The company was founded by Warren Stepp and his son Steve Stepp in 1969; initially focused on professional magnetic media, it became a major distributor of Ampex recording tape and Fidelipac broadcast cartridges.
In 1980, NAC began using Ampex tape to manufacture its own cassettes at a plant in Springfield, Missouri. During this period, production relied on a mix of domestic and imported components.
By the late 1980s, the company's "Audio Pro" brand cassettes had gained market recognition, and rising sales necessitated a production expansion. Notably, National Audio Company did not file a trademark application for "AUDIO PRO" until April 1991.
The company opened a 28,000-square-foot production facility in 1989 and expanded it to 135,000 square feet in 1998.
Throughout its history, the company has produced custom, private-label packaged cassettes for major brands, handling orders ranging from 100 to 100,000 units.
In the 2010s, NAC faced the disappearance of its cassette tape suppliers. According to KCUR, the company had been sourcing tape from the South Korean firm Saehan until Saehan announced it was ceasing production. NAC subsequently purchased the remaining inventory - approximately 300,000 reels.
In 2016, NAC began developing and manufacturing its own recording tape. Production of "FerroMaster" ferric magnetic tape for music applications commenced in 2019, following several years of development.
Today, NAC offers three main varieties:
FerroMaster C256 — ferric Type I;
FerroMaster C456 — high-quality ferric tape;
FerroMaster C756 — cobalt oxide Type II High Bias.