If you buy a tape vst today.

[sqigls]

i'm actually not overly concerned with "authentic", there are plenty of plugins out there that don't model anything, that sound great. And there are plenty of vintage audio gears that are quite lacklustre. I personally just want gear that keeps my sound tight. I enjoy a focussed sound. So whatever gets me there is just fabulous.

That said, i like when the advertised product IS what it says it is on the tin.
I will try this Nebula stuff one day perhaps.

The new Softube Saturator and this Tape plugin are both great sounding tools in my opinion.



After almost 20 years of varying degrees of average sounding music software compromises, i think this last few years has been very exciting!!

[jens]

Has anyone tried Black Rooster Audio Magnetite yet?

Yes, I have it... almost never use it, but that could very well be me. I just didn't feel it normally adds anything desirable.

[pixel85]

I wouldn't buy any except TB Reelbus v3 because this one is not a victim of the problem that I have with others: tape simulations that I bought or tested only badly degrade quality of any signal source making it flat, bland and lifeless. I regret buying them after my stupid first over-hyped impression. I like to degrade sound but only when it's to add character to sound without making it sound like recorded on integrated soundcard from 90's.

*I can't talk about Satin because never tested this one and U-he is usually above any other in simulation development.

[himalaya]

i'm actually not overly concerned with "authentic", there are plenty of plugins out there that don't model anything, that sound great. And there are plenty of vintage audio gears that are quite lacklustre.

I'm with you on that. That's why I approach some of the plugins that suppose to emulate 'the tape sound', simply as another way to add 'colour' irrespective of how well they emulate tape. But at the same time, I'd love to have one or two that get that sound nailed, as much as possible.

Layering some of these with carefully set levels can give cool results. I liked Airwindows ToTape5 with AA Taupe. ToTape5 gives a lovely 'punch&warmth' and Taupe gives this subtle expansive sound. Together it is rather tasty.

[sqigls]

...simply as another way to add 'colour'...

...Layering some of these with carefully set levels can give cool results... Together it is rather tasty.

EXACTLY!

using small amounts of various sources, to get a sound that is both rich, and isn't some cookie cutter chain that everyone else is using.

[Harry_HH]

This is the information I got from the Softube today:

"This is Mattias from Softube support. To be able to register your code you will need to link your iLok account. In no part of this process will Gobbler get access to your password. The password entered to and on iLok servers, to make sure that you are the owner of that iLok account. Pace would never allow a 3d party to compromise the security of their system, by giving them access to the password."

This means, nothing has changed concerning the twisted authorization policy of the Softube products.

Unlike all the other 16 developers and 74 iLok authorized plugins I own, Softube says, they can't authorize the purchased plugin with the information of the client's iLok username, and the purchased product ID/documentation. I have to enter to the Gobbler's site, and give the my iLok username and password. Unlike 'Mattias' above claims, its not the PACE /iLok site the user logs in, its the Gobbler.

So, for all the other developer just the iLok username is enough,
Softube stubbornly demands the user's iLok password.

My Softube plugin stays unauthorized. And I can't purchase Softube Tape, nor any other Softube plugins. I wonder why this company keep shooting to its own leg.

Luckily there are a lot of excellent alternatives in the market. E. g. only this Black Friday I spent $ 423 for vst plugins. None of them is Softube.

[jens]

Unlike 'Mattias' above claims, its not the PACE /iLok site the user logs in, its the Gobbler.

So, for all the other developer just the iLok username is enough,
Softube stubbornly demands the user's iLok password.

That would only be the case if you used the same password for your Gobbler account as for your Pace account, so I assume that's what you did and why you got confused about this. Pace/iLok asks for your iLok password, Gobbler asks for your Gobbler password. Both might be identical, but they certainly don't have to.

[Harry_HH]

Unlike 'Mattias' above claims, its not the PACE /iLok site the user logs in, its the Gobbler.

So, for all the other developer just the iLok username is enough,
Softube stubbornly demands the user's iLok password.

That would only be the case if you used the same password for your Gobbler account as for your Pace account, so I assume that's what you did and why you got confused about this. Pace/iLok asks for your iLok password, Gobbler asks for your Gobbler password. Both might be identical, but they certainly don't have to.

No, I'm not confused at all. I'm not talking about the Gobbler password, I'm talking about the iLok password, which Gobbler demands me to write in their site. See the screen shots.

viewtopic.php?f=43&t=262178&p=6764927&h ... r#p6764927

[donkey tugger]

I want nowt to do with something called 'Gobbler'.

[vurt]

this Tape plugin

i wasn't aware theyd done an effect!

[jens]

Unlike 'Mattias' above claims, its not the PACE /iLok site the user logs in, its the Gobbler.

