Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
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It's not a record until it's mastered on an Ampex tape machine.
The Ampex ATR-102 UAD plug-in and LUNA Extension provides the final “analog glue” for your music, turning your recordings into records.
The only emulation that’s fully authenticated by the Ampex Corporation, and trusted by producers and engineers the world over, the Ampex ATR-102 puts the colorful saturation, warmth, and harmonics of this industry-standard tape machine at your command.Included Versions
UAD Native
Runs on your Mac or PC without UA hardware.Apollo Realtime & UAD‑2
Runs accelerated on Apollo interfaces and UAD‑2 hardware.UAD Native plug-ins run on both macOS 10.15 Catalina or newer and Windows 10 and 11. Go to our UA Support page for system requirements.
- New! With Auto-Gain, make adjustments to Repro/Record levels while maintaining perfect gain staging
- New! Enjoy enhanced Retina GUI with interactive tape reels and controls true to the original hardware*
- Mix and master your music with the most popular professional 2-track tape machine ever made
- Get classic Ampex tape saturation, selectable tape types, and color to "glue" your mix together
- Experience the entire ATR-102 circuit, including its transformers, amplifiers, Repro, Sync, and Input paths
- Use the LUNA Extension version of ATR-102 to produce with rich, analog tape sound right in LUNA’s mixer
New Features for Modern Workflows
Getting perfect gain staging on the Ampex ATR-102 requires meticulous calibration of the repro and record levels, a delicate art that demands precision. With Auto-Gain, you can make adjustments to either the Repro or Record levels while maintaining perfect gain staging. And with its Retina-enhanced GUI, the ATR-102 is that beautifully vibey plug-in that you’ll want to leave on all the time.*
Turn Your Recordings into Records
The Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder plug-in and LUNA Extension provides the final “analog glue” for your music. Fully authenticated by the Ampex Corporation, now you can get the same unique dynamics, frequency response, and saturation characteristics of the original mastering hardware, virtually indistinguishable from its analog ancestor.
Take a Deep Dive into Tape Tone
Discover vast reel-to-reel textures using three classic tape heads (¼”, ½”, and 1”) tape speeds and emphasis EQs, famous tape formulas (GP9, 456, 900, 250), and more. You can even fine-tune the machine’s calibration to open up some headroom, or get grittier tape compression and saturation.
Find Your Sound Fast
Ignite your inspiration with presets from longtime ATR‑102 users Chuck Ainlay (Chris Botti, Mark Knopfler) Richard Dodd (Wilco, Robert Plant), Buddy Miller (Martina McBride, Emmylou Harris), Mike Poole (Keith Urban, Dolly Parton) and more. Use these presets as a starting point and season to taste on your mixes — you'll marvel at the cohesive, rich sound that can only come from an Ampex tape machine.
Transform Your Mixes in LUNA
Use the Ampex ATR‑102 LUNA Extension to transform LUNA’s mixer into an analog tape wonderland. Without having to manage separate plug-in windows, this gives you rich album‑ready Ampex tape textures with all the authentic dynamics, frequency response, and saturation of the original machine.
“I set the UAD ATR-102 exactly the way my old Ampex machine is set up, dialed in the gains, switched back and forth… and the sound is nearly identical.”
– Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Norah Jones, Cold War Kids)
“The UAD Ampex ATR-102 is my new secret weapon in my master buss chain, giving me the secret ingredient for that extra touch of flavor.”
– Ivan Barias (Musiq Soulchild, Jill Scott, Estelle)
“The Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder and Studer® A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder emulations give a nice edge to bass tracks.”
– Armin Van Buuren
“The UAD Ampex ATR-102 tape emulation really captures the hardware’s punchy saturation and chunky warmth.”
– Mike Poole (Robert Plant, Martina McBride, Buddy Miller)
“I've always used limiters and compressors on the mix bus to ‘glue’ the sound together, but I've never been able to achieve the kind of musical cohesiveness like I can with the UAD ATR-102.”
– Ryan West (Eminem, Kid Cudi, Jay-Z)
“All of the songs on the Garbage record, Not Your Kind of People were mixed with the Studer A800 plug‑in on all the drum channels. We also used the Ampex ATR-102 plug-in on the final mix.”
