Tape Sim Uses

I've played around with various methods.
 
Mostly now I only use it on certain tracks - drums being the main one, and sometimes after amp sims.
 

I've thought about this a lot since it was announced. I think the first thing I'm going to try is use it on all my main busses (drum bus, rhyth guit bus, bass bus, lead guit bus, premaster bus, etc). I figure that would be a little more like how things would be sent out to tape from a board during live sessions. Putting it on every track seems like it would be far more tape effect than you would get in a real world setting.
 
Oh and I was a little disappointed it was locked to X3 exclusively. I wanted to try it out on the Beepster Creep in X2 but it yelled at me "NO TAPE SIM FOR YOU!" Loading the project into X3 was causing problems so I just left it alone.

I"ve used this one http://www.voxengo.com/product/analogflux/ on the drum bus and it works magic.  You could probably do the same thing with careful use of eq, compression and subtle distortion/saturation, but the tape bus does it all for ya! I'm planning on trying to duplicate what the Voxengo does with the new Sonar tape emulator.

Tape compression traditionally manifests its benefits on drum tracks and bass tracks. I find this to be true of the ProChannel's TapeSim as well. Therefore I tend to use it on individual drums tracks as well as bass tracks. Careful not to overdo it.

I use my Kramer Master Tape on the drum bus and the bass. Bass especially sounds awesome when you crank that input.

I dunno. I like snares that crack. Tape sims make them sound like oatmeal boxes with wax paper.... +1 Dave. I agree. How about the concept that in fact analog tape is inferior to digital especially in the drums area. But I guess sometimes it can be just the right thing to use.
 
It is unwise to put it on every buss as well. Then you could be mushing up your entire mix. Why do that! Try it on just a few spots here and there in your mix, keep other bits transient and crisp and snappy. As a drummer playing live in front of one the finest drum kits in the world for over 40 years (Sonor of course) I always found tape could never quite make it in terms of its sound. Digital has got it right seriously though. (Danny also agrees with me on this very much so BTW) What tape does to drums is soften the transient leading edges, adds bottom end to the sound and a bit of high end head bump. (and hiss, oh wonderful) Ok if you want all that but you have to ask yourself, do I really want that?
 
What is so great about our current ITB mixing is that we can put some parts of the mix through analog processes and other parts not. In the all analog world that is not possible.
 
Try out this for example. Harrison Mixbus has got one of the nicest saturation processes around. The other day I was mastering a hip hop track and I just did not like how it sounded or what the saturation was doing. Even turned fully off. I did the mastering in Studio One instead just to check it and boom, it was super clean and perfect. Now for the last dozen or more mastering jobs Harrison has been the better option but not in this case, it was worse.
 
If you WANT to make things sound a bit more retro or softer tape wise or saturated then go for it for sure but if you don't, then it may not be a good thing to use at all. On crunchy guitars yes it might be perfect. On a distorted organ patch perhaps too. But maybe not on everything. I can think of many things that would not benefit.
 
I am old, I have owned and used some of the finest tape recorders the world has ever seen. Don't miss any of it now though, would not go back for quids! So used to digital they sound noisy, sloppy, slow transient front edges, they mess with the EQ you name it. Distortion beyond belief, wow and flutter, great!
 
EDIT: BUT looking at the OP. Looks like you are into Jazz bass and electric at that. Bass could really sound nice with modest amounts of tape sim. No transients as such like drums to ruin and the bass boost down low could well be in your favour too so yes try it on some of your bass tracks first and start experimenting there.
 

There is a lot to be said about the old days of tape. I grew up in a world of analog tape machines. Showing my age here. I have had the pleasure of working under a lot of well known producers and I think most of them had a hard time embracing digital recording. At the same time you have to make the argument here that I have heard over and over and over from guitar players about amp sims. DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT A VIRTUAL WORLD DIGITAL PLUGIN SOUNDS AS GOOD AS THE REAL THING? These plugs are never gonna truly replicate the REAL sound. They just sound DIFFERENT! Granted some of them are very well done. From my experience, I am thankful to have these tools at hand but when it comes to the memories of fighting with an analog tape machine to keep the recording from being noisy and grainy I am glad those days are GONE!
If you younger guys had to work under the gun with a noisy desk recording to a noisy tape machine onto a noisy tape, get 3/4s of the way thru an album only to have the tape break, at sometimes over 200 dollars a reel--------SHEESH! 

Well, being old school myself, I'll give it a go....
 