So, for all the other developer just the iLok username is enough,
Softube stubbornly demands the user's iLok password.

That would only be the case if you used the same password for your Gobbler account as for your Pace account, so I assume that's what you did and why you got confused about this. Pace/iLok asks for your iLok password, Gobbler asks for your Gobbler password. Both might be identical, but they certainly don't have to.

No, I'm not confused at all. I'm not talking about the Gobbler password, I'm talking about the iLok password, which Gobbler demands me to write in their site. See the screen shots.

viewtopic.php?f=43&t=262178&p=6764927&h ... r#p6764927

Yeah, right - I had apparently forgotten that I ever did this - but as they even tell you on that page,
you can change your iLok password afterwards if you are extremely paranoid.

[Unaspected]

Unlike 'Mattias' above claims, its not the PACE /iLok site the user logs in, its the Gobbler.

So, for all the other developer just the iLok username is enough,
Softube stubbornly demands the user's iLok password.

That would only be the case if you used the same password for your Gobbler account as for your Pace account, so I assume that's what you did and why you got confused about this. Pace/iLok asks for your iLok password, Gobbler asks for your Gobbler password. Both might be identical, but they certainly don't have to.

No, I'm not confused at all. I'm not talking about the Gobbler password, I'm talking about the iLok password, which Gobbler demands me to write in their site. See the screen shots.

viewtopic.php?f=43&t=262178&p=6764927&h ... r#p6764927

When I registered, I was given the option of letting Gobbler access my iLok account or not. However, from that point on, I can't help as I chose to go down the Gobbler route. I'm going to have to sort that out though as I didn't realise that Gobbler needs to be running permanently for the plugin to be accessible from my DAWs.

A note about Softube's website though - it's really slow to update. For hours it looked like I didn't have Tape, with the option to download for demo being all that was open to me. Hopefully I can remove all the Gobbler stuff and perform a manual install - an option that I now realise wasn't available until their website had updated.


I know this thread isn't about copy protection but I have to say that I don't understand why any companies use it. People who are going to buy will buy - those who want stuff for free will be able to do that and are very unlikely to pay after the fact. All companies need to take a look at Audio Damage - those guys stated from experience that pursuing copy protection is a waste of time and money.

That said, I don't mind iLok - never had issues with it - but this Gobbler thing is bizarre and backwards. Do not want!

---

I've spent a little more time with tape now. Finished the drum processing and I can't believe anyone says that Softube's Tape is subtle! Of course it can be but you can push it damn hard to get a variety of tones. It's capable of some dramatic bass enhancement - not a simple bass boost but a really tight, punchy sound. The tone control works well to control transients.

Of course, wobble isn't exactly desirable but a tiny amount of wobble on sustained sounds can add some unconscious interest. I would suggest that this effect is most evident when the dry/wet control is moved - so I would set the wet to 50% and then adjust the wobble to taste before returning the wet to 100%. Most of the time I would set for no wobble. Same with tape noise - I would use that very sparingly if at all - unless you want what mix engineer used to try and avoid.

Even with all the Gobbler crap, I'm a happy customer because it does what I expected and surpasses that with the level of tone control on offer.

As with all plugins, it partners very well with True Iron placed ahead of it.

[beely]

I'm going to have to sort that out though as I didn't realise that Gobbler needs to be running permanently for the plugin to be accessible from my DAWs.

?
Not here it doesn't. The Gobbler app has nothing to do with how an authorised plugin is loaded or used in a host.

A note about Softube's website though - it's really slow to update. For hours it looked like I didn't have Tape, with the option to download for demo being all that was open to me.

I think it took about 10-20 mins for the license to show up for me.

I've spent a little more time with tape now. Finished the drum processing and I can't believe anyone says that Softube's Tape is subtle! Of course it can be but you can push it damn hard to get a variety of tones. It's capable of some dramatic bass enhancement - not a simple bass boost but a really tight, punchy sound. The tone control works well to control transients.

I most people just load it, and turn the large amount knob on the front all the way up, and expect it to get really grungy - and it doesn't really. To get it grungy, you have to open the hidden controls and drive the input hard - *then* it can get grungy.

But even so - I just played with Reelbus, and thus has way more exaggerated distortion, both among the presets, and when playing around with the parameters. You can dial it down of course, but I feel that it's control range was rather more extreme than Tape goes - and I quite like that Tape has a more refined control range.

[sqigls]

As with all plugins, it partners very well with True Iron placed ahead of it.

this is a new one for me, cheers

i like layering these type of things.
no demo...
and no hint of a licence policy.
most of the demos are ROCK
so not sure

[KenSMusic]

I often hear positive things about U-He Satin. Quite like FerricTDS myself. Too bad it's 32-bit Windows only, but hey, it's free.