OCS-45 Cassette Simulation

OCS-45 Cassette Simulation brings all of the lo-fi, vintage feel of cassette tapes to your sound. Get instant retro vibes by choosing from four authentic cassette types, each with its own distinct character, and add in all the charming imperfections of tape by combining pitch modulation, background noise and dropouts.

As well as being a cassette simulation plugin, OCS-45 is a rich distortion processing unit with five precisely programmed distortion types – perfect for adding extra life and warmth to anything you put it on. And, with Dry/Wet and Bypass controls for each effects module, you're in full control, whether you want nostalgic cassette emulation or more creative effects combinations.

Wow/Flutter

In tape recordings, there are often inconsistencies in the sound due to imperfect equipment mechanics. These irregularities cause fluctuations in the tape speed, which lead to variations in pitch and tonal degradation, known as "wow" or "flutter".

OSC-45'S Wow/Flutter module allows you to add this detuned, wobbly and worn effect to your sound, at a rate and depth that suits you. The clean, vivid GUI makes it easy to see the changes you're making to your sound, with a single flowing line representing the modulated audio signal.

Dropouts

Physical cassettes have a tendency to randomly cut out short amounts of sound periodically, due to damaged or degraded tape, or playback heads. It's a characterful quirk of the recording medium that is part of its appeal nowadays.

OCS-45's Dropouts module applies this effect separately on both the left and right channels and runs independently on both input signal and the Noise generating module. You can keep the Amount dial low for a delicate feel, or crank it up to add more frequent and audible volume breaks.

Noise

One of the most recognisable features of low-fidelity cassette tapes is background hiss, caused by the electronic circuitry and the magnetic elements of the machinery. OSC-45's Noise module allows you to blend this warm noise into your sound, providing an extra layer of static and texture to fill it out.

There are four noise types to choose from, and the noise generator is equipped with an envelope follower so it will run alongside your audio and stop whenever your sound stops playing. The D/O switch can also be flicked on to apply periodic dropouts to the noise signal.

Distortion

OCS-45 has five flavours of distortion which you can add to your signal, either in combination with the other effects modules on the plugin, or alone:

• Tube – A semi-aggressive form of distortion that simulates Tube amplifiers.

• Diode – A specific way of clipping that produces an aggressive, distorted sound.

• Soft Clip – Rounds up the endings of the waveform that cross a level of 0dB resulting in a pleasant warm sound.

• Saturation – A subtle form of distortion that adds pleasant-sounding harmonics.

• Downsample – Reduces the sample rate of the signal creating a bright ringing tone.

Set the amount of distortion with the Drive control, and shape the frequencies of the effect by tweaking the Tone knob.

Cassette Types

OCS-45 is a cassette VST with four modes modelled on the major tape types of the golden era of compact cassettes, classified in 1979 by the IEC. The magnetic tape in each type was created with a different chemical, and performed and sounded uniquely as a result.

The first type of cassette tape were the Ferric Type I tapes, also known as "Normal" tapes. This type excel with low-frequency, bass-heavy music, but their fidelity suffers at higher frequencies, especially in comparison to the chrome and metal cassette types that were introduced later.

Also known as "High Bias" or "Chrome" tapes, Type II cassettes were developed to improve on the lack of treble headroom in Type I. Their sound is characterized by a low noise floor and extended top end range. However, this improvement in high frequencies from Type I cassettes was tempered by a reputation of "bass shyness".

Released for a short period between the mid 1970s and early 1980s, the Type III Ferrichrome (or ferro-chrome) was an attempt to combine the enhanced high frequency definition of Type II and the fuller bass of the Type I cassettes.

Type IV cassettes were more expensive and not as popular in the consumer market as a result. Metal particle cassettes, or "Metals", were first introduced in 1979, with high end "Super Metals" introduced at the start of the 90s. Type IV cassettes have the widest dynamic range of the four types, coupled with the lowest distortion. There's less hiss with a metal cassette than a Type I, with solid low end and the best treble response out of the four.

OCS-45 Cassette Simulation

You can pick up OCS-45 Cassette Simulation for $15 at the Spectral Plugins website.

OCS-45 works on Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 in 64-bit format only.

Use on Mac requires macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or above.

Apple Silicon M1 is supported.