– Billy Bush (Garbage, Dolly Parton, Paul McCartney)
“The UAD ATR‑102 brings mixes to life with a 3D sound that no other plug-in has ever been able to achieve.”
– Adam Hawkins (Twenty One Pilots, Switchfoot, Keith Urban)*Enhanced Retina graphics available for Mac only.Customer Reviews
E. Recourt
July 24, 2024
Just wow
Not many plugins that you can slap on a finished mix and actually have it sound better but this is one of them. Very impressive, lives up to the hype.
Read MoreM. Ramos Jiménez
July 14, 2024
Perfecta para Master o Mix Bus.
La utilizo habiatualmente para generar una saturación y compresión sobre toda la mezcla. Me proporciona una saturación brillante y excitante....
Read MoreJ. Ross
July 9, 2024
Soulful. Easy to use.
Just got this for my two-bus and I really like it. Versatile. You can choose tape speed, what type of tape, etc. You can make...
Read Morem. cannon
June 21, 2024
Ampex
Got it for a great sale price !! Luna extension is the best !!
Read MoreE. Starzhynskiy
June 14, 2024
Perfect for everyone!
We are very much looking forward to it for Windows systems in the Native collection. We hope that the developers will make such a gift for everyone!
Read More -
Customer Reviews
Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
E. Recourt
Just wow
Not many plugins that you can slap on a finished mix and actually have it sound better but this is one of them. Very impressive, lives up to the hype.
J. Hamilton
Not Included With Spark
You guys have been killing it with Spark and all your recent product offerings. But then you add the ATR-102 to UA Connect like it's a Spark plug-in--only to reveal that it's a demo after downloading. That's just plain dumb. Why nickel and dime people who are loyal, year after year customers? You've been killing it, don't stop now.
M. Ramos Jiménez
Perfecta para Master o Mix Bus.
La utilizo habiatualmente para generar una saturación y compresión sobre toda la mezcla. Me proporciona una saturación brillante y excitante.
J. Ross
Soulful. Easy to use.
Just got this for my two-bus and I really like it. Versatile. You can choose tape speed, what type of tape, etc. You can make your mix as grainy or as smooth as you choose. This has the soul of tape with the convenience of modern technology.
m. cannon
Ampex
Got it for a great sale price !! Luna extension is the best !!
E. Starzhynskiy
Perfect for everyone!
We are very much looking forward to it for Windows systems in the Native collection. We hope that the developers will make such a gift for everyone!
A. Giroux
Ampex
Can’t live without this one in the digital world we live in
S. Tilin
Analog and Warmth sound in digital
Best tape plugin for mix bus /mastering
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not opening in logic
if this is exclusively for luna or something I wish id known earlier. beyond frustrating experience as a longtime uad fan
O. Raemy
Turnkey presets!
I'm a musician but I'm not a recording specialist! And this little gem allows me to reach, find settings that can quickly meet the requirements for each instrument style etc. the 104 seems active to me with responsiveness and clarity with more sophisticated details...
J. Avera
Mix Buss Mojo
Well, it did as advertised. GIves me that nice tape/3D feel on the mix bus.
H. Kwon
Perfect
it makes a great analog sound!! I love it
A. Bertók
Magic
The UAD Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder is pure magic! It adds an incredible warmth and depth to my mixes that I just can't get with anything else. Super easy to use and instantly gives that vintage, pro sound. Whether I'm working on a final mix or just adding some tape flavor, this plugin never disappoints. Totally a must-have for anyone serious about their sound!
M. Vonbank
great sound on the twobus
Sounds amazing, and tons of options. Different tape formulations, speeds, crosstalk, transformer saturation, tape width, bias etc.
B. Banengola
AMPEX ATR-102 La chaleur analogique !
J’utilise Ampex sur mes groupes et master le son est excellent, essayez Ampex pour vos masters !
L. Joseph Lincoln
Full satisfaction.
It really enhances the soundtrack and gives a character to it.
R. Olmos
Maravilloso
Me encanta que es muy suave tanto en voces, como en mi mis bus , genial
E. Sedrick
I don't like "tape" plugins... but...
...I LOVE this one! Enough said.
T. Zhamkochyan
Tigranmusic
Killer plugin
C. Narvaza
Makes is sound better
Nice software. Makes it sound good.
