See also: equalization, noise reduction, reels & hubs, speeds, synchronization, tape timing, and tape winding

8-track has been produced as a “boutique” format in very limited quantites.

16-track was the first 2-inch audio tape. It was soon followed by 24-track which was a long-lived standard. Resources for transfer: Sonicraft, New Jersey — Dreamhire, New York — Joav Shdema, Israel

16-track was soon followed by 24-track which was a long-lived standard. Resources for transfer: Sonicraft, New Jersey — Dreamhire, New York — Joav Shdema, Israel — Sound Laboratory, National Library of Norway — Ted Kendall, England

Yes, they even made a 32-track 2-inch audio tape. Resources for transfer: Sonicraft, New Jersey

Some users claim to have had great success with playing 16-track 2-inch tapes on 24-track heads. While it will work, it is interesting to note the relative misalignment of the two sets of tracks as the following drawing I made shows. Click [or save target as] for larger view. 4-track 1/2-inch tape and 8-track 1-inch tape use the same 0.070″ track width as 16-track 2-inch tape. The center-to-center spacing 0.130″ as opposed to 0.127″ for 16 track.