A digital signal of data and synchronization words is distributed to a plurality of circuit paths and transformed into non-return-to-zero inverted (NRZI) signals for application to a plurality of stationary parallel magnetic heads for recording the distributed NRZI signals along first parallel tracks on a magnetic tape when driven toward one end thereof and along second parallel tracks interleaved with the first tracks when the tape is driven toward the other end thereof. Each of the transducers has a differential characteristic with which the recorded signal is detected as a ternary signal, the detected signal is converted to a binary signal to recover the original digital signal. The synchronization word is detected from the recovered digital signal to generate a timing signal indicative of the position of each binary digit of the data word with respect to the detected synchronization word. In response to the timing control signal the timing of each binary digit derived from each transducer is aligned with those derived from the other transducers and arranged into a series of successive data words for conversion to an analog signal.