Patent ID: 8111477

Claim:
A recording medium onto which a plurality of tracks that constitute a unit as one unit of signal processing for reproducing data are recorded, each of the plurality of tracks being recorded with at least data and, as a preamble for controlling the reproduction of the data, a separation pattern for detecting a positional relationship between a reproducing head and the plurality of tracks in a track width direction and synchronization patterns for synchronization processing, the synchronization patterns being recorded in front and rear of the separation pattern in a running direction of the plurality of tracks; wherein the synchronization patterns recorded in front and rear of the separation pattern are constituted of code strings that are longitudinally symmetric with respect to each other; wherein the preamble is at least recorded at a start point and an end point of each of the plurality of tracks; wherein, in addition to the synchronization patterns, gain control patterns constituted of second code strings that are longitudinally symmetric with respect to each other are recorded in front and rear of the separation pattern, and wherein an order in which the synchronization pattern and the gain control pattern are arranged in front of the separation pattern and an order in which the synchronization pattern and the gain control pattern are arranged in the rear of the separation pattern are longitudinally symmetric with respect to each other.