Tape Saturation?

[andysharifi]

What does tape saturation really do in the plugin form? I see so many of them out there with various levels of reviews, but I still wonder, if all your paying for is a EQ + compressor?

If it's just an EQ/compressor, can't these same effects be emulated within SS alone without having to purchase additional plugins?

[Angie]

What does tape saturation really do in the plugin form? I see so many of them out there with various levels of reviews, but I still wonder, if all your paying for is a EQ + compressor?

If it's just an EQ/compressor, can't these same effects be emulated within SS alone without having to purchase additional plugins?

Good question.

[MMP]

Maybe it could be emulated, though for those that have used tape decks in production, a familiar interface and the ease of getting results quickly that sound like tape is of value. I am pretty taken with the UAD Ampex emulation.

[Sean McCoy]

Maybe it could be emulated, though for those that have used tape decks in production, a familiar interface and the ease of getting results quickly that sound like tape is of value. I am pretty taken with the UAD Ampex emulation.

Agreed. Not only does the UAD Ampex (and many other tape saturation plugins) inherently emulate the tone and compression of tape and the machine, they actually offer many other functions that would be hard to copy using EQ and a compressor such as delay, wow and flutter, noise (if you're into that), etc. All that said, while I do use this and other analog emulators from Slate et al., I must admit I think the whole concept is a bit over-hyped.

[Jeff Scott]

I use the Waves Kramer tape on a few things and the Slate Virtual Tape Machine on most everything. Makes a subtle but impressive difference.

Never having worked with actual tape machines I can't comment on the accuracy of the Plugin reproduction....but they do something wonderful to the sound. My Kicks sound better...Cymbals fit better and the Snare takes on a great vibe.

[Tim Miskimon]

Obviously this question could surely cause arguements so I'm just going to give you my opinion after using both analog tape and digital recording side by side for many years now.
I grew up listening to records that were recorded using analog tape and that alone made me desire to use analog tape because that was how my favorite music was recorded and I grew to love that sound.
When the early digital recordings came out in the 80s and into the 90s I hated that sound - brittle and lacking fullness on the bottom.
Dire Straits MTV song comes to mind.
Even though I loved that album I hated the way it was recorded.
Now here we are in 2017 and digital has come a long way.
Not just that the converters have gotten better but people have learned the value of good analog preamps, good mics and how to use tubes to warm things up.
And generally have learned how to add the Freqs that tape did for us like the low end bump when you record at 15 IPS.
I still have a bunch of great analog machines - 2 track through 16 track - 1/4 in to 2 inch tape.
I will say that no tape saturation plug in that I've ever used sounds like the real thing to me.
There's simple too many things that happen when you use a tape machine - it isn't all about EQ, tape compression, etc.
Every tape machine sounds different - the type of tape you use, recording levels, tape speed, the quality of the machine's electronics and most important how you set up the Bias & record/playback electronics - it is complicated and time consuming but worth it to me when I hear the end result.
I'm one of those guys who happens to love both analog & digital.
I love mxing through an analog console and using outboard processors because I've been using those DBX, UA, Lexicon boxes for so long that I know just how to set them to get the sound I want.
Yes I do have stuff like the UAD plugins and I use them mainly when I run out of the real stuff.
Those plug ins are okay but they just don't sound like the real thing. Also forget about setting the controls like the way you would on the hardware unit - it's nowhere near the same.
I'm not being a snob about this - just stating my point of view.
I have spent thousands of dollars on plugins that I was hoping would allow me to off all these old boxes - make more room in my control room but I really haven't been that impressed yet.
There's something about driving those boxes and tape machines that get those electrons excited that cause all those magic little things to happen.
That does not happen with zeros & ones - at least not yet....
That said I've been using SAW just about every day since 1994 and it has served me well.
Most of my work is done using Saw.
These days I use the analog machines pretty much like I would select a guitar amp for a certain sound - I don't use them every day but when I want that sound it's there for me.

As far as the tape saturation plugins available these days.
I would try them all out and see if any of them get you close to what you want to hear.
They all sound different - I've even tried a few free plugins that warmed things up but that is only part of what tape does.
The UAD tape machine emulations were fun to play with and give you a lot of options - it has to be left to the individual to decide if it's worth the cost.
At any rate I hope this helps some and good luck in your search.

[andysharifi]

I appreciate everybody's feedback.

It's easy to get lost in the world of tape saturation with all the options available and hype around it.

I do see it used as a special effect in my case, and not on every mix. I demoed Soundtoys Decapitator, and it seems like a good option for when I want to add punch.

[Sean McCoy]

On a side note, I recently attended a big band recording session at a studio owned by an analog fanatic. Having cut my teeth on tape and gone through the initially rocky transition to digital, there were several years when I consistently missed what tape did on certain things. My analog decks went into storage around 2001, so this was the first tape-based session I've experienced in over 15 years. What impressed me most was how unimpressed I was by the sound, noting zero advantages to the analog console and 2" tape. Digital has come a long, long way, so now when I employ any type of analog emulation it's not to try to re-create the good 'ole days, but really does fall into the 'special effect' category.

[MMP]

There are certain things that sound better to me through a tape emulation. One is drums. There is something about printing drums hard to tape that makes a sound I like.

Overall, there is no question in my mind that digital is a medium with much higher fidelity. But, there are many times in audio production, especially music production, where fidelity is not really the goal. And , of course, there is no comparison when editing-digital is the clear winner.

Like it has been said here, just one of many tools in the toolbox, but the merit or lack of merit really depends on the work you are producing and tape emulation (in particular the UAD Ampex) has a place in almost all my music sessions.

Part of the reason may be my age, sounds through tape just sound more like the music I love, that was produced on that technology, so perhaps it is a certain nostalgia.

In the end, if it sounds good, it is good. There are many paths to the same destination.

[Richard Rupert]

<SNIP>
Part of the reason may be my age, sounds through tape just sound more like the music I love, that was produced on that technology, so perhaps it is a certain nostalgia.

I think this is a BIG part of this issue. I have a 70 year old friend who loves old blues recordings on vinyl records. They're very noisy and bandwidth limited, but she believes that digital can't capture that sound. Ultimately, I think what we all are looking for is a "Nostalgia plugin" that will make digital mixes sound like recordings we grew up listening to...