TAPE SCULPTOR: Build your own tape machine!

[zircon]

Impact Soundworks has released TAPE SCULPTOR, a cutting-edge tape emulation plugin (VST, AU, AAX, CLAP formats) that can go far beyond typical tape emulation to enhance your productions in all-new directions.

Whether you’re looking to infuse subtle warmth and color during mastering, fatten up drum and bass parts, add lo-fi grit or extreme distortion, or explore entirely new sound design possibilities, Tape Sculptor delivers.



Gorgeous Sound. Next-Generation DSP.
Developed by Jatin Chowdhury, the mastermind behind the highly acclaimed ChowTape Model, Tape Sculptor incorporates cutting-edge DSP that delivers unparalleled warmth, character, and nuance to your audio.

Whether you're looking for just a touch of vintage-style saturation and smooth transient processing, or intense compression, modulation and distortion, the sound of Tape Sculptor is top-of-class.

Modern, Stylish UI.
Tape Sculptor features a visually-appealing, streamlined UI that's designed for ease of use and efficiency, letting you focus on crafting the perfect sound without getting lost in endless tabs and submenus. Everything is available on a single screen with clear organization into modules that can be easily toggled. Naturally, you can also adjust the zoom level to suit everything from a small laptop screen to 4K displays (or larger).

Unrivaled Versatility.
Tape Sculptor's extensive suite of processing modules and settings gives you an immense amount of control and customization. Dial in subtle warmth and fatness with the Compressor and Saturation sections. Slim the signal with analog-modeled Filters. Create vintage vibes with Degrade, Loss, and Chew. Explore pitch and spatial effects using Delay, Flutter, and Wow. Use as much or as little processing as you'd like.

Mindblowing Sound Design Capabilities.
Push input, saturation, and degradation settings into extreme ranges to achieve unique, powerful sound design effects that are perfect for creative experimentation and injecting new life into your audio.

The factory bank of 132 presets fully explores the wide range of possibilities here, from near-transparent harmonic distortion to alien space modulation and extreme destruction.

Compatible with every genre and style.
Whether you're working on a pristine pop mix or crafting a gritty lo-fi beat, Tape Sculptor delivers the sonic texture and character you need to elevate your sound.

And more...

• Up to 16x oversampling
• Minimum and Linear phase processing modes
• Quick A/B preset loading and comparison
• L/R and M/S processing modes
• Dynamic makeup gain
• Toggleable visualizations for even lower CPU operation
• VST3, AU, AAX, and CLAP formats
• One-time serial number registration (no iLok)
• Activation capability for offline computers

Plugin Walkthrough & Demonstration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCfApvVxcrc

Pricing & Availability

Tape Sculptor is available now for the intro price of $79 through June 9, 2023 (MSRP: $99).

Let us know what you think!

More info, a TRIAL VERSION, and audio examples at the product page below:

https://impactsoundworks.com/product/tape-sculptor/

[v1o]

Can't wait to check this out. Although if I'm being totally honest I tend to prefer tape plugins with less sound design options.

[zircon]

Can't wait to check this out. Although if I'm being totally honest I tend to prefer tape plugins with less sound design options.

The beauty of this is that you can simply leave those modules disabled and focus on Compression and Saturation, which have an absolutely wonderful sound and plenty of depth The factory bank will also include many subtle presets for warming, harmonic exciting, character, fattening, etc.

[Ploki]

To be fair the PR text got me “eh, really? Another revolutionary tape?” but ChowTape dev sparked my interest.

[sinkmusic]

It's looking very nice indeed. ChowTape is nice, so this one might be great

[TIMT]

Is this just ChowTape with a more thought out interface? All the parameters are the same including the modules, other than the delay

[zircon]

Is this just ChowTape with a more thought out interface? All the parameters are the same including the modules, other than the delay

Yes, it's based on ChowTape Model - besides the reworked-from-scratch UI there are a number of other differences/additions.

* Adjustable lowpass/highpass filter slope from 6db/oct to 96db/oct (the higher slopes, especially with makeup gain, can produce some really cool effects)
* More flexible compressor: new controls for Blend, Ratio, and Knee
* New Hiss generator in the Degrade section
* Tape delay section with four taps - you can sync it, or if you don't, the lowest delay time is 30ms which lets you do some really cool pseudo-reverb, stereo, and slapback effects
* Various expanded parameter ranges
* Not pictured in the current version: auto-gain makeup (separate from the stereo gain makeup control in the original ChowTape)
* Totally new factory preset bank (many presets taking advantage of the improved/expanded modules)

[uselessmind]

Interested because Jatin ist involved.
But i assume its some kind of online authorization being used?

