In your opinion, when does it work best (and the settings you tend to go for) and when is it totally unsuited?

I've never used it on electronic music I believe, since I haven't produced much in that genre for years now, but recently I did some funky rock stuff, and every track's signal chain was True Iron > whatever eq/compressor/fx > Magnetite. I was quite pleased.

Not entirely related, but since I mentioned fake analog signal chain, my dream (not my biggest dream but definitely in my top 3) is to one day ditch everything and use Airwindows only. Hopefully soon enough, before AI replaces everything including my life.

Upon first discovering sister site (and the Russian paradise site) I tried everything I could download, including IK stuff. Wasn't impressed one bit. Best case was "I guess this plugin sounds okay", worst case was "HOW THE FUCK DOES AMPLITUDE HAVE ANY USERS???"

But I think they did great with Modo Drum and especially Modo Bass. They don't sound AMAZING, but they're good enough that you can't tell the difference if mixed properly with the rest.

No samples (not that hard drives are expensive, but still) and extreme tweakability = cool as fuck.

I wonder when will AI and additive synthesis merge to make every other synthesis obsolete

 

Last edited: Jun 28, 2024

the ik stuff is really good. They get a bad rep as being amateur for some reason, but their plugins often win in a blind test. I own countless plugins, i can afford UAD, i own many of them, but i stopped buying them, because their plugins just dont hold up when compared to newer competition. Even their newer plugins suck, their tube channel strip sounds so thin, just a terrible plugin.

 

ToneBoosters ReelBus 3 (Legacy/Free). Surprisingly good. Warmer/more flexible than some paid options out there.

 

now when you say it , i think - jaman...
it looks so super fancy but never got anything out of it and i tried it a lot cause i was so stoked about it looks

 

Tape simulation is like compression, it's so user specific and dependent on the genre that you're doing and the effect you're trying to achieve I don't think there's any definitive answer for anyone. You just use what works for you.

 

Sonic Charge Synplant 2 seems to have a big head start to me. In the general direction.

No. This is such a very partial description of what you are trying to get. Spend some time with U-He Satin. And the Super VHS suggestion is not a bad one, even; nor it is it even an "original" one. It's the reason why there is a Baby plugin with the name. There is way more to Tape than just Saturation and Signal to Noise Ratio.

 

I don't think you're getting what I'm saying. I don't mean it's like compression in terms of the effect that it gives (although I guess that's a small part of it)... I mean it's like compression, or amp simulation, in that it's use is so varied in terms of people's taste and desired ends that there that can never be one answer to the question; even opening it up to "in your opinion" will get you about a hundred different answers.

 

You mean that it is subjective, and that is all well and good. I understood that. My point was the number of variables involved are more than just dynamics. You are talking about a physical media and a mechanical device, with all it's own mechanical nuances. You see people talk about unit to unit differences between hardware units and then the various compressor emulations all the time. All true. Tape is something like a different order of magnitude.

 

I don't know... anything really. It's just a matter of what you're aiming for. I often find a snare or a EP patch with crazy effects or some other sound that I wouldn't normally have in a standard piece of Hip Hop/Soul/Funk/Whatever-the-hell-I-make, and I run with it; that's where tape plugins that are a bit more creative come in, or where I might throw some interesting mic IRs with altered dry/wet mix at the top of channels, just experiment with a bunch of oddball ideas between plugins and and see where it all lands in the end.
Not aimed at you, but I think people sometimes forget this is supposed to be fun.

Airwindows has brought out all the purists but, ya'know, you do you. I use some of their stuff regularly, and I experiment with random plugins of their's often enough, but there's no way on this rotten, people-ridden earth I'm solely using Airwindows.

I'm going to try not to sound like that guy who plays a handful of instruments, but Modo Bass sounds like people think a bass sounds, but it doesn't actually sound like a raw bass... but I'm guessing that's not what they were going for. I like to micro-manage my ITB instruments, so Wedge Force's Keemun is amazing for running through head/amp sims and what-not. Alternately, my go-to bass (that's not a synth bass or some other sound twisted into a low, rhymic frequency,) is Orange Tree Samples' Evolution Flatwound Bass, but that fits the more soulful vybe of what I often make, so I understand it's not for everyone.

