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 UAD Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder plug-in and LUNA Extension provides the final “analog polish” to your music, turning your recordings into records. Fully authenticated by the Ampex Corporation and trusted by Platinum‑selling professionals the world over, the ATR‑102 plug‑in faithfully captures the unique dynamics, colorful frequency response, and tape saturation of this industry‑standard Ampex machine.
Now You Can:
Add analog polish to your mixes with the most popular professional 2‑track tape machine ever made
Harness classic Ampex tape saturation, selectable tape types, and color to "glue" your mix together
Process your audio through the entire ATR‑102 circuit, including its transformers, amplifiers, Repro, Sync, and Input paths
Use the ATR‑102 LUNA Extension to produce rich, analog tape‑infused master recordings
Learn to Add Slapback Delay to Drums
Grammy-winning engineer Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton) and the Ampex ATR‑102 Mastering Tape Recorder plug‑in.
The Most Popular Professional 2‑Track Ever Made
With its cohesive sound, punch, and ability to provide subtle‑to‑deep tape saturation and color, the ATR‑102 has remained a fixture in major recording and mastering studios worldwide since 1976.
The ATR‑102 Mastering Tape Recorder plug‑in and LUNA Extension faithfully replicates the unique dynamics, frequency response, and saturation characteristics of the original hardware. Scrutinized and fully authenticated by the Ampex Corporation, the sound of the UAD ATR‑102 plug-in is virtually indistinguishable from its analog ancestor.
Now Fully Integrated into LUNA Recording System
With LUNA Recording System, you can now use the Ampex ATR‑102 as a LUNA Extension, where it's built into the fabric of the mixer without the need to manage separate plug-in windows. This gives you rich, album‑ready Ampex tape tones on LUNA's master fader and buses — with all the authentic dynamics, frequency response, and saturation characteristics of the original machine.
Learn more >
Authentic Calibration Controls and Tape Types
Like the ATR‑102 hardware, the plug-in allows you to choose between various Signal Paths (Input, Sync, Repro), different Tape Speeds / Emphasis EQs (NAB, CCIR, AES) and Tape Formula (GP9, 456, 900, 250) combinations — even including home/consumer tape. You can also use the adjustable Tape Delay feature for Automatic Double Tracking effects on vocals, guitars, and more.
Grammy-winning Presets
Get inspired 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.
“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, Kanye West, Kid Cudi)
“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)
“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)Watch The Reviews
5-Minute UAD Tips
Featuring the Magnetic Tape Bundle
Customer Reviews
m. nunberg
September 16, 2021
The Magic Maker
Thnx this is a really unique emulation. for this of us mixing in the box this really helps in bringing some analog sonic feeling to the mixes...
Read MoreE. Jonathan
July 5, 2021
Second to none
ATR-102 is absolutely the mastering solution I call it the celebrities cheat
Read MoreM. Alderete
July 5, 2021
Everything sounds better when turned on
This plugin added to my rough mix beautiful color and saturation. Everything sounds better.
Read MoreE. Hasselberg
July 4, 2021
Swiss army knife
I use the ATR-102 all over the place. It can improve any mix. It tames harsh sounds, bring clarity and glues the mix. A must have!
Read MoreC. Billmeier
June 26, 2021
The best!
I haven't touched an ATR in 20 years so I can't really compare the two, but I can say that this sounds great when used as a drum and/or master bus. Very clean results. I also have the...
Read MoreJ. Hamers
June 18, 2021
Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
After trying this plugin it became direct the first on my wishlist. It gives weight on your sound and when you look at an exported wave file it looks more transparant. It’s almost magic...
Read More -
Customer Reviews
Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
m. nunberg
The Magic Maker
Thnx this is a really unique emulation. for this of us mixing in the box this really helps in bringing some analog sonic feeling to the mixes
E. Jonathan
Second to none
ATR-102 is absolutely the mastering solution I call it the celebrities cheat
M. Alderete
Everything sounds better when turned on
This plugin added to my rough mix beautiful color and saturation. Everything sounds better.
E. Hasselberg
Swiss army knife
I use the ATR-102 all over the place. It can improve any mix. It tames harsh sounds, bring clarity and glues the mix. A must have!
C. Billmeier
The best!
I haven't touched an ATR in 20 years so I can't really compare the two, but I can say that this sounds great when used as a drum and/or master bus. Very clean results. I also have the Studer 800 plug-in and that one breaks up the signal more than this, and not necessarily in the good way. This unit seems much less "digital", even when pushed hard. Both are cool tools, don't get me wrong, but this one (so far) seems to work better with stronger/louder music.
J. Hamers
Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
After trying this plugin it became direct the first on my wishlist. It gives weight on your sound and when you look at an exported wave file it looks more transparant. It’s almost magic
D. Schneider
Love it! Love it! Love it!
This is a must-have plugin on your stereo bus! It's difficult to describe its huge impact in a few words on your mix, but you can be 100% sure that it worth every dollar you pay for it.
J. Jones
It's popular for a reason...
This would be my desert island plugin. No other plugin gives me the "finished", "polished" sound as good as this one. I highly recommend combing through the presets. Many, many times there is one that will work very well for your mix, but adjust just one setting thereafter, and you could through it off. Read the manual, learn what does what, or like a kid learns just push buttons until you find what works for you. This isn't just for technical expertise, have fun with this thing!
G. Morales
Lo más...
Excelente. Uno de los mejores.
K. Kim
gut!!
The seasoning for music completion
j. campos
Analog Recreated
I have a 2 Track tape machine and this plug in sounds very close to tape with the benefits of having no tape costs and presets that sound incredible
E. levi
это круто!!!
я совсем недавно начал знакомство сuad . ребята , вы крутые!!!!!!
E. levi
это круто!!!
я совсем недавно начал знакомство сuad . ребята , вы крутые!!!!!!
L. Tian Siung
Great Sounding Tape
Stay in master bus all the time.
A. Chanasit
It's great
It's great
H. van Oortmerssen
Invaluable Mastering Tape Sound
I first got the ATR-102 at my disposal while working at a UA retailer and it has been on my chain ever since. I simply can't deliver my desired results without it! It's that simple.
Best thing is that I still have some breathing room left and only a fraction of the power bill that a real one would rack up...if you could find one...AND afford the actual thing itself :)R. Perez
Good but...
This is my least used plugin. I thought this was going to be permanently on my master buss, the way Studer is pretty much on all my tracks... But when I use the Ampex it just makes my track sound duller and less interesting.
Maybe I just prefer a clean mix. But I'll say this: on smaller busses it works great.D. Dunn
So warm
Love this plugin - it's exactly what I needed it to be as an emulation.
J. Brown
Amazing.
Throwing this on my master track makes almost anything sound instantly better using almost any preset. Playing around it gets even better. Make sure to download all of the Stephen Smith ULTRALINEAR presets from the UA blog!
M. Řehák
beautiful sound
The Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder is indispensable for mastering
