Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
Customer Reviews
Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
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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?
A. Thiele
Improves my recordings
I definitly love the sound of the Ampex ATR 102. Indeed, I find recordings sound better when they are processed with this plugin. I thought about buying a real tape machine some time ago. Now I'm happy not to have all the hassles with real tape machines - but he sound.
K. Kofler
Great!
Nothing but great! I use it an nearly every track.
Thank you for this astonishing work!
D. Flores
PHAT!
Just dropping this thing over my mix makes everything just come together it sounds so nice! Highly recommended!
P. Giacalone
Brilliant! Powerful!
This plugs in is incredible. It is VERY different from the Studer A800 which I've had for a little while now. The Studer is very plug and play - it's hard to go wrong. There are different settings but they don't vary too drastically and they're all kind of moving in the same direction.
The Ampex is a whole different beast. It reminds me of working on a high end console. If you know what you're doing, you can do great things. if you don't.....you can make a royal mess. You just have to be more careful and pay more attention when using the Ampex. If you do, the results are phenomenal! I can't imagine mastering without it.
For anyone wondering - No, putting the Studer on your mix bus is not at all the same as using the Ampex.
M. Karnalyuk
Ampex ATR-102
I believe that we must have this plugin in the first place. Excellent work UAD
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)
S. Chen
In my every project
This I think this the best uad plug in in the entire collection, love it so much
I. Pinkhas
ATR-102
This plug-in is worth all the time now I have to master. Great sound! Soft and clear!
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!
J. Antonetty
A great analog mix in a digital world
I thought I would purchase the Studer A800 and not be concerned about the Ampex ART-102 plug-in, but I found that they work so beautiful together. They truly do both have different characteristics to record and do the final mix with. It is possible now to achieve the true analog feel in the digital atmosphere without fear of losing control of the natural sound. The Ampex ART-102 and the studer A800 is the way to go without doubt. I am excited and can't wait to begin to redo some of my old mixes with these great plug-ins. Thank you universal audio for phenomenal plug-ins that helps to mix with ease the smallness to the most complex arrangements.
C. Meyer
Perfect plugin
This and the Fatso are the two plugins I ALWAYS have on my mix bus.
I use it differently everytime - sometimes strongly saturated, sometimes just slightly glueing the mix together.
Sometimes I use this on a drum bus, warming up and rolling off some high end with the 7.5 or even 3.75 tape speed setting.
Even if you don't care about *that* tape sound from the past - this will give a certain direction and colour to your tracks and will help to achieve a cohesive album sound.
I haven't found any downsides yet. It's a little thirsty for some DSP-juice, but nothing too heavy and it's always worth it. Be sure to read the Manual, though, there's some interesting stuff buried in this 'machine'.
I. Pinkhas
Ampex ATR-102 Mastering
After applying the Ampex ATR-102 Mastering the mix becomes brighter and more specifically.
R. Seo
Genius
Bring life back to music!
that's what I would say about this, run whatever into it and you get a part of historic sound memories coming up to your ears.
P. Thompson
Instant Sonic Character
For cleaning up sterile digital mixes, this is the tool. I can't believe how realistic the and how accurate the controls are. What I love the most is I don't have to clean the heads or calibrate it.
R. Comitz
amazing
just pop it in + it glues the mix together. super simple
D. Elke
the glue
This is the missing link. When I first used it, I was amazed by how real it sounds. I learned recording on tape/analog, and this brings me back, in a great way. Its a bit tricky to set, but once its set right, it makes the whole mix come together. I really like the ability to change ips and tape, and it works great for a nice vocal slap echo on an aux..
B. Lederer
!!! Hammerteil !!!
All I can say this thing rocks! I just mixed a new album and I used it on the drumbus and .... it is stunning. It reminds of the old days, when I used tape. You´ll get punch and presence for drums. Also I used the tape delay with slow 7.5ips and it sound absolutely convincing: lush and wonderful. So far the best tape emu I tried - and we´re getting close! Yiiiipiieee!
E. Hedberg
Makes the daw look like 3D
Just a couple of seconds after you play with just a couple of buttons you just really think that the DAW has become a physical unit.
With the desirable settings, you get a mix you Never could get with any other digital/software thing.
I love it
S. Constance
Better tape than never
Great for that overall tape sound, some super presets. Ability to go from very subtle to really messy with the wow & flutter, tape delay and eq etc. So useful for track or bus fx as well as mixing / mastering.