This isn't some Holy Grail or anything, but try using tape emulations for utility and tape captures for vybe and mashing the two up, blend the wet/dry mix of one or both, and toss other plugins that add subtle tape characteristics into the soup, just start messing around, trial 'n error, figure out the play between effects and what they produce in union, and keep what you like.
This is a quick, 20min throwtogether I did after reading your post earlier. It's Flywheel on reasonable settings pushed into a J37 capture in Proteus, the latter only sitting at 9% wet. The kicker? I threw Airwindows Dark inbetween the two... why? I found that if you sweep through with it, you'll always find a sweet spot that just opens up the mix, clearing out the mud a bit, and in this case, Dark is what's bringing out the mids more (Proteus EQ is untouched,) especially the rhythm guitar. The sweep is a bit tricky, kinda a cross between... ..... finding the appropriate release timing for a compressor and... dunno.... finding that perfect level of inaudible noise in the floor of a plugin so that it brings out and compliments the audio that can be heard, like you would with a preamp. Sorta.
Chris called Dark "dithering with intent" which is what gave me the idea (... I'm not sure what sparked the thought—my brain just kinda runs with shit sometimes without proper explanation.) but for people hyped on Airwindows and looking for "tricks," there's nothing special about setting Dark to 0.375000 (as you can see in the included image,) since like I said before, it's like setting the release on a compressor, it's going to be unique to the source audio.
It's a solid example of experimenting and finding that it did something neat... and who doesn't like neat stuff? It's subtle, and it brightens this track up too much, but I'm going to keep playing with the general idea.
(Also, the 30 second track snippet for the example is at 320kbps as that's the only quality I had it in (despite it being one of my favorite albums of any genre,) but I added .wav as well anyway. Incidentally, anyone who wants to nit-pick on the low bitrate is missing the point and, if it bothers them that much, can send me a HQ version of the entire album, or keep quiet about it. Selah)

Audio Example: https://ufile.io/wnfb41nh

 

Both sell more or less for the same price, mate. If anything IK is more pricey.

 

Variety Of Sound Ferric TDS for gentle tape compression
Chow Tape for deeper tape sound design (but you can also load up one of the included presets for instant tape sound)
Aberrant Sketch Cassette 2 for that classic tape cassette deck sound

 

Why is no one talking about Ozone Tape?
It has been verified by Mixstar.

 

Now I'm confused

I like that idea.

Fun?

I'm in no way purist dude I'm a digital whore lol
I just recently downloaded their consolidated plugin and FINALLY I could test them all without having to go back and forth between the DAW and their ugly text files lol
To my surprise they also do quirky sound design-y effects. That means I can go down the fake analog rabbit hole while still doing weird shit lol.

Oh yeah, it's not supposed to IMO. It sounds over processed for one (turn off everything that comes after the pickups). But again, if youprogra and mix it properly, you can make it sound 100% natural
(btw I play the bass and never used a plugin unless I wasn't in a situation where I was able to record myself lol)

 

eh, its ok at times, i rarely use it any more

 

I saw a few comments here about Slate Virtual Tape Machine (VTM) and did a little dive and compiled the info to share here in case it's as helpful to anyone else as it was to me.

Stevie Dude's VTM Presets post (hopefully this is ok)

Update: macOS users here's the path to the presets folder

Go to your finder, hit CMD + Shift + G and copy paste this path in:

Code:

/Library/Application Support/Slate Digital/Virtual Tape Machines/Presets

Note: You may have to create the presets folder in which case use this path and create it in there

Code:

/Library/Application Support/Slate Digital/Virtual Tape Machines

Context: I've been tossing an instance of Softube Tape Softube Tape (starting with the Clean Master preset, adjusting the Tape Speed to 15 IPS, changing the High Freq Trim to Flat, adjusting the Amount to taste and tweaking until it sounds like it's doing something pleasing to my ears) as my quick and dirty way to get everything gelled together at the end of my mix bus.

This post by @eXACT_Beats_ and the one above by @Stevie Dude honestly opened my mind up to a lot more creative possibilities with tape! Correct me if I'm wrong but it feels like both of you use Flywheel and VTM in a similar fashion? Either way, I'll definitely be experimenting with more options going forward!

