 Other western countries also lagged well behind the USA – in Australia, the largest local recording label, Festival Records, did not install a four-track recorder until late 1966; the first eight-track recorders did not appear there until the late 1960s.In 1967, Ampex built its first prototype 16-track professional audio recorder at the request of Mirasound Studios in New York City.This machine used reels of 2-inch tape on a modified tape transport system originally built for video recording.