The many meanings of "tape"

In our newsletter this week, Erika mentioned that although she’s worked in audio for 15 years, she’s never used actual tape! 

And yet…we are constantly saying the word “tape” as we record and produce audio stories for the show. We still try hard to get “good tape,” and no matter how hard we try, we often can’t turn “bad tape” into a compelling story. We think about “scene tape” and “tracking tape.” We listen to, sort and “cut” our tape, even though we don’t need scissors, and no matter how tangled and difficult our tape turns out to be, we no longer run the risk of getting physically twisted up in it.

We’re not sure how long this analog etymology will stick around—are there other analog words that you find yourself saying all the time?

Amy MartinComment