Thank you for the knowledge and inspiration!

 

Last edited: Jul 2, 2024

Those who are interested in the IK Multimedia tape plugins, there is a sale for T-Racks Max V2, until tomorrow if I am not mistaken, for 49,99€ (VAT excluded).
One at Pluginboutique:
https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/2-Effects/52-Mastering-Suite/12443-T-RackS-5-MAX-v2
And one at the IK Multimedia Website
(You can use your JamPoints also, to get an extra 15% off) :
https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/tr5max/?pkey=t-racks-5-max-v2

 

Can't vote this pool BC the favorite of mine are not there, which are:
Saturn
Ozone
Mixhead
Kiive
Flywheel
AC202
TimP 37J
TDR Phoenix

Each of those plugins got an especific usage for me. I love Flywheel on insert drum channels, for example. 37J on strings and winds. Saturn for submixes, and so on.
Satin and Cupwise APX are also lovely, but i don't feel i need em all the time. AA Taupe is more of a sound design tool.

 

If you were going to buy a plugin, but only one from what is on the list; you could easily pick the "best one". It would have to be a 2bus final tape plugin you could get the most use out of, with other stuff considered "extra" or "specific purpose". It wouldn't invalidate the poll options about "best compressor" if bus compressors were not listed, no?

 

Haha, my general take on music is that damn-near anything is appropriate in the right context. e.g., I wouldn't normally use Magnetite on an standard bass because of its heavier color/character, but I have before, notably on a slash mix for a friend who makes raunchy music. That's not to say that Magnetite is only for some poorly recorded Indie noise that widely missed the era-window of Aberdeen in the sun (j/k—there's never any sun in the PNW,) but the obviousness of Magnetite's character lent to that particular track. And I may find use for it less chaotic material, it's just about keeping an open mind to what sounds best in context, not what you "should" use.

It's yours... for six easy payments of $19.95!! Hurry!! Digital supplies are limited!!

I'm uncertain the spelling, I've only heard it spoken in hushed tones by musicians well outside the hearing of audio engineers.

Same—with the exception of instruments I can't play... which is mostly wind instruments, though I've been told that I blow a mean kazoo. Unfortunately, this also neatly sums up why I'm 100% ITB at the moment. Without diving deep into anything... my life always manages to get complicated and strange without my consent (I don't believe in fate, but you could call it entropic force majeure and you wouldn't be wrong,) and regularly throws heavy curves at me, the type that're only funny if they're in a movie with Will Ferrel or Richard Pryor or someone who you know is going to fine by the end of it all. So, yeah, one hundred ITB for the foreseeable future.

 

Maybe? I just do me. I got into mixing after years of playing, which wasn't a huge leap as I'd run live sound for people, and done some small-time studio work, so the knobs and meters and routing and core audio fundamentals weren't foreign to me. I did the legwork, acquired some knowledge... but after that, I pretty much make it up as I go to try and get where I'm going. I'd like to think that @Stevie Dude has at very least some sort of methodology to his madness, if not more notable audio pedigree.
Nah, I think VTM is fine if it works for you. I just watched the tail-end of that video, and he mentions that he just bumps the needle, which definitely isn't how I set up Flywheel (though I won't say "never,") instead I push into the Type II at 30ips as that's the widest range and the least shaped (so the latter is similar to him, as Type I has a bump in the lows, though not nearly as pronounced as some of the Studers, which he says something about in the video,) until I hear what I want to hear; with tape, I'm usually looking for just enough control that I get some subtle change in tone, and then, mimicking a real chain, when you run it into a preamp emulation, that tends to showcase whether your moves were too heavy-handed or not. And the fact that I always have Flywheel's crosstalk engaged can't be overstated—it's subtle, but it's all subtlety. People love old mixes because they were big and warm, but the thing to remember is that cranking tape will give you tamed 'n crunchy, but pushing into it on every channel will get you lush.

That's the spirit. Here's a springboard—you can multi-band anything with plugins like SigMod and Gaffel. Don't let the Fabfilter crowd have you believing that Saturn is the only way to make partitioned saturation.