RECORDING AND REPRODUCING DEVICE

PURPOSE:To automatically select proper sound signal at the time of selecting the smaller number of channels than the number of recorded channels in a recording and reproducing device recording and reproducing an identification signal identifying the mode of the sound signal and the sound group of plural channels. CONSTITUTION:In the recording and reproducing device recording an area sound mode identification signal identifying the sound mode at every recording area with the sound signal, selecting the recording area and reproducing sound at the time of reproducing, an area sound mode identification signal retrieval circuit 13 is operated on all recording area at the time of the start of reproducing, then a recording area selection circuit 15 decides the recording area reproduced by a sound reproducing signal processor circuit 14.