Eddie Kramer Master Tape Plug-In User Guide

plugin will be especially sensitive to settings above the recommended level of the tape
sampled. When reaching higher flux levels you will notice that the low frequencies and
very high frequencies become more and more distorted as the noise level goes down.
Additionally there is another layer of distortion since these increased operating levels
also stress the tube input and output stages, giving you the bonus of an additional level
of overall “tube distortion.”
Kramer Master Tape is the first tape modeling plugin that has actually managed to
create a con
tinuously variable flux control, lettin
g the user sonically und
erstand the
changes between different recording levels. Add to this that this is also being done on a
fully tube electronics tape machine and you truly have a one of a kind plugin - unique in
the industry.
As an added feature, using Kramer
Master Tape in the input only mode allows you to
add the sou
nd of the inp
ut and outpu
t tube electronics, minus the sound of analogue
tape recording. Increasing the record level as you reduce the playback level (to maintain
unity gain) increases the tube saturation of the input and output amplifiers, independent
of the flux control (which only affects tape saturation). These controls can be used either
in conjunction with the sound of the tape saturation, or without the tape saturation to
create just the sound of these unique tube amplifiers operating across their entire range
of saturation.
Because of t
he independence of the flux control and the record level and playback level
controls, you have full control over both the tape saturation a
nd the tube saturation while
maintaining the level of the Kramer Master Tape track in your mix (using the ‘Link’
function for the record and playback controls).
To simplify the Kramer Master Tape Flux control, just think of it as a ‘tape drive’ or
‘saturation control’. As you increase the flux level on the tape the output of the
Kramer Master Tape plugin stays constant at unity gain unless you choose to
adjust the output gain control.
Noise
Although the Noise control on the Kramer Master Tape is defaulted to off, it is strongly
suggested that you take a listen to it. If this can be said, you may find it to be some of
the sweetest noise you will ever hear since it is a combination of the tape hiss generated
by analogue tape recording, overlaid by the thermal tube noise of this historic machine’s
input and output electronics.
Wow
Defined: Wow and flutter in analogue
tape recordings results from the turning
speed inaccuracies (FM), and flutter effect (AM) caused from changes in the
physica
l alignment of the tape on the actual recording head, coupled with the ‘slip
and slide’ of the tape going through the transport mechanism and a variety of
mechanical ‘frictions.’
In a perfect
world, there would not have been wow and flutter. Many ‘in the day’
considered wow and flutter the same as surface noise on a vinyl disc - ju
st something
negative one had to live with since that was the ‘state of the art.’ But like noise, there are
Waves Kramer Master Tape
User Guide
19