Tape simulation

zandurian · Post by **zandurian** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 10:16 pm

Haven't researched this in a while - I've heard of things like the PSP (?) warmer but I miss my 2" analog so much, not to mention the echo-plex. I'm really hoping for plug ins that do the subtle stuff all the way to some radical wow & flutter, you know REALLY mess things up. Anybody here have knowlaedge of such a beast?

sstillwell · Post by **sstillwell** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 5:23 am

Well, you could always try iZotope's Vinyl plugin...it does a decent job of messing things up lo-fi. Obviously it's not tape emulation, but it's worth looking at since it is or was free.

tiger vomitt · Post by **tiger vomitt** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 1:23 pm

UA is working on a space echo plugin
their other stuff sounds really excellent, this one hopefully will follow suit

David Polich · Post by **David Polich** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 9:10 pm

Vintage Warmer does a good job of tape saturation. Careful about the "Drive" knob because it can really get distorted in a hurry. Izotope Vinyl does indeed emulate the old turntable effects.

Also PSP MixPack contains some analog saturation effects.

Nomad Factory's Blue Tubes bundle contains plug-ins that emulate tape saturation.

Antares Tube emulates tube pre-amps, all the way from warm to heavily driven (not to be confjused with guitar amps, that's not what it is). Izotope's Trash contains some saturation effects.

boonier · Post by **boonier** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 3:56 am

Ruby Tube really warms things up, if quite basic....AND its free
VST only which is a shame
but I guess doesn't do the wow and flutter thing
http://www.silverspike.com/?Products:RubyTube

maybe Pluggo has something?

or a combination of sonic modulator and preamp motu plugins....

thereaktor · Post by **thereaktor** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 4:05 am

I use Reaktor from Native instrument wich has tube simulator and much much more. Easy to use with DP has AU plug-in

cheers

Fibes · Post by **Fibes** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 7:17 am

My favorite subtle "glue" tape sims are made by Duy and Crane Song and they don't exist for DP.

If yer looking for an analog tape echo the Audio Damage Dubstation is pretty badass. It's not a tape echo but it's got real analog goodness.

glsimonsen · Post by **glsimonsen** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 12:00 pm

Forget simulation. I use a Marantz cassette deck. Nice and dirty!

zandurian · Post by **zandurian** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 12:04 pm

Glad to here about UAD developing a tape echo plug (it's hard to get exited about a boss chorus pedal simulator - were there really a bunch of customers shouting "WE WANT BOSS!!!"???) thanx for the input people.

David Polich · Post by **David Polich** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 2:36 pm

Fibes wrote: If yer looking for an analog tape echo the Audio Damage Dubstation is pretty badass. It's not a tape echo but it's got real analog goodness.

Dub Station IS badass! Thanks for the tip! Another example of why this forum is so cool.

alphajerk · Post by **alphajerk** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 8:51 pm

why not just use tape? i mean if that is what you are going for... why simulate it?

zandurian · Post by **zandurian** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 9:38 pm

Convenience. Hard to find repair people for my space echo. Tired of threading reels. Lazy.

Fibes · Post by **Fibes** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 6:41 am

alphajerk wrote:why not just use tape? i mean if that is what you are going for... why simulate it?

Agreed.

Now I'm gonna have to steal a Studer; come visit me in jail.

I own a space echo and I anxiously await the comparison.

jstjohn · Post by **jstjohn** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 10:07 am

alphajerk

I love tape - I have a 1/2 inch two track with dolby SR - everything sounds so much better on it, even compared to an HD mix on my DV RA1000.

But! Tape is really getting expensive and often hard to find. I've convienced a few clients (those who have ears) to mix to tape, but most don't want to go to the extra expense.

DSD recording comes close to a tape sound but I still hear the difference - the analog just seems warmer - more depth and detail. Digital still sounds cold to me - well, I'm an old fart - was doing analog for 25 years before digital came along.

John

Jim · Post by **Jim** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 10:20 am

PSP MixSaturator (part of the PSP MixPack) also has tape simulation, as well as a valve simulator.