If you buy a tape vst today.
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1141 posts since 2 Feb, 2005
Hi, is Softube's tape still on your very top list ? I am very new to Tape-kind of vst and I know that some other similar plugins have been released this year (Overloud for instance).
Let's forget about the price tag of ST's Tape, will you choose it over other new comers?
Cowby
Let's forget about the price tag of ST's Tape, will you choose it over other new comers?
Cowby
- KVRAF
- 5678 posts since 25 Dec, 2004
Tape is the ONLY one I'd use.
AudioThing Reels is good for lo-fi stuff, but i don't like any of the others.
Slate VTM for example, is shite. The waves stuff, all of them just can't really nail tape.
Their behaviour regarding transients for example, is just a bit goofy.
Softube Tape is TIGHT for ultra surgical computer sculpted sounds.
The others aren't. In my opinion and experience. The bass and top-end can be adjusted for a bit of TASTE, not just 'choose the best of whatever some code monkey could manage to bang out before he sold it to you'.
I'm not talking 'EDM' here, i mean the fine arts. Tight low end. Crispy highs that don't slice your ears off.
ruffle those feathers
AudioThing Reels is good for lo-fi stuff, but i don't like any of the others.
Slate VTM for example, is shite. The waves stuff, all of them just can't really nail tape.
Their behaviour regarding transients for example, is just a bit goofy.
Softube Tape is TIGHT for ultra surgical computer sculpted sounds.
The others aren't. In my opinion and experience. The bass and top-end can be adjusted for a bit of TASTE, not just 'choose the best of whatever some code monkey could manage to bang out before he sold it to you'.
I'm not talking 'EDM' here, i mean the fine arts. Tight low end. Crispy highs that don't slice your ears off.
ruffle those feathers
sketches... http://soundcloud.com/onesnzeros
some artists i support... https://bandcamp.com/spectraselecta
some artists i support... https://bandcamp.com/spectraselecta
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1141 posts since 2 Feb, 2005
Thanks for your prompt reply, Sqigls. Mind to share when to use Softube's Tape plugin ? Like drum, bass or even vocal to make them more warmer or ?sqigls wrote: ↑Mon Nov 26, 2018 10:22 am Tape is the ONLY one I'd use.
AudioThing Reels is good for lo-fi stuff, but i don't like any of the others.
Slate VTM for example, is shite. The waves stuff, all of them just can't really nail tape.
Their behaviour regarding transients for example, is just a bit goofy.
Softube Tape is TIGHT for ultra surgical computer sculpted sounds.
The others aren't. In my opinion and experience. The bass and top-end can be adjusted for a bit of TASTE, not just 'choose the best of whatever some code monkey could manage to bang out before he sold it to you'.
I'm not talking 'EDM' here, i mean the fine arts. Tight low end. Crispy highs that don't slice your ears off.
ruffle those feathers
- KVRAF
- 23472 posts since 12 Jul, 2003 from West Caprazumia
If it wasn't for Studio One's Mix FX engine, I would rather prefer Toneboosters' Reelbus 4.
"Preamps have literally one job: when you turn up the gain, it gets louder." Jamcat, talking about presmp-emulation plugins.
- KVRAF
- 5958 posts since 16 Aug, 2017 from UK
- KVRAF
- 5678 posts since 25 Dec, 2004
i should preface by saying, I exclude UAD in this discussion, because their tape plugins are in a different league, but Softube Tape is the first I've used personally, that has the option to not shit the bass right up, i guess. I mean in the tape days, bass was often the enemy, but Softube Tape has the ability to actually tighten the low-end like no other tape plugin I've used.
also, there is no magic formula. If it fits, then I use it.
they're all just tubes of colour.
i might use Tape in place of an EQ.
or a dynamics plugin.
i might use it to 'warm' on a rare occasion, but it's more a subtle glue.
I say subtle, but to me it not as subtle as some people would consider.
i've used Tape to add sparkle, to glue, to tame transients, as an overdrive effect...
it's all subjective though i guess. but 'tight' to some people is just not solid enough to me.
slap most filter plugins on a nice big reggae bassline, they just lose their shit. even a lot of synth filters kill the bass when you start ramping up the resonance.
put Cytomic The Drop on a reggae bassline though, for example, with the MS20 rev 2 algorithm in the driver seat, BAM, you've got a firm bass that will rock a wall of speakers just like a good hardware box.
ALSO, like compression being multiplicative, not additive...
it's a cumulative effect. A little bit here, a little bit there.
smear it on everything, you soon end up with a hard mix.
I use plugins like Tape, The Drop, Contemporary Color, HG-2, AudioThing Type-A (not really saturation, more like a dynamic EQ), Fuse Audio VPRE-376... The Scream... all in small amounts generally, maybe 2 or 3 of them in series, to get a sound that defies digital really. Drums, bass, vocals, keys... i don't generally see "drums, bass, keys" etc. I see tones. Colours. Sometimes something soft needs a hard effect. or vice versa.
Tape is dope.
but i doubt it's gonna satisfy the Sausage Fattener crowd
also, there is no magic formula. If it fits, then I use it.
they're all just tubes of colour.
i might use Tape in place of an EQ.
or a dynamics plugin.
i might use it to 'warm' on a rare occasion, but it's more a subtle glue.
