Big reels keep on turnin’ The allure of tape machines is easy to understand – the iconic character is part of the sonic signature of so many of the greatest songs ever recorded. The T-RackS Tape Machine Collection gives you the true sound of 4 iconic analog tape machines, all together in one bundle.
Using a careful mix of convolution and physical modeling, the Tape Machine Collection re-creates the complex interplay of machine, tape, and audio to capture even the smallest detail of each machine.
Glue your tracks together, add warmth and character, low-end weight and ear-pleasing high-end. With the T-RackS Tape Machine Collection, you’ll have access to the most sonically- and musically-authentic tape machine sonic textures.
Re-creating the magic Analog tape audio recorders are complex systems. They impart magic to the audio material, lifting the art within the music to a higher level. They add musicality to music. What a tape machine adds to the audio is the result of a number of interactions amongst several interdependent factors. More than just saturation, compression, or EQ alone, these factors work together, one affecting each other with the dynamics of music, adding a “movement” that goes into the soul of what we perceive. Decades of music produced on these pieces of artful human engineering have tailored the way we think music should sound. It’s imprinted in our DNA. Trying to recreate this magic in the digital domain has been attempted since the early days of real-time audio plug-ins, with various degrees of success.
The T-RackS Tape Machine collection is the culmination of two years of full-time research and development on real world-class machines. Each machine went through a complete electronic and mechanical restoration to bring them perfectly back “to spec” before the scientific modelling process started. Then IK’s DSP engineering team took each of the stages apart, studied and analyzed them in-depth, thus producing a model of the entire magnetic tape recording process. This model now works in symbiosis with a powerful dynamic convolution engine that captures the full essence of the real machines, creating what we believe is the only way to faithfully bring the complete picture of these complex analog engineering marvels to the digital realm.
The program coming out a professional tape recorder is very similar to the one coming in, just better. It's subtle but you can feel that it is not. This is the essence, and the T-RackS Tape Machine collection faithfully bring all this magic right to your DAW.
4 pieces of history
Tape Machine 440 - The Ampex 440B series dates from the late 1960’s and delivers an unmistakably soulful color that made this professional and historic mixing and mastering machine a legend. This superb blend of art and technology has the power to turn your mixes into finished tracks.
Tape Machine 80 - The legendary Studer A80 Mk II, in its various revisions, is an essential part of countless influential records. Engineered and manufactured in Switzerland from 1970 to 1988, it became the de facto standard for professional high-end multi-tracking. The A80’s sonic signature is a perfect blend between transparency and subtle harmonic enhancement.
Tape Machine 99 - The Revox PR99 Mk II is a stereo professional recorder produced by Studer in the 1980s. Engineered around a hybrid design that combines the best of discrete and op-amp topologies, this model offers a very smooth frequency response, especially on bass, with almost no-trace of the typical “head bump” phenomenon. A standard for broadcast and classical music, this machine was appreciated by audiophiles for its exceptional sonic quality.
Tape Machine 24 - A model of the MCI JH24. First produced in 1980, the JH24 was a staple in US studios during the 1980s. This completely transformerless, high performance op-amp-based design delivers a pristine, phase coherent and remarkably true to the source audio performance. This results in a moderate and elegant polish to your music.
4 magic formulas Choose from 4 different tape formulations, each with its own unique tone:
250: Modelled after the 3M/Scotch 250 formula, it is the most colored of the four formulas. It went in production around 1974 and delivers a warm tone with slightly more distortion and saturation than the other formulas included in the package.
456: Modelled after the Ampex 456 formula, this model went into production around 1974. Perhaps the most widely used tape, it contributed the most to what is considered “the” tape sound. It offers a warm, round tone with a slight touch of saturation that greatly responds to the recording level.
GP9: Modelled after the Quantegy GP9 formula, this tape accepts higher levels of signal with minimal distortion and compression. It’s very punchy and perfect for modern, high quality analog recordings.
499: Modelled after the Ampex 499 formula, this tape is designed to handle a great amount of level with minimal distortion and compression. It also exhibits added high frequency definition that makes it perfect for printing “digital-like” recordings, while still maintaining an analog sound.
Comprehensive Controls All Tape Machine Collection plug-ins share the same set of controls to enhance the ease of use and allow for quick A-B comparisons among them. Key features include:
Signal path selection: With “Input,” the signal only passes through the input and output electronic stages of the recorders, bypassing the tape. Depending on how the recorder is designed, the “Input” path can sound extremely transparent or just slightly more colored. “Repro” passes your signal through the entire analog recording system: input-> recording amplifier -> recording head -> tape -> playback head -> playback preamplifier -> output stage.
True Stereo: Even a perfectly aligned tape machine will have slight level, EQ and distortion differences between the left and right channels. This is good and part of the analog recording mojo! The T-RackS Tape Machine Collection perfectly recreates these subtle differences to deliver the real experience. If perfectly identical left and right channel processing is a must, simply disable this feature.
