Tape emulation in a digital DAW

bkkornaker

bkkornaker

www.bryankmusic.com
were all cursed with the ever so 'too clean' sound when we record into our digital DAWs. Ive been doing some research on some tape emulation plugins (for Windows VST) that can help create the sound like you recorded on 2" analog tape........that nice warn, spanked, harmonicly rich sound.

so far I came across .....

Voxengo analogflux suite - has a tape emulation plug in in this suite
PSP Mix pack2 - has a tape emulation plug in in this suite
Nomad Factory - essential studio suite (E-TubeTape Warmer)

anyone have any experience with these? which is better than the other?
 
They are all tape "saturation" plugins that don't sound like tape saturation or anything "tape". Kinda similar as Arturia Minimoog V doesn't sound like a real Minimoog. Not to say they don't sound "good". They do, in their own right. But don't expect to sound like what they say they emulate :)
 
bkkornaker said:
were all cursed with the ever so 'too clean' sound when we record into our digital DAWs. Ive been doing some research on some tape emulation plugins (for Windows VST) that can help create the sound like you recorded on 2" analog tape........that nice warn, spanked, harmonicly rich sound.

so far I came across .....

Voxengo analogflux suite - has a tape emulation plug in in this suite
PSP Mix pack2 - has a tape emulation plug in in this suite
Nomad Factory - essential studio suite (E-TubeTape Warmer)

anyone have any experience with these? which is better than the other?
Click to expand...

While a number of contributors here lament the loss of the warmth of analog tape saturation, and decry the sterility of digital sound, I don't include myself in their ranks.

I have a view that, for many home recording practitioners, most of the problems associated with overcleanliness and other problems with sound stem from recording and mixing techniques rather than from the equipment used. Consequently, I am not convinced that those seeking cures from tape emulators are likely to be satisfied with the results.

There are ways of capturing the characteristics of a taped sound . . . but they involve the use of tape . . . and specifically, high quality tape systems. Their price, however, puts them out of reach of all except the most affluent of home recordists.
 
gecko zzed said:
There are ways of capturing the characteristics of a taped sound . . . but they involve the use of tape . . . and specifically, high quality tape systems. Their price, however, puts them out of reach of all except the most affluent of home recordists.
Click to expand...

This is true. The Anamod STC-1 (not cheap) has also proven to do analog modeling very well.

http://www.anamodaudio.com/

The main characteristic of analog when compared to digital is the rolled off or softer high end (round edge - square edge) and a little bump between 40 - 100 hz. Sometimes I think it's easier to eq something to sound more analog rather than to insert a plugin, which can create artifacts.

Also, using good converters will help eliminate the digital harshness syndrome

For plug ins, PSP vintage warmer isn't to bad when used sparingly.
 
i mean, people always rave about how great tape sounds. The nice warmth....the "excitement" it adds when pushed....etc.

Ive always was cursed with "ultra crisp/clean" recordings cause i record straight into my DAW (using an analog mix console for preamps and a presonus firebox for the ADA conversion connection to the computer)

im looking for a simple solution to get that tape sound in a single plugin, without having to use a compresor plugin, an EQ plugin, an exciter plugin....and mess with the settings to get a so called "tape sound", cause to be honest.....i never used tape before so i really dont know what im trying to emulate......but i do know people swear by the tape sound.

As an FYI, i demo'ed the Nomad Factory tape/tube emulator last night (from the essential studio bundle). Its not bad when used lightly. It did exactly what i described above......without messing with any settings. Simply turned it on, and selected 15 or 30 ips settings.....sit back and listen. Not bad at all.
 
on a side note -

I see alot of these plugins have a 15ips or 30ips settings. Becuase i have no idea about tape recorders....what is the difference between these 2 settings? what does one sound like over the other? is there a preference?
 
Seafroggys said:
I think excitement comes more from the musicians, rather than equipment involved
Click to expand...

absolutely!

The most important thing is the song, it's the plan and most of the time when you can't get the mix, can't get the right solo... the song is the problem. A good song will almost play itself and everything becomes obvious.

It's like making movies: if you had the right script, the right story, you could use with my $25 camera that shoots video/audio and edit that and have a gripping, award winning movie.

My favorite John Lennon song is "Free as a Bird" and my understanding is that his piano/vocal track was recorded on a cheap cassette deck like you could get at Goodwill for $5. But the song is so fantastic it doesn't matter. Then you have Michael Bolton with the best studios in the world...
 
But, you may never have heard 'Free as a Bird' unless John Lennon was already famous - the record company A and R guy could have easily listened to the first few seconds of the demo tape, heard the low clarity of it and turned it off.

When I listen to stuff on SClick etc when in the first two seconds it starts lo fi, crackly, flat mono, or indistinct I click it off.
 
I've never heard the original demo of Free as a Bird, I've only heard it with the added Paul/Ringo/George instrumentation added. Although you can hear the 'amateur' quality in John's vocals and when his guitar comes through, its still kickass.
 
so does anyone know whats the preferd ips (15 or 30) for a modern day recording (rock genre) on a tape recorder?

Seems like all the researching im doing shows that 15ips as a significant bump in he lows (80hz and below). But alot of people are prefering the sound of 15ips over 30ips?

i know the 'logical answer" is use your ears and you be the judge. But i just would like to know the overall general consensus on what setting is prefered more than others.....
 
bkkornaker said:
were all cursed with the ever so 'too clean' sound when we record into our digital DAWs.
Click to expand...

