Anyone recording with tape emulation?

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nightlight

nightlight

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Debating whether I should be using tape emulations when I record. I feel that they may be adding more distortion to my recordings and causing them to sound fizzy.

What do you think? Should avoid it like the plague?
 
I don't use it while recording, but I place it on the master bus before rendering the track.
 
ive experimented with tape emulators a bunch, they are one of those different but not necessarily better type deals for me, and too much of it you start hearing weird things. maybe on the master bus just for that last percentage of glue
 
I have Slate VTM. I dig it, but it just depends on the track. Sometimes it makes things pop in a nice way and other times I feel it doesn’t.
 
I wouldn’t put too much focus on it, they can be fun for certain things but generally I think they work best when you don’t hear them doing anything.
 
Here's 2 short clips.. first one without, and second one with tape emulation.

I'm only sending the double-tracked guitars to a bus track with the tape, not the backing track - as it was originally recorded to tape.

no tape emulation


tape emulation
 
^^^ I like what it did to the guitar but it also affected the whole mix which I didn't like.
No Bone Movies!
 
midnightlaundry said:
^^^ I like what it did to the guitar but it also affected the whole mix which I didn't like.
No Bone Movies!
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Depending on how you setup the tape, it can enhance highs, or make the whole mix more distorted.

I went for the cleanest, brightest setting, but again.. it's only being applied to the guitar track(s).
 
Arch Stanton said:
Depending on how you setup the tape, it can enhance highs, or make the whole mix more distorted.

I went for the cleanest, brightest setting, but again.. it's only being applied to the guitar track(s).
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I always equated tape emulation with warble and depth, because I have only used it in an Echoplex emulation situation. I will listen to the clips when I get home.
 
japetus said:
I always equated tape emulation with warble and depth, because I have only used it in an Echoplex emulation situation. I will listen to the clips when I get home.
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The plugin I have (J37 Abbey Road) you can turn those on or off.

On that clip, they (WoW & Flutter) were off.
 
I use them on occasion but not in that application and it’s really subtle use. I’ve put them on drum kits, vocals, piano, acoustic, master bus but not electric guitars. The plug-ins aren’t really replicating the warm aspects we associate with a tape echo unless you tweak them that way, they’re generally adding some harmonic content/excitement but not in the same way an Echoplex or Binson ends up sounding in a guitar rig.

I had to learn how to use them the same way I did compression; making things sound like shit by overusing it. I don’t like using them on anything already heavily compressed or lacking in dynamics, ie- distorted guitars. I don’t use them at all on hard rock/metal stuff, but for rock/acoustic shit.

I used it in two places for different reasons in this and you can’t hear it unless I solo’d each thing and A/B’d it for you. It’s on the drums so when the drums are getting ‘hit’ (they’re programmed) harder it’s ’hitting the tape harder’ and it adds a little excitement on top. It’s also on the bus of the wall of acoustics in the middle section to glue them together while still letting the pick attack of everything come through. J37 on the acoustics and most certainly Kramer Tape on the drums.
 
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Never recorded with tape emulation, but might through it on an individual bus or on the 2bus once in a while.
 
A pretty popular producer I know in Seattle uses the Universal Audio tape machine plug-ins pretty often. I think its very subtle but it makes a difference if set correctly. Note he has a real tape machine in his studio as well, just rarely used these days.
 
Only in very small amounts on the master bus. Use the mix percent knob. Also, make sure you edit the low end that it adds if you’re using slate or something like that as they don’t just add color but change frequency too. Ermin hamidovich (spelling might be incorrect) I know always uses fabfilter Saturn on his masters and splits the frequency spectrum making it VERY subtle on the mids and high end. Really like his final sounds on mastering.
 
I use the Universal Audio stuff mainly. Usually the Studer emulations on tracks and the ATR-102 on the master.

But I think I have a serious problem with them making everything too loud, which then adds to the grittiness, or gain, of my high gain guitars.

Must be using them the wrong way,

RevDrucifer said:
I use them on occasion but not in that application and it’s really subtle use. I’ve put them on drum kits, vocals, piano, acoustic, master bus but not electric guitars. The plug-ins aren’t really replicating the warm aspects we associate with a tape echo unless you tweak them that way, they’re generally adding some harmonic content/excitement but not in the same way an Echoplex or Binson ends up sounding in a guitar rig.

I had to learn how to use them the same way I did compression; making things sound like shit by overusing it. I don’t like using them on anything already heavily compressed or lacking in dynamics, ie- distorted guitars. I don’t use them at all on hard rock/metal stuff, but for rock/acoustic shit.

I used it in two places for different reasons in this and you can’t hear it unless I solo’d each thing and A/B’d it for you. It’s on the drums so when the drums are getting ‘hit’ (they’re programmed) harder it’s ’hitting the tape harder’ and it adds a little excitement on top. It’s also on the bus of the wall of acoustics in the middle section to glue them together while still letting the pick attack of everything come through. J37 on the acoustics and most certainly Kramer Tape on the drums.
Click to expand...

This track kicks ass, thanks for sharing.
 
I use SaturatorX on drum sub mixes. seems to pull them together and make them a bit more cohesive. Sometimes I use it on vox if they need just a bit of magic added
 
Bram576 said:
Ermin hamidovich (spelling might be incorrect) I know always uses fabfilter Saturn on his masters and splits the frequency spectrum making it VERY subtle on the mids and high end. Really like his final sounds on mastering.
Click to expand...
First time I've seen him mentioned in an audio forum I'm a member of.

Kinda-exciting 'cause I've been watching his sim racing vids for a long time. :rock:
 
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