Your favorite Tape plugin in 2023? [#POLL]

[martinjuenke]

You forgot the Waves tapes in your list...

[Dark Fiber]

You forgot the Waves tapes in your list...

Waves Kramer Tape
Waves J37
iZotope Ozone Vintage Tape
Black Rooster Audio Magnetite

But, to be honest, these cannot compete with the IK's and Tonebooster's Reelbus 4.

Magnetite for instance, has this weird EQ curve in which the 7.5 tape speed setting has way more high frequency content than the 15 tape speed setting. And it claims to be an emulation...

The head bump of the Ozone Vintage Tape is often way too low to be useful.

Haven't used the J37, but the Kramer Tape is meh.

In the end my conclusion, after a few years of trying different plugins, is that a tape plugin is never a necessity. One can do without when a track is properly mixed/glued/polished. Sometimes however it can put you in the right direction with it's saturation, EQ curve and subtle movement. It can glue different parts together nicely, but other plugins can do this as well!

Another thing to consider is when your workflow is to achieve a tight crest factor, for instance by using saturation all over your mix, tape plugins can "destroy" that because they will always increase transients and therefore increasing dynamics which is not always a good thing.

[Dark Fiber]

...so I switched to the UAD Studer A800. I get the same effect from it as the IK tapes, plus it doesn’t have the weird phase shift that is characteristic of convolution, like the IK tapes have, and it takes ⅓ the CPU.

I think you are referring to the IK Tape 80 which seems to have a pre-ringing effect going on that is audible on kick drums and snares? Indeed something to be aware of.

I have this Technics M12 cassette deck from the early 80's and tested it out with a kick drum loop. It has the same pre-ringing effect! So it could be that IK just modelled that and used filters that can be used to their advantage to emulate the pre-ringing effect.

Check it out (downloadable in wave format!):
Clean: https://soundcloud.com/stikkers/kickloo ... al_sharing
M12: https://soundcloud.com/stikkers/kickloo ... al_sharing

[4damind]

I currently only use UAD Oxide on every track. Otherwise I miss Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines

[heyheycnv]

After all these years Satin still delivers me the sound I want. Such a deep and versatile plugin.
Bonus for also being a UHQ compander, delay and flange.

IK Tapes sound really good. My second choice.

[El°HYM]

You forgot the Waves tapes in your list...

Marty, its 2023 not 2003.

[martinjuenke]

You forgot the Waves tapes in your list...

Marty, its 2023 not 2003.

[Dormant]

I'm still using Slate VTM here and there, and I do really like Overloud's one.
Ferric TDS and Sender Spike SN03-G are lovely as well!

[simmo75]

I like the Baby Audio one, it's not. on this list.

[lolilol1975]

You forgot the Waves tapes in your list...

Marty, its 2023 not 2003.

[El°HYM]

All polls on kvr have a maximum of entries and while they can be altered, all the votes will be reset then. Thats why Voxengo CRTIV Tape Bus isnt on the list.

[gentleclockdivider]

I only use freebees tape like chow and reelbus 3

[masonsjax]

Anyone have thoughts on XLN RC-20?

[Lotuz2019]

Anyone have thoughts on XLN RC-20?

Tape noise? Check!
Tape wow/flutter? Check!
Tape dropouts? Check!
Tape saturation? What, there's no tape saturation?

[Digivolt]

Softube Tape or U-He Satin