I say subtle, but to me it not as subtle as some people would consider.
i've used Tape to add sparkle, to glue, to tame transients, as an overdrive effect...
it's all subjective though i guess. but 'tight' to some people is just not solid enough to me.
slap most filter plugins on a nice big reggae bassline, they just lose their shit. even a lot of synth filters kill the bass when you start ramping up the resonance.
put Cytomic The Drop on a reggae bassline though, for example, with the MS20 rev 2 algorithm in the driver seat, BAM, you've got a firm bass that will rock a wall of speakers just like a good hardware box.
ALSO, like compression being multiplicative, not additive...
it's a cumulative effect. A little bit here, a little bit there.
smear it on everything, you soon end up with a hard mix.
I use plugins like Tape, The Drop, Contemporary Color, HG-2, AudioThing Type-A (not really saturation, more like a dynamic EQ), Fuse Audio VPRE-376... The Scream... all in small amounts generally, maybe 2 or 3 of them in series, to get a sound that defies digital really. Drums, bass, vocals, keys... i don't generally see "drums, bass, keys" etc. I see tones. Colours. Sometimes something soft needs a hard effect. or vice versa.
Tape is dope.
but i doubt it's gonna satisfy the Sausage Fattener crowd
sketches... http://soundcloud.com/onesnzeros
some artists i support... https://bandcamp.com/spectraselecta
some artists i support... https://bandcamp.com/spectraselecta
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do_androids_dream do_androids_dream https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=164034
- KVRAF
- 2908 posts since 26 Oct, 2007 from Kent, UK
The only tape plugin I've ever heard that sounds pleasing is going to break the bank hugely.. Bootsie's free Ferric TDS I've used Reelbus (sold it because it just sounds artificial and I always ended up bypassing it in the end), VTM which is pretty horrible imo, all the Waves tape plugins which are just plain bad. Never been impressed by anything I've heard from Satin. Ferric TDS is still king by a country mile.
- KVRAF
- 5678 posts since 25 Dec, 2004
unfortunately FerricTDS is Windows only
sketches... http://soundcloud.com/onesnzeros
some artists i support... https://bandcamp.com/spectraselecta
some artists i support... https://bandcamp.com/spectraselecta
- KVRAF
- 5958 posts since 16 Aug, 2017 from UK
Huge latency involved, might be worth trying in a combination with other plug-ins.
APEX 440B Program for Free
http://cdsoundmaster.com/site/cds-softw ... lugin.html
Maybe with pm analoger to be cost effective.
APEX 440B Program for Free
http://cdsoundmaster.com/site/cds-softw ... lugin.html
Maybe with pm analoger to be cost effective.
Is materialism devouring your musical output?
- KVRAF
- 5813 posts since 17 Aug, 2004 from Berlin, Germany
It depends a bit of the usage. If you looking more for some kind of tape effect, U-He Satin could be a better option, because it allows tweaking of many parameters. I don't use a lot of tape, only on summing groups and on the master and VTM makes the job very well (with not too aggressiv settings... signal not too hot, hiss auto, noise reduction -80dB, Bias normal,..)
I personally would buy VTM again but not Waves Kramer or U-He Satin.
I personally would buy VTM again but not Waves Kramer or U-He Satin.
| Links
- KVRAF
- 5958 posts since 16 Aug, 2017 from UK
Just tried Console Shaper on a submix bus, then this, feeding the 2 bus with Softube Tape (demo) mix effect with passthrough enabled.
Different.
If this makes sense, like having two 2 busses using mix fx.
Different.
If this makes sense, like having two 2 busses using mix fx.
Last edited by The Noodlist on Mon Nov 26, 2018 6:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Is materialism devouring your musical output?
- Boss Lovin' DR
- 12621 posts since 15 Mar, 2002 from the grimness of yorkshire
Tried a few, including this Softube one. Sticking with Reelbus.
- KVRAF
- 5958 posts since 16 Aug, 2017 from UK
V4?donkey tugger wrote: ↑Mon Nov 26, 2018 2:43 pm Tried a few, including this Softube one. Sticking with Reelbus.
Is materialism devouring your musical output?
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- KVRist
- 322 posts since 8 Dec, 2013
check out acustica audio taupe which is a standout sonically.cowby wrote: ↑Mon Nov 26, 2018 10:06 am Hi, is Softube's tape still on your very top list ? I am very new to Tape-kind of vst and I know that some other similar plugins have been released this year (Overloud for instance).
Let's forget about the price tag of ST's Tape, will you choose it over other new comers?
Cowby
uad tapes are great but do not have the stereo image/depth of taupe.
fatso is good but not top tier imo.
reels4 i use as warmer or exciter ocasionally. it has 2 great presets
with those names.
magnetic is a nice tape strip in sale for 29 bucks, i use this as part of
tone shaping chains.
satin ithink is stronger as tone shaper and exciter than subtle tape.
softube completely underwhelmed me.
i have no comment on the waves and slate ones.
all of the above just my highly subjective opinion of course.
Last edited by cfanyc on Mon Nov 26, 2018 2:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Boss Lovin' DR
- 12621 posts since 15 Mar, 2002 from the grimness of yorkshire
I tried V4, all very nice, but a bit overkill for what I need, so stuck with v3. On individual channels I also like TB Ferox - the compressor on it is superb for acoustic guitars and also nice for the jangle.The Noodlist wrote: ↑Mon Nov 26, 2018 2:53 pmV4?donkey tugger wrote: ↑Mon Nov 26, 2018 2:43 pm Tried a few, including this Softube one. Sticking with Reelbus.