T-racks? Slate? Waves? which is the best tape simulation? there are many others as well. Has someone compared all these to see which one is the punchiest and cleanest? they are all magnificant so it's always a tough call and I haven't spent the time to compare them myself yet, maybe someone can save me some time...

I know they probably each have their uses, and they're all useful... but I'd love to hear some discussion on this subject, which ones are best for which jobs, or is there a favorite people like the best?

 

There’s little consensus, because everyone has a different idea of what “tape” means.

there really is no substitute for trying them yourself on your own material, and finding out which ones you like…

 

someone must have done a virtual tape machine shoot out, yes of course I agree about trying them yourself, and I am...but I love to read comparisons and "shoot outs" are fun.

 

Personally I like sex tapes.

 

here's an interesting one. the baby audio tape simulator uses "AI" they say..but that was used DEVELOPING the plugin, there's no AI involved when you use it..

 

The most important question is "do you need it"....in what way do you see your music improving with a tape simulation? "Saturation" is a word used like a magical talisman, but there's a good chance your tracks don't need it. Somewhere in the last decade a clean, clear recording became a bad thing and was only improved by adding "grit" (whatever that means)
Then there's the other sales pitch, "glue"... which personally I find to be an inadequate descriptor when it applies to your mix. If you have a great mix, it will already sound "glued" whereas if it's a poor mix, a tape sim isn't going to sprinkle fairy dust on it and give you a hit song.

 

If I use a tape sim, I prefer Softube Tape, after trying several I settled on it, sounds good to my ears

 

What if I don't want the punchiest and cleanest tape? That's quite subjective don't you think? Anyways, I don't think the quest for "the perfect tape plugin" makes sense, it's not tape anyways, even in the REAL tape realm there's no consensus.

That being said, I like Softube's "Tape" and Fuse Audio Labs tape plugins. I also have Wavesfactory's tape plugin, SketchCassette II
and ToTape6, but I rarely use those.

 

Yes, the good old glue... it is always used after the razor cut. No, seriously, instead of glue we could (or should) just say compression.

What no tape plugin (that I have heard so far) can properly simulate is the spatial depth and vividness that recording to tape can provide.

Other than that, I agree with @Joe Crisp opinion: Softube Tape. Easy, sounds good, is affordable. Alternative -> UAD.

 

The real test would be to run the different plugins on the same piece of music but I never did that.

Instead, I am using one of the following according to my mood:
U-he's, Slate's, Softube's or Wave's.

And to be honest, I'm satisfied with all of these and not sure if I would be able to tell which is which on a blind test.

 

What is the BEST TAPE SIMULATION PLUGIN? - YouTube

 

Softube's tape really pleases my tinnitus-rich ears.