Tape Speed: Select the speed of the tape transport between 7.5 and 15 or 15 and 30 inches per second (“ips”), depending on the tape machine used. The higher speed gives you more fidelity, and the lower speed delivers a warmer, rounder tone.
Transport Modeling: Precisely models the behavior of the mechanical transport. Small irregularities in the movement of the tape creates various degrees of sonic alteration to the audio program, especially between the two channels. Keep it on for the magic to happen! In case a perfectly steady performance is needed, just disable the control.
Record Bias: Ideal bias voltage settings provide maximum sensitivity and low distortion. Intentionally overbiasing is a common technique to produce a warmer, gently saturated sound. Underbiasing can be used to nicely boost the high frequencies in a truly unique way and add distortion and other nonlinear effects.
The power of T-RackS Like all T-RackS plug-ins, the Tape Machine Collection offers you two ways to work: as a stand-alone plug-in, or inside the T-RackS 5 shell. Use these together with any of the other 39 T-RackS processors to mix and master faster than ever creating a powerful, lightning-fast workflow.
The T-RackS shell offers a unique modular system with up to 16-processor chains, series & parallel routing, easy A/B/C/D comparison, up to 192 kHz / 32-bit floating point processing and much more, in both a plug-in and stand-alone mastering application.
NOTE: EQual processor requires an OpenGL 2 compatible graphics adapter.
Welcome to ScitScat Music!
Scitscat's aim is to please and have been doing just that since 1994, over 100,000 Internet and store transactions in that time.
Music is our love and we have GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) just like you. We buy studios, closeouts, and other gear in quantity and pass the savings on to you, our customers and friends.
We are musicians who write, record, produce, and play live just like you! We absolutely love music.
Our gear changes on an hourly basis and so will our website, so check back often as you won’t want to miss out on some unbelievable gear! I guarantee you that you will love doing business with us! You will get the respect that you deserve! You have Our word on that.
ScitScat Music
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What is your return policy?
Scitscat Music a DBA of Scitscat, Inc., will refund the purchase price of unopened packages within 30 days. A full refund will be granted if the product is returned with no damage and unopened (including to the original manufacturer box) and with all parts and accessories (cables, software discs/cards etc.) included.
For items that are opened and/or used, you may return within 30 days. We may assess a restocking fee of up to 25% of the purchase price for item, at our discretion if the item is opened, used, damaged, or not in as-shipped condition. If your item was shipped for free, and you refuse, cancel or return your non-defective order once it has shipped to you, our original cost for shipping will be deducted from your refund amount.
If you ordered on a 3rd Party E-Commerce Marketplace such as: eBay, Reverb, Newegg, Amazon, Walmart, Bonanza, Mercari, etc., all sales fees and final value fees will be deducted from your refund. Each E-Commerce Marketplace has a return policy in place, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
eDelivery / Download Software cannot be returned or refunded once the order has been processed. Please ensure the eDelivery Software item you are ordering will work with your system and is 100% compatible with your setup. Once your order is processed and the activation code is delivered to you via email, there are no cancellations or refunds. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact us for verification or support. Boxed software products can only be returned if the software is un-opened and sealed.
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For health and safety reasons items such as headphones, microphones, earbuds, earplugs, hand held recorders or similar items used in or near your mouth or ears are NOT returnable unless sealed and unopened. If the product has been opened, we will refuse the return due to health and safety concerns for our staff and customers.
Used, B-Stock, Vintage, Demo and Refurbished Gear are all fully tested and in 100% working condition unless otherwise noted, we do our best to note any cosmetic flaws in the item description and images. ALL B-Stock & Demo gear comes with the manufacturer's warranty. We do NOT accept returns on Used, B-Stock, Demo, Vintage, Refurbished, Open Box, C-Stock, Custom Cables, Furniture, Over-Size or Over-Weight Items, or Special Order Gear.We also do NOT accept returns on items noted or described as "parts" (example: Guitar Parts). If you have any questions regarding any non-new products, please do not hesitate to ask. We are here to help!
Special Order as noted in the availability section means we do not generally stock this item. We place a purchase order with the vendor for this item at the time you place your order with us. We do not know if this item is in-stock until we place the order with the vendor. All special orders are NON-CANCELABLE AND NON-RETURNABLE once they have shipped from the vendor to us or to you.
If a product is DOA or Defective, it can be returned for replacement, please contact us for instructions. If the product appears damaged in transit, please refuse to accept it from the carrier. If shipping damage is discovered after the item is opened, please contact us for instructions.
To Return Merchandise Contact Scitscat Music via email and request an RA number and instructions will be emailed to you. Please note that any RA issued is valid for 10 days only, your item must be returned within that time. Your payment method will be credited within 2 business days of receipt of the returned merchandise, some credit card companies may take up to 14 business days to show this credit on our account.
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From time to time, Scitscat Music may refuse a refund request if we find evidence of fraud, refund abuse, or other manipulative behavior that entitles Scitscat, Inc. to a corresponding counterclaim. Scitscat Music reserves the right to change this policy anytime without notice.
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