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
J. Eggert
October 29, 2024
I didn’t get it .. until I tried it
Everyone was praising this plugin everywhere and I didn’t understand how it could be all that people were talking about. Then I tried it and played around for about 1h until I got it and...
Read MoreD. Roberts
October 20, 2024
Ampex tape machine
I've got a few tape emulations this one adds the magic I like , I'm not a pro audio engineer but this seems to add the weight and depth that people rave about,makes my mixes...
Read MoreB. Teeter
October 13, 2024
Skimped on the native version
Great plugin. I was excited when the native version came out, only to realize it’s not quite the same plugin. No tape delay or controls for amount of crosstalk, wow and flutter. Plus you...
Read MoreI. Inkilä
October 11, 2024
A must have
The Ampex ATR-102 -plugin was the missing link that set my mixes and masters on par with all my favourite records. It’s currently my favourite tool and a definitive must have 6/5.
Read MoreO. Okoke
October 6, 2024
Best Tape Emulation in the Market
Best Tape Emulation in the Market, Great on the Master Buss
Read More -
Customer Reviews
Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
J. Eggert
I didn’t get it .. until I tried it
Everyone was praising this plugin everywhere and I didn’t understand how it could be all that people were talking about. Then I tried it and played around for about 1h until I got it and now it’s on all my mixes. Just that glue and not surgical (in a good way). It would be great to have a “view” where it was easier to navigate (don’t need to look like they actual hardware)
D. Roberts
Ampex tape machine
I've got a few tape emulations this one adds the magic I like , I'm not a pro audio engineer but this seems to add the weight and depth that people rave about,makes my mixes sound better which is good enough for me.
R. Patricio
Best Plugin ever!!!
This is pure magic! Love it!
B. Teeter
Skimped on the native version
Great plugin. I was excited when the native version came out, only to realize it’s not quite the same plugin. No tape delay or controls for amount of crosstalk, wow and flutter. Plus you can’t copy presets from the non-native version to the native version. And they don’t have the same preset library! UAD-2 DSP version is superior, unfortunately. Come on UAD….
I. Inkilä
A must have
The Ampex ATR-102 -plugin was the missing link that set my mixes and masters on par with all my favourite records. It’s currently my favourite tool and a definitive must have 6/5.
O. Okoke
Best Tape Emulation in the Market
Best Tape Emulation in the Market, Great on the Master Buss
s. ayton
ok as
nice as an EQ/Compressor effect but wouldn't pay more than a few dollars for it. It can mess up your dynamics and nice clean recording which is good or bad depending on how old you are haha. I'm personally so glad to not have to suffer tape machines anymore these days having been recording since the 70's and owned and repaired a dozen machines from 1/8", 1/4", 1/2", 1". 2" as engineer and service tech so know them inside out literally. I use this for it's texture. I just wish the interface was clean with faders instead of graphics. I'm trying to make things sound good and could not give a toss what the plugin looks like. I need minimum fuss and memory/DSP usage.
A. Navarro
Tape por defecto en MIX BUS
desde que la compré ha sido por defecto mi tape en la ultima cadena de mezcla y master . Magnífica
S. Hopkins
Amoex Atr 102
Great but of kit added to my master chain, just what I was looking for.
G. Freimanis
You ask, I answer
Another color that was not in my plugin forest before.
D. Pintaldi
Strategic Weapon
As I used a real one in 80s , I love the sound of tapes and all their nuances .
This plugin , very close to original one is helpful to change the nuance, harmonics, dynamics and EQs of the programs or instruments in very special way. Be careful ! !t’s addictive ;).M. Maynard
How Is That Even Possible?
The first words I spoke when I tried this plugin in my mastering chain was, "How is that even possible?" I've never purchased any UAD plugins until now, and the Ampex emulation was my first. The presets are pretty much all you need, just find the preset that suits the song and mastering needs best, and you're all set. It's as simple or complicated as you want it to be, and it sounds amazing. This one plugin will most likely replace 2-3 plugins in my chain, and that's something I've never encountered in my last decade of producing music. Now that this plugin is native, and for the price it's currently at, this is one of the very few plugins I've begged all my producer friends to get. If I ever need new plugins, I think I'll be checking UAD first. Do yourself the favor and grab this.
D. George
Outstanding!
I am old enough to have used actual reel-to-reel tape in recordings and I can assure you that this plugin comes very close to emulating the real thing. It's all about the warmth; the sound. Great job on this one.
S. Downie
Get this great TAPE emulator !
The Ampex ATR-102 is a fantastic all rounder TAPE emulator for your DAW and tracks and tunes. It's amazingly warm and great for saturation. It has a nice wobbly vibe to it that makes sound stand out, well to my ears anyway. Get it today and add it to your plugin chain.
L. Carlos
Waiting for the true version
This plugin is lacking in sound and features. It is not the native version, it is another simpler version. Still waiting for the true version, but native.
c. tak
Incredibly Good
Sometimes I think to myself, wait a minute, I now have enough plugins to get by with them and I have to put in the time to get to know them well. But now I'm amazed again and how does UA manage to make something like this, so incredibly good.
J. Potter
Go for it..
I had the oxide 1st. I like this on the master bus and the oxide for most tracks.
This thing has all the options and sounds great so far. I'm done after this last plugin... lolw. ec
Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder
De las mejores herramientas para master, le agrega mucho color y una agradable saturación, lo recomiendo
E. Schraier
Great tape!
One of the best tapes plugins that i've tried.
N. Simons
Top notch
This is a wonderful plugin, have found it useful in tracking and mix scenarios. No idea if it sounds like a tape machine as I haven’t used one for over twenty years but when it works it works really well at adding an elusive, subtle, weighty, gluey, dimensional sauce.
