PURPOSE: To easily attain sure dubbing, by simultaneously oprating a pair of pause operating means which temporarily off-control a recording or a reproducing operation means, out of mode switching means of a pair of tape drive mechanisms of a tape recorder main body.

CONSTITUTION: A cassette tape recorder main body is provided with a pair of cassette loading chambers and mode changeover switches 34 and 35. The switches consist of feather touch switches 34aWf and 35aWf setting various modes and are connected with LSIs 51 and 52. A pause operation interlocking section 36 is provided and when a button 36c is depressed, the power supply of a recording/ reproduction circuit is turned off with auxiliary pause operation switches 36a and 36b. In this state, a master tape and a non-recording tape are set to a cassett loading chamber, one reproducing switch and another recording switch are operated and a signal of on-control is stored in the LSIs 51 and 52. In depressing a button 36c again, the power is turned on and the reproduction/recording can simultaneously by started. Thus, dubbing without head or tail missing can be attained.