Slate Digital Launches Virtual Tape Machine – New Emulation Plugin for Mac & PC

Another shot has been fired in the Tape Emulation Wars! The latest salvo is from Slate Digital, who have just announced the availability of their new Virtual Tape Machine plugin (VTM).

The Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machine debuts -- and makes a bold statement.

Slate Digital is not shy about what they feel they’ve achieved with VTM, calling it “the most dynamic, true-to-life analog emulation ever achieved,” adding that is “a dynamic, interactive, living, breathing replication of tape recording — no static modeling.”

VTM provides users with both a 16 track 2″ machine and 1/2″ mastering deck, two tape formulations and two tape speeds, plus calibration, bass alignment, wow & flutter, constant gain I/O, grouping, and noise reduction.

The Slate VTM is $249, and available for Mac/Windows in VST, RTAS, and AU formats.

Here’s more on this latest tame emulation escalation, straight from Slate:

“Digital recording is now the standard for professional music production. But many engineers and musicians long for the days of analog recording, and for good reason.

Analog Tape Machines have a SOUND. Big, fat, warm, deep, rich, and exciting are just some of the terms used to describe what recording onto a piece of magnetic tape sounds like. Most of all, tape is more musical.

To capture the sound of tape is to capture a living, breathing sound that dynamically reacts to the music going on to it. Slate Digital Chief Technology Officer Fabrice Gabriel utilized his electrical engineering degree as a foundation for his comprehensive study of the physical processes that occur when recording to analog tape through a tape machine. What began with science led to Fabrice’s discovery of the seemingly magical properties of tape and inspired him to create his most advanced, dynamic algorithms yet. Two industry-standard machines were precisely modeled. What followed was a year of critical listening and algorithm tweaking, with some help from the expert ears of Slate Digital CEO, Steven Slate.

The result is the Virtual Tape Machines plugin. With models of both a 2 inch 16 track from NRG Recording, and a ½ inch 2 track machine from Howie Weinberg Mastering, the VTM will give your mixes an absolutely authentic analog vibe that will take your mixes to the next level. With added dimension, fatness, depth, and warmth, you’ll wonder how you ever mixed without it!

An expanded view of the VTM control panel.

Product Details:

•    Two tape machine types:
o    2″ 16 track
o    1/2″ mastering deck
•    Two tape formulations
•    Two speeds: 15 ips and 30 ips
•    Noise reduction control and auto mute
•    Wow & Flutter control
•    Bass alignment control
•    Normal, Low & High Bias settings
•    Level Calibration
•    VU ballistics
•    Grouping control
•    Settings global or per channel
•    Tape reels start and stop in sync with DAW transport”

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