Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
Customer Reviews
Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
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S. Morosan
Great Sound of Ampex
Love the sound of this plugin. I love to add just a fine touch of Ampex to glue my mix. Great job.
It's a little expensive but it worth it.
S. Swanson
Not cheap but great on master bus
I don't use it every time on master but try it every mix
Often glues and adds some high end sparkle
t. wallace
Let's be honest
Ok lets be honest, in my case I don't use it like they say to... I prefer a clean mix verses the dirt that everyone is trying to recreate in there mix, so with that being said. I use this plugin very lightly just to bring a little more of the low-end out on the master, because it seems to get lost when mixing different projects. I enjoy the way it glues and gives a nice harmonic saturation to the record so check it out..
J. Croft
Great plugin
This is a great tape plugin for the master mix bus. Great variety in the sounds you can achieve.
T. Couton
Something more
Not always easy to use, sometimes very subtle, but i really like it.
L. Chand
Wow man! That's what my mixes were missing.
This damn thing applies butter on my prickly and thorny mix. Just a touch of it is enough to make everything sound smooth and present. Don't push it hard you don't need that. All types of tapes with different flavors, just can't get enough. My mixes use to hit hard on my ears esp. with lots of harsh eqs and comps. That harshness is gone but the presence is still there,THAT'S THE GAME. I use on my Mix Buss. Actually i mix with it on. Tape type GP9, Cald at +6 and Head 1/4" ahh! much better now. Of course tweak the eq setting,noise shaping, wow and flutter. Transformer if u need, keeps things in place.
A. Thapar
THAT BIAS!!!
OMG turn the bias all the way down and play with the in-gain, amazing degenerating and degrading effects. love the way the sounds break in form nothing ness.
Erm as a tape effect though, sometimes its invisible and sometimes its noticeable.
D. Zannoni
Do not underestimate
Do not underestimate ! ! !
Use it as the first ... then add other plugins to complete the mix ... then bypassed only the Ampex ... Ok now you have understood ...
A. Shevchenko
Tape it
Very powerful plugin. Need some real tape skills for use it right!
J. Cranman
Pretty Freakin Sweet
I'm going with 4 stars instead of 5 just because it's not real tape and their of course will always be some sort of analog magic, some ethereal sparkle that no digital device will ever re-capture. . . But this sounds awesome in it's own right and gets very close to my memories of nice tape machines. . . But it's kindof it's own thing. Adds a certain heft and density to the recording that is subtle but very very cool for taking tracks "over the edge". . .
B. Grotto
My favorite tape emulator, by far
I happen to have a real ATR 102 1/2" deck, and it's really the only mix down deck I know intimately. The UAD comes damn close. I really dig what it does to the bottom end. It has a tendency to "pull in" the low mids, which can be really nice on some things (most things, actually, at least for my mixing style), but sometimes thins out a bit too much. With all that said, though, there are so many options (tape formula, tape width, speed, tons of cal choices, tranny in or out, etc) that it just opens up a TON of possibilities, and it's usually easy to find what works best for a particular mix.
J. Grasty
I have no idea what I'm doing and it still sounds great.
The title says it all. I am still getting used to the Ampex, especially since I have never used a "real" one. Even without a lack of knowledge, the effect on the sound is great. It has made some of the mixes come to life.
J. Grasty
I have no idea what I'm doing and it still sounds great.
The title says it all. I am still getting used to the Ampex, especially since I have never used a "real" one. Even without a lack of knowledge, the effect on the sound is great. It has made some of the mixes come to life.
F. Henderson
Master Tape gateway to the modern record
I love recording my out of the box mixes back in through my Apollo 16 printing the Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder Plug-In to the final mix. It sounds so much more like the records I grew up on.
P. Tuttle
Warmth and Sparkle
I was on the fence about spending this much $$ on a plugin. I'll never look back. This is awesome! 4-stars for the high price, but audio is great.
B. Muehlemann
It's a mainly bass tool
What this plugin does to the low end is simply gorgeous. Glues everything together in a way I never achieved with just compression and EQ. Someone mentioned velvet earlier - that's the best way to describe it. The bass heavier the music, the more its gonna like the ampex. The transient response is nice too. Didn't really like what it does to the high end though. Most presets include a boost up there, and this sounds rather cold - some might say digital. So you're best off aiming for a linear high end response and get the sheen with other tools.
D. Medvedev
The first sample
Hi! Slowly prazbirayus with this device. One thing I can tell he's doing his job. Although not all the tracks it can be applied, it is necessary to accurately represent what you want to get to the finish. In general, good!
B. Armand
hum.. not shure for master after all
very impressive plugin, you run the demo, you are impressed by the "3D" effect", you buy it but.. after months of use, finally I take it off my master busses and realize that most of my mixes sound better without.. confusing. I think it can be great on vox, drum busses, accoustic guitars, it can be great for many reasons: warming up the sound, get a sensation of 3 dimensions, high end details, delays effects, wow and flutter.. but on a master, I feel I loose something in the feeling of stereo.. Does someone feel like I do?
M. Stallings
Ampex ATR-102
Hey all,
I've had the Waves Master tape for some time now. I liked it ok, but never had anything to A/B against ? The Waves always sounded a little cloudy and distorted easily . Since I had nothing to compare to, it seemed ok. Once I auditioned the Ampex on channels and master channel, I had to have it. For me, adding tape is critical and this plugin really improves the smoothness, detail and can add character ( or not) to anything. Being a minimalist, I got rid of the Waves since I would never use again. The Waves would be ok if all you need is a hint hear and there, but if its going to be instrumental in your product, then it was worth the "big money"! The 4 score was only because I spent too much. :-l
mitch (Tampa, Fl)
E. Jexén
Use with caution and find the holy grail
So, I just use this when mastering, and the studer on all tracks. When you learn to tweak it it will sound absolutely amazing. The Studer & Ampex are a golden combo!