While we love the convenience of digital recording, most of us still carry a torch for the smooth characterful sound of analogue tape. Hence the proliferation of tape-emulating plugins, the latest of which is Softube’s appropriately-named... Tape.
This models three different tape machines: a classic Swiss reel-to-reel model, a colourful transformer-based machine and a vintage British classic. You can simply choose one of these and adjust the Amount knob to taste, or select from one of the engineer-designed presets.
You can also delve deeper, though, by adjusting the tape speed settings and the machine’s stability, crosstalk amount and more.
You can use Tape on your master bus to emulate the common practice of mixing down to a real machine, or go all-out and stick it on every track (Softube says that Tape is light on CPU). There are also extra features if you use the plugin in PresSonus Studio One.
Tape is available now for PC and Mac in VST/AU/AAX formats. The regular price is $99, but you can currently purchase it for $79. Find out more on the Softube website.
