Method of pause searching in cassette recorders

It is known to equip cassette recorders with a pause search, which detects a modulation pause during fast forwarding or rewinding when the tape is bearing slightly against the sound head and stops the tape drive, or automatically switches it to PLAY mode, if the pause in the modulation is longer than, for example, three seconds. The method is not satisfactory in cases of longer pauses or at the beginning of a tape after a long leader. A method which is improved according to the invention overcomes this drawback in that the pause searching device not only stops the tape drive in a known way when a pause occurs but also stops it when modulation occurs, on condition that at the start of the pause search there is no modulation on the tape and the modulation pause is longer than, for example, ten seconds, that is to say a new modulation section, for example a piece of music, begins after a lengthy pause or at the beginning of a tape after a long leader. The operating mode of the method is explained with reference to an example of a circuit. Cassette recorders.