Slate Digital -‐ Virtual Tape Machines 5
Introduction
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By Steven Slate
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The first Pme I put a reel of tape on a tape machine, I was a fiTeen-‐year-‐old coffee boy,
interning at a northern New Jersey recording studio. Even though placing the reel on the
machine was similar to leYng your kids push the floor bu\on on an elevator, I remember being
ecstaPc that I was given the opportunity to perform this crucial role. Playing back in my brain
was a montage of Kirk, the head engineer, showing me how to properly wrap the tape around
the heads. With my heart beaPng fast, I followed his tutorial with exact precision. Once the
session began, I felt a great sense of accomplishment as I watched the reels spinning.
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I grew up in the industry listening to tape machines.
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Back then it was not clear how magical these machines were. In fact, I recall when the first
ADAT digital machines became available. One day, the head engineer at the studio where I was
working at came into the control room with a confident grin and announced to us all “Say
goodbye to that noisy hiss truck and get ready for the future… digital!” He set up the 16bit VHS
recording machine next to the Studer 2-‐inch machine, and we tracked 8 mics of drums into it.
His smile quickly faded. “Something must be wrong, this doesn’t sound good at all,” he said, as
the lifeless and somewhat harsh digital tracks played back. And I realized back then that digital
was likely going to solve a lot of problems for this industry… but one thing that it was not going
to do, was sound like tape.
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Digital has come a long way since the first 16bit VHS recorders. Using a nice converter and clock,
you can record an extremely detailed and high bandwidth sound with great resoluPon and
dynamic range. There is surely nothing “wrong” with digital. And perhaps that’s the problem.
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Two years ago we released a plugin called the Virtual Console CollecPon, which replicated the
signal path of an analog desk. We did this because it was clear that many pro engineers sPll
preferred the sound of old vintage analog desks. And we soon discovered why:
The nonlinear arPfacts of analog are pleasing to the human ear.
And just as it is with the circuit of a console, the tape machine has a very unique set of dynamic,
nonlinear traits that cause our ears to hear warmth, glue, depth, space, and width. So just as we
did with the VCC, we sought to make the absolute most authenPc replicaPon of the analog tape
machine that the industry has ever heard. And I think we have succeeded.
ATer more than a year of scienPfic research and algorithm development, Slate Digital, led by
our Chief Technical Officer and head algorithm developer Fabrice Gabriel, have created the
Virtual Tape Machines digital audio plugin. Using this plugin, you can have the sound of both, a
2inch 16 track analog deck or a ½” 2 track analog deck… right in your DAW.
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Your mixes will come to life. Things will be easier to balance. Tracks will need less EQ and
compression. Depth, space, and warmth will be achieved like you’ve never heard before.
Welcome to the sound of Analog Tape. Your music deserves it.
