Specifications

Chapter 67: Reel Tape Saturation 327
Chapter 67: Reel Tape Saturation
Reel Tape Saturation is part of the Reel Tape
suite of tape-simulation effects plug-ins that are
available in TDM, RTAS, and AudioSuite for-
mats.
Reel Tape Saturation simulates the saturation
effect of an analog tape machine, modeling its
frequency response, noise and distortion char-
acteristics, but without any delay or wow and
flutter effects.
How Reel Tape Saturation Works
For years, engineers have relied on analog tape
to add a smooth, warm sound to their record-
ings. When driven hard, tape responds with gen-
tle distortion rather than abrupt clipping as in
the digital domain. Magnetic tape also has a fre-
quency-dependent saturation characteristic that
can lend punch to the low end, and sweetness to
the highs.
Reel Tape Saturation models the sonic charac-
teristics of analog tape, including the effects of
tape speed, bias setting, and calibration level of
the modeled tape machine.
Reel Tape Saturation can be placed on mono,
stereo, or multichannel tracks.
Reel Tape Common Controls
All Reel Tape plug-ins share the following
controls:
Drive
Drive controls the amount of saturation effect
by increasing the input signal to the modeled
tape machine while automatically compensating
by reducing the overall output. Drive is adjust-
able from –12 dB to +12 dB, with a default value
of 0 dB.
Output
Output controls the output signal level of the
plug-in after processing. Output is adjustable
from –12 dB to +12 dB, with a default value of
0dB.
Tape Machine
The Tape Machine control lets you select one of
three tape machine types emulated by the plug-
in, each with its own sonic characteristics:
US Emulates the audio characteristics of a
3M M79 multitrack tape recorder.
Swiss Emulates the audio characteristics of a
Studer A800 multitrack tape recorder.
Reel Tape Saturation