The library at school has several instructional audio cassettes they
lend out. Several of these tapes have become somewhat garbled, fading
in and out and echo-ing. The library staff claims that this is
because someone has attempted to copy the cassettes. I say this is
hogwash, as I am unaware of any schemes for copy-protecting audio
cassettes -especially that would destroy the source recording! I'm an
electrical engineer and a recording hobbyist. Am I simply ignorant of
the methods? If I'm right, what is the most likely explanation for
this type of damage? Heat? Magnetic destruction? Wear?




Just playing the tapes on the cheap crappy magnetized cassette decks that most
people use will induce the afore-mentioned problems very quickly.

Copying the tapes will not have any worse effect.

Storage can cause a lot of problems also. Magnetic fields heat, and humdity alr
all deleterious to tape.
Richard H. Kuschel
"I canna change the law of physics."-----Scotty