A cassette recorder is a device used to record and play back audio using magnetic tape housed in a plastic cassette. It became popular in the 1970s and 1980s, allowing users to easily capture music, voice messages, and other sounds. The device typically features buttons for play, stop, rewind, and fast forward, making it user-friendly. The cassette tape itself consists of two reels of magnetic tape, which stores sound in a linear format. While cassette recorders have largely been replaced by digital recording devices, they remain a nostalgic symbol of an era when music was often shared through mixtapes and personal recordings.