Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
Customer Reviews
Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
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D. Borgers
Spot on!
I've been producing since I was 22 and used countless numbers of the ATR-102 over the many years during mixing, and later in the process, for mastering projects.
Digital recording can sound 'sterile,' even using tube gear emulations. But slap this on a 2 mix and feel it instantly get 'warmer' with the 'glue' us older guys were used to with tape. More like a 33 rpm record; recordings that are easier to listen to, and with less ear fatigue. And no maintenance or calibration. When a sale comes up, buy this plugin!
The three tape types are pretty accurate. 456 always sounded 'brighter,' 900 with less coloration, and so on. This sounds like the ATR-102s I remember.
D. Borgers
Spot on!
I've been producing since I was 22 and used countless numbers of the ATR-102 over the many years during mixing, and later in the process, for mastering projects.
Digital recording can sound 'sterile,' even using tube gear emulations. But slap this on a 2 mix and feel it instantly get 'warmer' with the 'glue' us older guys were used to with tape. More like a 33 rpm record; recordings that are easier to listen to, and with less ear fatigue. And no maintenance or calibration. When a sale comes up, buy this plugin!
The three tape types are pretty accurate. 456 always sounded 'brighter,' 900 with less coloration, and so on. This sounds like the ATR-102s I remember.
T. Crémier
Ultimate tape emulation !
This tape is the best plugin to obtain rich and fuller sound, cannot imagine myself not using it for mixing and mastering !!
j. cleere
Love it!!!
Makes a mix sound like a proper record at the end. Other tape emulators I've tried from other brands don't even get close theres no comparison
C. Manchester
Thank goodness I don't have to buy tape
Since I bought this I have used it on the master of everything I have done. My clients have been over the moon with the results. One very high profile client was shocked that it was a plugin and not the real thing, he loved the sound that much. It would be costing me a fortune if I had to buy real tape!! Great work UA.
t. billonare
good
perfect
L. Cohen
Sounds good but...
It adds tape hiss and a ton of latency. Sucks up quite a bit of DSP as well. Nice saturation effect. I recommend using this on final mix down and not live performance.
R. Invernizzi
A must have!
One of my "everyday plugin". I use it always in my master bus. On every work I do i use it. It gives great sound and character to the song. A top one!
.
Amazing Plugin
This is a night and day sounding plugin. On the master bus this takes a dull sounding recording and puts a finished record sheen over the entire mix. Nothing like I’ve ever used. A must every go round.
P. Bonney
Nice plugin!
This is a great plugin. I'm not familiar with the actual hardware, but having toyed around with this, it is clearly designed to bring some shimmer and punch to your final mixes. It's sensitive, and so I'm still tweaking around under the hood. But I like the results, and find myself comparing different settings with bounced mixes.
b. boyd
Analog goodness with digital ease
Makes all the difference in the world! We’re talking going from cold and lifeless to classic “finished” record sound just by putting this thing on the master bus......incredible!!!
J. Davies
Ampex is a mastering must!
I wasn’t sure this was going to be worth the expense for mastering recordings. On a new release I used this plugin on every single track’s master fader. You can really notice the difference, whereas the Studer on individual tracks is more subtle. The Ampex is now something I (always) use to master recordings just like the SSL G-Buss compressor is a staple. Highly recommended.
J. Kim
I cant imagine master a track without this.
move to next level
P. Nichols
Exceeds Expectations
I presently use the Oxide Tape as well as Waves plug-ins for tape emulation and am most satisfied with the Ampex ATR-102 software. The depth and versatility of the plug-in enables further sonic adjustment but I have found that the default settings with minimal to zero fuss ticks all the boxes for me.
In concert with other tape plug-ins like Oxide, which I use on individual channels, the ATR-102 exhibits an accretive quality that you would expect to find in an analog environment. It is now the first plug-in I use in a mix (master bus first insert-point) and am using it 90% of the time on drum busses as well
I have experimented with using an instance of the plug-in on all sub groups (drums, bass, guitars, vocals) and really liked the result, however I also like Oxide for this as well - considering the trade-off regarding DSP, I'll probably reserve those times for when I have plenty of DSP headroom
I made the purchase as part of a bundle but would pay for the individual plug-in at full-price - the plug-in has improved my time-to-final mix and is likely a permanent aspect of my workflow at the first insert point on my master bus (or subgroup) with the Neve 33609 in the following insert
P. FRATTINI
The ultimate tape solution.
You will come here for the looks and stay for the feel, the warmth and the style.
It truly is a game changer.
This emulation is just perfect. It glues any mix, warm up any track and puts an analogue vibe to basically everything.
The options, the possibilities are quite astonishing. It’s an open world of solutions for your tracks and your mixes.
You just can’t go wrong with it.
R. Fernandes
Perfect
Perfect sound! Great!
S. Auclair
The Ultimate Glue!
The first and final step in my production chain! The sound of music ;)
G. Livingston
Master Bus Tape
It's right in my chain and on busses. There's so many creative ways to use this tape.
C. DaPonte
Secret Sauce
Just add to your master bus to make mixes sound polished and professional.
R. Spaulding
Exceptional feel and response!
Such a classy natural recreation that it has enough pronounced effect to 'feel' the difference in your source material, but like tape, subtle enough that it can be pushed if you are not mindful.. All my mastering buddies who use ATR-102 hardware in their work use this as an alternative/supplement. Exceptional tool..