's pioneering work in magnetic recording, transitioning from analog audio to high-density instrumentation and digital storage in the 1950s–1980s. While Ampex is legendary for audio, they simultaneously developed the foundational techniques—including helical scanning and multi-track, high-speed tape transport—that allowed magnetic tape to store binary data, not just sound waves.
Here is the oblique connection between the technologies:
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Helical Scan Technology: To record video, Ampex developed the quadruplex (and later helical scan) method, where a head rotates at high speed against moving tape. This technique maximized data density, allowing for the huge amounts of data required for video, which laid the groundwork for high-capacity tape storage.
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Military/Instrumentation Data Recording: By the 1950s, Ampex was adapting its tape machines for the NSA and DOD for signal interception (e.g., Operation Gold). These were not just audio recordings but high-speed, multi-track instrumentation recordings of electronic, non-audio data, directly pioneering high-density data storage.
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The "Videofile" System (1969): Ampex developed "Videofile," an early system that used videotape to store and retrieve document images (like fingerprints) rather than just audio or video, acting as a direct precursor to modern enterprise tape archives.
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Digital Storage and PRML: In the early 1980s, Ampex introduced DCRsi (Digital Cassette Recording System), which utilized Partial Response Maximum Likelihood (PRML) technology. This technology is a cornerstone of modern, high-density magnetic data storage.
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Spin-off Technologies: The need for high-speed, reliable data handling in Ampex machines contributed to the creation of advanced error-correction methods and digital storage technologies.
Ampex's legacy exists in the fact that while magnetic tape for music became obsolete, the principle of using magnetic tape for archival data storage—utilizing high-capacity, high-speed, and reliable tape—was driven by Ampex’s innovations in the 1960s and 70s.