You will find working with audio tapes extremely time-consuming. Expect it to take up most of your study hours outside class. Tape work is crucially important for you to develop ease in your Chinese listening comprehension and speech.
Tapes are a patient devise.
You can repeat parts of a tape a number of times without the tape showing any signs of despair or frustration. In addition, tapes are more accessible and more economical than trying to work with a native speaker. But automaticity alone is not enough. You need to work on content. In class, you participate in exercises, which require your attention not only on form, but also on function and the consequences of your speech.