EQ Magazine - July 2008 - (Page 56)

VIRSYN VTAPE Here’s another vintage-oriented suite (with Delay, Flanger, and Saturator). The Saturator is a subset of the other programs, providing Hiss, Flutter, and Bias controls, along with a low/parametric mid/high EQ. And while this article is about tape simulation, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the VTape Flanger is the closest I’ve ever heard to true, ’60s-style tape flanging—right down to the motor inertia. Brilliant. The delay is fantastic too, 1with multiple taps, and filtering in the loop. Both of these include the Saturator “module.” But I digress. Saturator is designed to sound like a real tape recorder; for example, it’s one of the few sims that lets you dial in hiss, and the only commercial one that offers flutter. As a result, just as some plug-ins let you take pristine audio and VirSyn’s VTape is part of a vintageoriented suite. make it sound like it came from a scratchy record, this one lets you make it sound like it came from tape. Like tape, hitting the input harder increases the compression/saturation. And while the EQ may seem out of place, it isn’t: “Real” tape recorders had trims for pre-emphasis and deemphasis (boost and cut, respectively, of high frequencies), and how you set these made a big difference on the overall frequency response. Like other VirSyn products, the interface is clean and straightforward; if you have to think to figure this out, you should probably consider another profession. All controls work in an obvious manner, and have an equally obvious effect on the sound. Overall, Saturator is less versatile than many other sims, but more accurate—and part of a groovy suite of plug-ins that takes you back to the ’60s. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Windows XP/Vista, Mac OSX 10.4/5 or later, Universal Binary FORMATS: Windows VST/RTAS, Mac AU/VST/RTAS LIST PRICE: $261 CONTACT: www.virsyn.com DIGIDESIGN REEL TAPE SATURATION Although part of the $495 Reel Tape Suite, which also includes tape delay and tape flanging, the Reel Tape Saturation plug-in is available separately. While I mentioned at the beginning that all these plug-ins are really quite different, here’s an exception: The McDSP AC-2 and Reel Tape Saturation are quite similar in how they approach the goal of faithful tape emulation. However, Reel Tape Saturation offers a more limited degree of control, with three machine/head types (and no head bump control) compared to McDSP’s six; both have two tape types, bias, speed, and input controls. Unlike the AC-2, though, one of the machine options is “lo-fi” (Wollensak, anyone?), and you can also “calibrate” your tape to +3, +6, or +9. Like VirSyn’s VTape, RTS allows introducing tape hiss into the signal (incidentally, Digidesign’s Reel Tape Saturation is also available bundled as part of a suite. either one of these makes a good white noise generator if you want to do rain and similar sounds). In typical Digi fashion, this plug-in gives you what you need, has an obvious interface, works efficiently, and does the job. It seems purposely limited to doing tape effects; you can’t really “stretch” the settings to give less tape-like, more “exciter”type effects. For example, the bias control covers an extremely realistic range, whereas the McDSP control lets you overbias and underbias beyond the limits found in typical tape recorders. The bottom line is that Reel Tape Saturation does one family of things, but does it well: You can slap it on a signal and—with a minimal amount of tweaking—get a convincing tape crunch that indeed adds that vintage “analog tape” quality to digital audio. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Windows XP, Mac OSX 10.4 or later, Universal Binary FORMATS: Windows/Mac, TDM/RTAS/ AudioSuite LIST PRICE: $295 CONTACT: www.digidesign.com effects that are lots of fun and quite authentic. But it will also get you started at adding that fabled “tape sound.” (Attention DAW manufacturers: If you want to add a tape sim to your program, try contacting this guy and offering him some money.) Another freebie, THD from www.digitalfishphones.com, is no longer supported but worked just fine in my system. The effect is subtle, and isn’t really a tape simulator as much as a “warmer” that draws its inspiration from tube preamps and tape machines. Although I didn’t find it too useful on program material, it can be a very fine addition to individual instruments—I love what it does to drums, and it’s almost a “plug-it-in-and-forget-about-it” kind of plug-in. 56 EQ JULY 2008 www.eqmag.com http://www.virsyn.com http://www.digidesign.com http://www.digitalfishphones.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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