Audio signal recording apparatus and method for use with VTR

A method for recording audio signals onto a tape by a recording apparatus which also records video signals onto said tape, in which said apparatus has a plurality of rotating heads which simultaneously scan said tape, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming an oblique recording track on said tape for each of said rotating heads which simultaneously scan said tape without any guard bands being inserted between the oblique recording tracks, the formed oblique recording tracks constituting one segment;
• recording said video signals in a longitudinal direction in a video signal recording area in each of said oblique recording tracks for each said segment;
• arranging at least four channels of audio signals into a plurality of groups, in which each of said groups includes said audio signals from a plurality of said channels and is assigned a predetermined priority rating;
• and
• recording in a longitudinal direction, for each said segment, said audio signals in each of said groups which correspond to the video signals recorded for the respective segment in a number of audio signal recording areas in each of said oblique recording tracks, the number of said recording areas being equal to the number of said groups, in which each of said audio signal recording areas is separated from the corresponding video signal recording areas and is located at a respective distance in the longitudinal direction from an end of the respective oblique recording tracks, and in which the audio signals from each of said groups are recorded in said audio signal recording areas in accordance with the respective predetermined priority rating such that the audio signals from the group having the highest priority rating are recorded in the audio signal recording area located at the farthest distance from the end of the respective oblique recording track.