Apollo
Native
sale
Studer A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder
Get the rich analog sound of the world’s most famous tape machine.
- Track and mix with the complete Studer A800 electronic signal paths, including Input, Sync and Repro paths
- Add the warmth, presence, and low-end punch that only genuine tape can provide
- Create complex analog textures with the distinct sounds of multiple tape formulas
- Easily add warmth to individual tracks or your entire mix with Studer A800 LUNA Extension
Get the Rich Sound of a World-Famous Tape Machine
What They Say
Ryan West
Eminem, Kid Cudi, Jay-Z
Fab Dupont
Shakira, Santigold, Jennifer Lopez
Ross Hogarth
Van Halen, Ziggy Marley, Motley Crue
Frequently Asked Questions
The Studer A800 is worth it if you want authentic analog tape character on your tracks and mixes without owning a tape machine. It is the world's only authentic emulation of the specific A800 recorder at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles, modeling the complete electronic signal path rather than a generic tape sound. It delivers the warmth, presence, and low-end punch that engineers have chased on records for decades, whether on a single track or an entire mix.
The Studer A800 stands apart because it models the complete electronic signal paths of a real, specific tape machine, including the Input, Sync, and Repro paths. Many tape emulations apply a general saturation curve, while the Studer A800 recreates the way a particular A800 responds across tape speeds and tape formulas. That level of detail is why it adds the kind of glue that engineers associate with genuine analog tape.
The Studer A800 is modeled on the famed A800 multichannel tape machine at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles. That machine helped shape classic records from artists spanning Stevie Wonder, Tom Petty, Metallica, and A Tribe Called Quest. UA captured its electronic signal path and tape behavior so you get the sound of that room's tape workflow inside your own sessions.
You can get the Studer A800 as an individual plug-in purchase, or as part of the UAD Spark subscription, which includes it alongside the rest of the UAD native plug-in library. Buying it outright gives you a perpetual license you own, while UAD Spark is a subscription that bundles many plug-ins together. Which path fits depends on whether you want this one title long term or access to the wider catalog.
Yes, the Studer A800 is available on its own and is also included in the UAD Spark subscription and larger UAD collections. If you already subscribe to UAD Spark, you have access to the Studer A800 as part of that library. If you own a large UAD bundle, tape and saturation titles are also commonly included.
Yes, the Studer A800 reproduces the sound of real tape because it models the full electronic signal path and tape behavior of an actual A800 machine. As you push the Input and Output controls, you move from a clean sound into natural harmonic saturation, the same way magnetic tape reacts when you drive it. The result is the warmth and low-end weight that engineers rely on tape to provide.
On the Studer A800, the IPS control steps through tape speeds, and each speed has its own frequency shift and distortion character. The Tape control selects from four of the most popular magnetic tape formulas, each with its own subtle sonic variation. Together they let you dial in anything from a tight, modern tone to a richer, more colored analog texture.
No, the Studer A800 uses the same modeling whether it runs natively on your computer or accelerated on Apollo interfaces or UAD Accelerators. The audio result is consistent across both. Running it accelerated moves the processing off your computer's CPU, which helps when you are stacking many plug-ins in a large session.
Yes, the Studer A800 runs natively on both macOS and Windows computers, including Apple Silicon Macs. It also runs accelerated on Apollo audio interfaces and UAD Accelerators if you have that hardware. An iLok account is required to manage your license, though an iLok USB key is optional for portability.
No, you do not need any UA hardware to use the Studer A800, since it runs natively on your macOS or Windows computer. If you do own an Apollo interface or a UAD Accelerator, the same plug-in can run accelerated on that hardware. For most UAD native plug-ins, a single purchase gives you a license for both the native and UAD-2 versions.
You use the Studer A800 by inserting it on individual tracks or across your mix to add analog tape character. On single tracks it brings warmth and punch to elements like bass, drums, and vocals, and across a bus it adds cohesion. Because it captures a real tape signal path, it works well both as a subtle tone shaper and as a more obvious saturation effect.
Yes, the Studer A800 works on your mix bus to add the cohesion and "glue" that tape is known for. Placing it across the full mix ties elements together with consistent harmonic character and low-end weight. Keeping the Input and Output controls conservative on the bus preserves headroom while still adding that analog feel.
The Studer A800 LUNA Extension brings the tape machine directly into LUNA's mixer for an analog-inspired workflow. Instead of loading it as a standard insert, you add tape character to any audio or instrument track from within LUNA itself. This gives you the sonics of the A800 woven into your recording environment with genuine analog-style tape behavior.
Yes, tape emulation plug-ins like the Studer A800 remain a core mixing tool because analog tape character is still central to how many records are made. Tape adds harmonic saturation, low-end punch, and cohesion that are difficult to reproduce with clean digital processing alone. The Studer A800 delivers that behavior by modeling a specific, well-known machine rather than a generic tape sound.
UAD native plug-ins like the Studer A800 run on your computer's own processor, while the Apollo and UAD-2 versions run on dedicated UA hardware. The modeling and sound are the same across both. For most titles, one purchase covers both versions, so you can run natively today and add hardware acceleration later without repurchasing.
The Studer A800 adds authentic analog tape warmth to a track or mix by modeling a real A800 tape machine and its complete signal path. Rather than a general saturation effect, it reproduces the frequency shift, harmonic distortion, and low-end character of magnetic tape at different speeds and formulas. That makes it a direct way to bring genuine tape warmth to bass, drums, vocals, or the full mix.
Tape adds warmth and glue by introducing gentle harmonic saturation, subtle compression, and frequency character as audio passes through the machine. The Studer A800 captures this by modeling the electronic signal paths and tape formulas of a real A800, so driving its Input and Output controls produces the same natural coloration. The effect is a smoother, more cohesive sound where individual elements sit together as if printed to a single reel.