Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
Customer Reviews
Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
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A. Bilowitz
Tape for idiots and savants !!!!
I will start this review by saying that I am a mediocre mixer and came up in the age of digital.....Despite my skill as a producer/writer/pianist I have little to no understanding of proper tape technique. That being said, tape plugins and mastering suites as a whole are great, but often overused and fall victim to "preset syndrome"......Often times I select a preset and it wows me, but is actually doing harm to my mix, and I end up getting blasted by the mixer. The ATR has presets that are actually useable. Its the perfect plug for someone with great ears that doesn't really understand tape OR the old school guy who knows and loves tape but spends their energy complaining about how digital sucks. No more, ATR-102 FOREVER!
Alex Bilo, NYC
G. Funes
AWESOME TAPE EMULATOR
Really great tape emulator, glue everything together in a very analog warm way.
G. Funes
AWESOME TAPE EMULATOR
Really great tape emulator, glue everything together in a very analog warm way.
G. Taylor
Magic!
I love this plugin - it has such a musical quality that gives warmth and character to your mix.
B. Olivier
Must have plugin
Simply amazing. I can not do without using it on my main mix :-)
L. Mathers
great plugin
I've even been using this plugin on the master channel for short film projects - it's not only good for music. It requires a bit of remixing on the heavy low-end sounds, but gives the mix an overall sheen and polished feel. Worth every penny.
d. tuttle
It does its thing
I demo'd this briefly a couple months back and really liked it, so I decided to wait till there was a sale.
Just bought it this past month, the honeymoon ended fairly quickly.
I like it for warbly lo-fi sounds, and the delay is nice it's just not something I need (wish I'd saved that $175, glad I didn't pay full price).
That said I do lean towards fairly saturated sounds and this just doesn't sound quite right to me, it doesn't do punchy and driven it just gets dull like every other tape sim I've tried.
I do find it fun for more effecty things, but if I could return it I would.
So for now I'll continue bouncing every track to the Otari.
J. Barriuso
Amazing plugin
As a new member in the production business, I can´t really define what Ampex does in it´s multiple presets. All I know is, since I bought it, it has changed my final sound, not only in pop/rock productions, but also in orchestral and cinematic works, going allways to the master track.
It´s not only it´s tape or analogical taste, it´s the things it does to the whole block of instruments, gluing them but also enhancing most of them, kinda separating it´s individual sounds.
In most of the cases I don´t know wich preset to choose, each one sounds better in a different sense.
I also use it as a very good delay.
Amazing plugin.
s. chakraborty
THE BEST ONE
This is the best 2track tape plugins. Sounding very real.I enjoyed a lot.Thanks UA
.
Great quality and very effective
This plugin really glues a group or mix together well. I love using it to make it sound like you are in the room with the session.
A. Navarro
Impresionante
Se trata de un plugin que convierte una pista simple de audio, en algo superior. Es imprescindible para todo ingeniero, músico o locutor. Sin duda Universal Audio, vuelve a demostrar que SÍ es cierto que desarrollan los plugins para que sean 99,99% iguales que el hardware original. No dejéis de descargar este plugin is AMAZING!!!!! Good Job Universal Audio Guys
M. Andrews
A Lot Of Fun But... Be Careful!
This plug-in is a LOT of fun to use. It really does sound like tape. The wow and flutter controls are amazing, as is the adjustable hiss. The saturation quality is off-the-charts!
However, ear fatigue is a real thing. After hours of just PLAYING with this plugin, you stop hearing the subtle effects of the table, and start pushing the plugin harder and harder. The good news is, the plugin can take it, and sounds great. The bad news is, you might come back the next day and realize that you pushed it WAY too far.
I seriously don't think I have a need for my outboard TEAC reel-to-reel anymore, though I probably still won't get rid of it... but this is already one of my favorite plugins ever!
K. Beasley
Happy That I Bought This
This plug in does so much when you put it over the entire mix buss. It literally gives an entire mix character. Much better and accurate than other Tape Emulation plug ins. Well worth the money.
F. Brendle
The Tape Machine inside your Bits!
Well... I only can imagine of a good Tape Machine.. will probably never own a real one. But I can "hear" the difference between my "dry-tapeless" sound and the "wet-tape-sim'ed" sound - a BIG difference. I have compared several simulations from several manufactures, but this one is the most amazing one. I like to use the very "clean" Mastering presets as a starting point, except I want to go extreme. This Tape Sim is also excellent for slap-back on vocals. I would be careful to put this one on every channel, this is maybe for the studer, especially for tracking through it. But for the master bus and for indiviual tracks it is a beast!
.
Tape vs Tape vs Tape vs UA ATR-102
I have more tape emulation plugins than I care to admit and none of them gave me exactly what I was looking for. Admittedly, I stayed away from the ATR because of the price tag...I even stayed away from demoing it because I was afraid I would like it! And...that's what happened...two days after demoing it, I bought it. Short and sweet...it does what none of the others did for me in that sonic sweetness department.
.
More than I was expecting for!
I just loved this plug-in since the first time I tried it. It gave me the color, and the right compression I was looking for. That kind of 70s-analog-vibe. I used it on my master bus. Also recorded some voices and guitar tracks with it. Just AWESOME. I will never regret to have purchased the AMPEX ATR 102.
.
More than I was expecting for!
I just loved this plug-in since the first time I tried it. It gave me the color, and the right compression I was looking for. That kind of 70s-analog-vibe. I used it on my master bus. Also recorded some voices and guitar tracks with it. Just AWESOME. I will never regret to have purchased the AMPEX ATR 102.
V. Koenig
Fantastic!
This plug in is brilliant, it`s mostly on each channel together with the new Neve 88rs wich is also brilliant.Nice analog feel.Great!!!
s. kgr
Like! Real Tape recorder sounds
Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder was inserted in all truck.
It was a drum, a base, a guitar and others and a very good feel.
It's different from comp and EQ again, the plug-in which can't be left any more. The use by a master is best of course. Wonderful.
V. Azevedo
Getting smiles from my customers
I have a online Mix & Master studio here in Brazil and I was working on 3 projects, including a MPB CD Master. Between one version and another, with very few adjusts, I decide to use/demo ATR in the session.
When I sent material to the singer's evaluation, she said "Hey, this version sounds different. I liked it.".
I'm a little afraid of this analog perfection porsuit, but, ATR sounds realy good 4 a lot of styles, subtle & real, as A800.
The point is that we are making music happen.
Comparing with A800, side by side, it sounds far different, at almost all combinations.
So sweet using within a Mix session with A800 and in a Master session with a VariMu Manley.
Well, I didn't bought yet, but I know what will happen at the end of trial.