The British Red Cross combine audio and print in their training materials as it allows learners to study diagrams while listening to explanations. Abbey National have developed an interactive audio package for language training that enables users to record and hear their own responses played back. As part of a multimedia training pack on how to writer materials based on occupational standards, Kelvin Consultants included an audiotape as a means of allowing learners to hear about other's experiences. The equipment is cheap and robust. It is also widespread and familiar.
Audiotapes are easy, quick and cheap to produce and update.
As a result there is a high degree of author control. Tapes are also cheap to distribute and store. They are interesting, personal and intimate. They can be used to provide human contact and advice. They can be used to incorporate sounds and music and can be a powerful stimulus to the imagination.