A helical scan tape recorder (30) comprises a rotatable scanner (85) upon which is mounted a first set of plural transducing heads (W1, W3) and a second set of transducing heads (W2, W4). A transport system transports magnetic tape (31) proximate the rotatable scanner in a manner so that information is transduced by at least one of the transducing heads during a revolution of the scanner. The sets of transducing heads are so mounted on the scanner with respect to azimuthal orientation of the transducing heads that all tracks transduced by the transducing heads have a desired width regardless of an error in physical distance separating the sets of transducing heads. In one aspect, the first set of plural transducing heads comprises a first head (W1) and a third head (W3), and the second set of plural transducing heads comprises a second head (W2) and a fourth head (W4). The sets of transducing heads are mounted on the scanner so the first head and the third head transduce respective tracks during a first angular phase of the rotation of the scanner, and so that the second head and the fourth head transduce, during a second angular phase of the rotation of the scanner, respective tracks which partially overlap a previously-transduced track. The tracks on the tape alternate according to differing azimuthal orientation.