Softube Tape

Analog tape has a smoothing effect and adds weight and glue to a mix – it turns the recording from a collection of individual tracks into a song, where everything is connected and works together.

Tape, with its component-level and physical modeling of three different tape machines, gives you all the warm vintage cohesion you could want in one plug-in. Add a few premium level features, like the mastering grade high shelf filter, stability control, and wet/dry mix knob, and you've got a new secret sauce. Mmm... tasty.

Tape sounds FANTASTIC. I like Type A and C the best. Overall, the sound of it is outstanding...

Brian Transeau a.k.a. BT - American music producer, composer, technologist, audio technician, multi-instrumentalist

Softube Tape is my new favorite saturation plug in. Parallel it with your kick or bass and drive it hard—thick and fat. Tape also lives on my mix buss alongside a couple of other Softube modeled plug-ins, glues my tracks, and gives me a lot of sonic options; from transparent to unwieldy and everywhere in between.

Howard Willing - Producer, engineer and mixer for Smashing Pumpkins, Sheryl Crow and Kris Kristofferson

Sweet and Simple

Select your favorite tape machine (A, B, or C) and adjust the Amount knob. Instant mojo. Easier still, load up one of the included presets to soak your tracks in analog tape sweetness.

Feel Like Tweaking?

Experiment with different tape speed settings, or open the Remote Control panel where you can adjust the machine's stability, crosstalk amount, and several other features.

Rich Sound Across the Mix

Like most Softube plug-ins, Tape is CPU-efficient. Use Tape on your master bus, or do it the retro way by adding Tape to every track. Tons of detail and texture, no CPU overload.

Professional presets by Grammy winners

There are many ways to use and abuse a tape machine, and many modern engineers have never had the pleasure of working with a real (reel to reel) analog unit. That's why, to get you started, Tape includes presets made by Grammy-winning engineers such as Joe Chiccarelli (Beck, U2, Strokes) and Howard Willing (Smashing Pumpkins, Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson).

But there's no wrong answer. Crank Tape to its extremes and you'll get sounds that wouldn't even be possible in most analog machines, at extra-slow speeds for example, or with insane wow and flutter.

Three different tape machines

Type A is based on a classic Swiss high end reel-to-reel machine, known and loved for its precision and linearity. Type B is much more colorful — it's a transformer based machine which adds extra weight and cream to the low end. Lastly, Type C is based on a British tape machine with a distinct vintage vibe. Each has its own story to tell, and its own special something to impart to your music. So experiment, listen closely, and choose wisely.

5 Things to Watch Out for When Choosing a Tape Plug-in

Tape emulations breathe life into a production by adding warmth, glue, and creative energy to a mix. With so many options in tape plug-ins, it can be hard to choose, so we've picked the five most important things to remember when selecting yours.

I love the Softube Tape plug-in. It's great for just adding a touch of analog tape simulation to a final mix, but more impressively it's great for adding character to vocals and guitars. It provides instant glue for harsh or overly transient sounds in a mix.

Joe Chiccarelli - Mixer/Engineer/Producer for Beck, U2, The Strokes, Elton John, etc.

Tape is now on all buses in my mix template. Combining it with British Class A gives me a great start for any sound shaping I need.

Michael Ilbert - Grammy awarded engineer for Taylor Swift, Pink, and Katy Perry

In short:

• True analog tape sound.
• Three tape machine types included.
• Easy to use.
• Low CPU usage.
• Mastering grade high frequency control.
• Stability control to introduce wow and flutter, or tape flanging when combined with dry/wet mix knob.
• Includes Tape Multitrack which can be used in the MixFX slot of Presonus Studio One — adding individual channel crosstalk and single interface control of all tracks.

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