EQ Magazine - July 2008 - (Page 52)

TAPE SIMULATOR SOFTWARE SHOWDOWN VIRTUAL REELS GET REAL by Craig Anderton I’m not necessarily one who worships at the Church of the Iron Oxide. In fact, when the Alesis ADAT was announced, I could hardly wait to get rid of analog tape. The hiss, stretching, modulation noise, biasing, head cleaning, head alignment, head lapping (scary stuff!), demagnetizing, test tone tapes, and all those other “accessories” to the analog tape experience drove me up the wall. So when digital became feasible, and the signal that came out was the signal that went in, I was relieved. But . . . tape did have that distinctive sound, and one you could customize by biasing (which affects hiss, distortion, and level). You could bias hot for more “zing” with higher noise, or bias low. Or you could choose an in-between setting you happened to like. Some crazed fanatics (uh, that would be me) would re-bias machines in the middle of a session to achieve, say, a different drum sound compared to the other tracks. You could also alter the preemphasis/de-emphasis EQ to change the tonality. So when I wanted that sound, I’d hook up my venerable TASCAM Model 32 two-track into a mixer’s insert jacks, roll tape in record mode, hit the tape hard, and record the results into a digital recorder. Nor was I alone: Several big-name engineers, like Bruce Swedien, often record to tape— then capture it immediately to digital before it self-destructs. This trend did not go unnoticed in the software community, and soon, we had effects designed to give “that” tape sound without the hassles and issues. Well, sort of; actually these tape sim products seem to fall into three main categories: • Software designed to simulate particular tape sounds as accurately as possible, where an “Ampex” preset really sounds like Ampex tape. • Programs that are more “inspired” by the effect tape has on a sound, and take liberties that go beyond straight emulation. • Suites designed for a specific function, where tape saturation is only one of the components. For example, the suite may be dedicated to vintage sounds, or it might relate to mastering tools. The idea of actually being able to eliminate tape, or in some cases go beyond what tape can do, perhaps sounds too good to be true—but is it? I’ll tell you one thing: The results were not at all what I was expecting. All products were tested using Windows XP. Those requiring Pro Tools were tested using Pro Tools LE. Signal sources included drums, program material, various synths, guitars, and electric bass. And now, in no particular order, let’s start crunching. MCDSP ANALOG CHANNEL Analog Channel is a “mini-suite” for Pro Tools that includes the AC-1, which emulates analog channel amp circuits, and the AC-2—the focus of this review—which emulates analog tape machines. I wish we had the space to cover the AC-1, which is a valuable plug-in in its own right . . . but we must move on. The AC-2 takes the whole tape thing very literally, giving control over bias, equalization, playback speed, head bump, low frequency rolloff, playback head type (which affects the head bump and low frequency rolloff characteristics), tape formulations, and tape saturation recovery times. (Thankfully, they didn’t take the realism too far—I was concerned there might be a feature where the more you used the plug-in, the more the highs self-erased.) McDSP AC-2 from the Analog Channel suite. With stereo, each input can be thrown out of phase, and there’s an “auto” output level option that maintains a fixed output level, even if you hit the “tape” hard with the input controls, or push the bias. You can link the in and out controls in stereo. In use, the AC-2 has what I hear as McDSP’s sonic hallmark: a smooth, musical sound, even when you’re pushing it pretty hard. The bias control reminds me of the trimpots I’d use to underbias a bit to get a brighter response; a helpful, read-only graph shows how changes in EQ, head bump, low frequency rolloff, bias, and tape speed affect frequency response. Overall, the AC-2 makes the right choices between staying totally faithful to the original and improving on the possibilities, and the sound quality is exceptional. ’Nuff said. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Windows XP, Mac OSX 10.4, Universal Binary FORMATS: Windows/Mac TDM/RTAS/AU LIST PRICE: $495 TDM, $295 Native CONTACT: www.mcdsp.com 52 EQ JULY 2008 www.eqmag.com http://www.mcdsp.com http://www.eqmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EQ Magazine - July 2008

EQ Magazine - July 2008 Contents Talk Box Sounding Board Louis XIV, Four TET and Steve Reid, Can Your Record Go Gold in the Digital Age Tool Box Death Cab For Cutie Guitar Trax Bass Management Key Issues Drum Heads Vocal Cords Mix Bus Cheat Sheet Propellerhead Reason 4 Sony Acid Pro 6 EDAX Audio Labs VTP-100 M-Audio Profire 2626 Tape Simulator Shootout Tape Simulators Sounds Room With a VU: Infrasonic Sound Recording Company, Los Angeles, CA.

EQ Magazine - July 2008

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