Hello! This is Jooyoung Kim an audio engineer and music producer.
Today, I’m introducing a new plugin called Tape Vibe by Three-Body Technology.
This plugin was provided as an NFR (Not For Resale) copy by Plugin Boutique. If you purchase it through the links below, I’ll receive a small commission which helps support my blog.
Let’s start!
As you may know, Three-Body Technology is the renowned developer behind the Kirchhoff-EQ. That plugin was a total sensation when it was released, and I believe its success became the driving force behind the company’s growth.
Now, they offer quite a wide variety of plugins, such as the Future MB. Tape Vibe is another great addition to their growing lineup.
The concept of this plugin is simple.
First, I noticed only third harmonics appearing in the analyzer. I suspect it takes inspiration from the SPL Machine Head. I actually wrote a review for that a few months ago, so if you’re interested, please check the link below.
However, the way it works is fundamentally different. First, in the frequency domain, increasing the drive results in a noticeable high-frequency roll-off. Additionally, the Thick knob boosts the low frequencies, as shown in the image below.
It features an internal Auto Gain, so you don’t have to compensate for the volume much as you crank the drive.
We can use Tone knob to adjust the high frequencies.
However, it doesn’t exhibit typical tape compression characteristics. Instead, we can observe brick-wall limiting when pushed with high drive values. An interesting quirk of this plugin is that the output level seems to rise once the signal amplitude exceeds -20dBFS.
On an oscilloscope, you can see how the heavy saturation completely reshapes the waveform, resulting in a highly distorted signal.
While the saturation adds great body, higher drive settings tend to dull the top end quite a bit. The key is to dial in a moderate drive and then use the Tone control to restore clarity. This creates a really pleasing harmonic saturation that sits perfectly in the mix.
In conclusion, Tape Vibe is a straightforward and easy-to-use saturation tool. It may not be a perfect tape emulation, but it’s great for adding analog weight with minimal effort. If you need a simple way to add some vibe to your tracks, it’s worth a look.
See you in the next post!
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