Erase Head

In tape recording machines, an erase head is often employed to randomize the magnetism of the tape prior to recording. This is often necessary because the record head generally isn’t powerful enough to completely overpower any signal that may have been there before. Erasing or randomizing the tape just prior to recording gives the record head something close to a clean slate to work with each time a recording pass is done. In a typical head stack the erase head is usually the first head to come in contact with the tape.