Hate to say it, but that's complete BS.

Go get a copy of Joshua Judges Ruth by Lyle Lovett. Recorded in 16 bit digital. Sounds huge, warm, and freaking fantastic.

Nuff said.

:D
 
bkkornaker said:
on a side note -

I see alot of these plugins have a 15ips or 30ips settings. Becuase i have no idea about tape recorders....what is the difference between these 2 settings? what does one sound like over the other? is there a preference?
Click to expand...

Tape machines by nature have a low/mid frequency bump around 150Hz or so. Thus bump is lower in frequency and more pronounced at 15ips vs 30ips. This LF bump subjectively adds to the "warmth" of tape. At times engineers will choose to record at 15ips due to this artifact, depending on what they are trying to achieve. However, for classical/audiofile recordings they usually use 30ips both because you have more headroom and "better" or rather flatter frequency response at the higher speed.
 
NL5 said:
Hate to say it, but that's complete BS.

Go get a copy of Joshua Judges Ruth by Lyle Lovett. Recorded in 16 bit digital. Sounds huge, warm, and freaking fantastic.

Nuff said.

:D
Click to expand...

im sorry, your right. that was a bias'd bold statement. what i should have said was...

"Im cursed by my digital DAW and my lack of knowledge ....cause it sounds too clean and i want to thicken it up by emulating a analog tape sound."

there...was that better?
 
NL5 said:
Hate to say it, but that's complete BS.

Go get a copy of Joshua Judges Ruth by Lyle Lovett. Recorded in 16 bit digital. Sounds huge, warm, and freaking fantastic.

Nuff said.

:D
Click to expand...

Was it recorded in Nashville? If so I can understand. That's one of the very few towns in the USA where you'll be sweating while it's raining. It almost has warmth and wetness built-in. :D
 
bkkornaker said:
im sorry, your right. that was a bias'd bold statement. what i should have said was...

"Im cursed by my digital DAW and my lack of knowledge ....cause it sounds too clean and i want to thicken it up by emulating a analog tape sound."

there...was that better?
Click to expand...

I'm just thinking that it's a waste of time looking for a plugin to band-aid a problem, instead of working to fix the actual problem. That's my only point, and just offering up my two cents worth of advice (although it's probably not even worth two cents.....)

:D
 
Just listened to the stuff in your sig -

First off, sounds pretty dang good to me. I would say though that if anything it already too "thick". The guitar tone is a tad bit muddied, but the bass is really muddy sounding. Also, getting some real drums in there will help it sound more warm and open. Lastly, I'd work on getting some depth. It all sounds a bit too fake to my ears - even the guitar kinda has a bit of a "simulated" feel to it.

Like I said though, those are pretty nit-picky things, overall it does sound pretty nice.

Good luck with your plugin search.

:D
 
bkkornaker said:
so does anyone know whats the preferd ips (15 or 30) for a modern day recording (rock genre) on a tape recorder?

Seems like all the researching im doing shows that 15ips as a significant bump in he lows (80hz and below). But alot of people are prefering the sound of 15ips over 30ips?

i know the 'logical answer" is use your ears and you be the judge. But i just would like to know the overall general consensus on what setting is prefered more than others.....
Click to expand...

Hmmm.... sometimes there are clients for whom "analog" means 30 ips, regardless of the sound. My friend Mitch Easter has clients like that.

I think more people today understand that NAB eq at 15 ips has been obsolete for decades and that IEC1 is preferable. IEC1 yields more high end headroom and eliminates the low end record bass boost that kills low end headroom and creates distortion.

30 ips has only one eq standard, AES, and it has no low end record bass boost. But the low end roll off is one octave higher, which may be moving from around 30 Hz up to around 60 Hz. So there can end up being a trade off between loss of low end oomph but a gain of more clarity in the high end.

The 30 ips AES standard was created in August of 1970, so any machine older than that, like my old 3M M-56, may have 30 ips eq that is not made to the standard and you may need to mod the eq circuit if you care about portability.

Of course, 30 ips also uses twice as much tape.

My personal experience is that 30 ips is glorious for mixdown and for tracking the high end is wonderful. However, a big part of what people think they don't like about 15 ips is actually NAB eq and if you switch to IEC1, 15 ips can be quite good, especially for loud music.

Cheers,

Otto
 
NL5 said:
Just listened to the stuff in your sig -

First off, sounds pretty dang good to me. I would say though that if anything it already too "thick". The guitar tone is a tad bit muddied, but the bass is really muddy sounding. Also, getting some real drums in there will help it sound more warm and open. Lastly, I'd work on getting some depth. It all sounds a bit too fake to my ears - even the guitar kinda has a bit of a "simulated" feel to it.

Like I said though, those are pretty nit-picky things, overall it does sound pretty nice.

Good luck with your plugin search.

:D
Click to expand...

i know my stuff aint perfect. Hell, about 95% of the people on this board is in the same boat. We struggle to get a somewhat professional sound at home, without all the expensive gear that big studios use. Its the ever after tone chasing to perfect our sounds.......

even if it means one plugin at a time.

I thank you for listening to my stuff, i think my material simply sounds too sterile and thin. But some people say the opposite.

Im still learning.......but i think we all are too........
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top