[swindus]

Sounds and looks interesting. Will there be a Linux version?

[UtopianLament]

This looks lovely. Hopefully you can adjust the signal flow of the modules.

[zircon]

Interested because Jatin ist involved.
But i assume its some kind of online authorization being used?

Authorization is very simple, just a one-time serial registration call to our server. Only happens once; no internet connection or re-authorization needed after that. There's also an offline authorization method if you keep your studio computer off the internet!

[uselessmind]

Authorization is very simple, just a one-time serial registration call to our server. Only happens once; no internet connection or re-authorization needed after that. There's also an offline authorization method if you keep your studio computer off the internet!

Thanks for clarifying, seems like the less annoying method of this kind.
But i will stick to the ones with serial or no cp.

All the best to you folks though with this one.

[zircon]

Authorization is very simple, just a one-time serial registration call to our server. Only happens once; no internet connection or re-authorization needed after that. There's also an offline authorization method if you keep your studio computer off the internet!

Thanks for clarifying, seems like the less annoying method of this kind.
But i will stick to the ones with serial or no cp.

All the best to you folks though with this one.

To be clear, it's a serial number / email combo. The mechanism is simple. You enter your purchase email and the serial you were emailed, and it checks if that matches the order in our system. If it does, it's registered forever (i.e. no internet connection used or needed after that)

[Frankie.T]

Authorization is very simple, just a one-time serial registration call to our server. Only happens once; no internet connection or re-authorization needed after that. There's also an offline authorization method if you keep your studio computer off the internet!

Thanks for clarifying, seems like the less annoying method of this kind.
But i will stick to the ones with serial or no cp.

All the best to you folks though with this one.

To be clear, it's a serial number / email combo. The mechanism is simple. You enter your purchase email and the serial you were emailed, and it checks if that matches the order in our system. If it does, it's registered forever (i.e. no internet connection used or needed after that)

I think the "issue" is the need to rely on external systems, that may work now, but who know in the future. Few of us are old enough to being fall into plugins that wont run anymore because the company goes out of business or just got urresponsive, so the preference for SN or key files became a kind of peace of mind for some of us.

[sinkmusic]

Is this just ChowTape with a more thought out interface? All the parameters are the same including the modules, other than the delay

Yes, it's based on ChowTape Model - besides the reworked-from-scratch UI there are a number of other differences/additions.

* Adjustable lowpass/highpass filter slope from 6db/oct to 96db/oct (the higher slopes, especially with makeup gain, can produce some really cool effects)
* More flexible compressor: new controls for Blend, Ratio, and Knee
* New Hiss generator in the Degrade section
* Tape delay section with four taps - you can sync it, or if you don't, the lowest delay time is 30ms which lets you do some really cool pseudo-reverb, stereo, and slapback effects
* Various expanded parameter ranges
* Not pictured in the current version: auto-gain makeup (separate from the stereo gain makeup control in the original ChowTape)
* Totally new factory preset bank (many presets taking advantage of the improved/expanded modules)

Hi,
I don't want to sound nitpicky or pedantic, but I am genuinely trying to understand : on one hand, you boldly claim that it's "groundbreaking", "Next-Generation DSP", "the future", but on the other hand you say it's based on ChowTape (which is awesome, but a couple years old already, so not really "futuristic", "groundbreaking" or "next generation").
I have read the featurelist above quoting the differences between the "regular" ChowTape and your forthcoming plugin, but I don't see anything here which could be marketed as "groundbreaking" when it comes to what makes the core of the plugin (I mean the tape sound emulation).
So is this just marketing hyperbole (I can live with that and just enjoy the plugin for what it is), or could you elaborate a bit about what are the DSP improvements on the tape emulation making that plugin "next generation"?
Don't get me wrong, I am interested into the plugin, and again I really like ChowTape, but to me a preset bank, more controls on the compressor a new GUI and HP/LP filters aren't what I'd personally call "next gen" or "groundbreaking"