 Almost any thing can benefit with some added even harmonics and compression distortion that analog tape is known for, certain instruments more than others with bass and percussive instruments benefiting the most. Let's face it...we love distortion.
 
 Just NOT with analog tape being the medium used(exit wow and flutter). The sterility of the digital medium almost requires that sometimes do to perceived loss of the "it" factor that our human ears are use to hearing so I think these plugins preform a valuable purpose when used correctly. Pshycoacoustic enhancement was relevant even in the analog era, I remember when the BBE exiciter was introduced the first time I used it live for a sound gig I did and was amazed by the perceived clarity even though it was adding distortion to the mix which would seem the opposite goal to satisfactory sound engineering. It's all subjective I guess.
 
I think it's great that these tools are available to use when necessary, being an oldster myself.

Just want to thank some of the big hitters in here for adding their thoughts about tape sims and what they do and do not work for. I would have wasted a lot of time and probably ruined more of my stuff without this advice.
 
I cannot imagine what I would do without this forum.
 
Stay awesome.

BTW, CTStump. I still have my BBE box from the old days. It hasn't been turned on for years. Ah, the memories!
 

I love Joe Walsh's analogy of the digital recording environment. And I can't express how much I agree about minimal overdubbing. But it seems funny when you go see him live his keyboard player has several top of the line keyboards onstage. Not counting the rack mount synths behind him. Even the piano is digital! It is a fine line we all walk. I remember walking into a local music store and being in awe that there was this thing called a Moog that could do all kinds of weird stuff. And how about that mellotron. An orchestra in a box. WOW!

i hope I am not creating the idea either that I don't think any of these analog simulation processes are useful and everything should pass through the digital chain only. Far from it! We had to have all the great analog gear of the past in order for them to devise these wonderful VST's now that can emulate these things so well and they do.
 
Those who think the only way to get that analog sound is by using analog gear are simply wrong and deluding themselves. I have read so many reviews now where they A/B blind test the VST against the real deal with a room full of great ears and switch 20 times and like no one picks it. What does that mean? It means we are emulating analog gear very well and I mean well.
 
I am an old analog synth man from way back, owned several Oberheim beasts. Don't have any now. Got the OPX Oberheim VST and to be honest it sounds so good it is rude! If they can do that they can do anything. That is a tough instrument to copy. It has a very unique sound.
 
Just mastered a really nice album and used the Pultec EQ on it. Just sounds stellar. Everything that comes out the end of that just sounds cool. Period!
 
I think it's great that we have total control now. In the old days everything was recorded onto tape, everything was mixed on the same mixer channels, everything was sent to the same outboard gear. Now we can have a blend of total transparent digital sound on some things, others going through a Harrison mixer, others getting some Neve action some things getting a little tape sim and so on. An all analog system simply cannot do this and for that reason alone it is inferior.
 
All I am saying is think carefully about what things you are going to send where and what processing you really need here or there. That is all. And the great thing is if it is all going pear shaped, strip it all off and start digitally again and work from there. I still find though that I don't use that much analog processing compared to the number of tracks that are only receiving digital attention these days. ie straight through to the stereo master through maybe a simple (bundled) EQ and some dynamics at best.

TS
The imagination of marketing departments is unlimited, that of the buyers also !
 
http://www.waves.com/plugins/redd
(In any case, it is very well drawn!) 

Peter Cobbin    Senior Engineer and Creative Director of Abbey Road Studios 
“I simply cannot get enough of the REDD sound over our tracks. It is an instant success, transforming all the music, with a dimension that is so wonderfully analog in character.”

Tony Maserati    Producer / Mixing Engineer
“Adding the REDD to anything I work on is like my mix - but better.”

Mark "Spike" Stent    Producer / Mixing Engineer 
“Love this plugin. I love the colorization, punch and character it gives sound. Brilliant!”

Alan Branch    Producer / Engineer / Writer / Musician 
“The REDD is really useful for saturation, fatness and coloring certain sounds with lovely sounding harmonics. It has an amazing effect on the low end.”

Matt Knobel
"Really great job on these! Very effective, just like the original console.”
 
Alex Shirley
WTF $200 - why not take a piss on my leg as well!!!

Just chiming in to say that yes, OP-X (I have Pro II) is amazing!
And definitely I don't think anyone really wants to sound like actual tape productions anymore - but it is a useful color to add to a part of the mix. Like parallel compression and overdrive, it can for instance fatten a bass and stabilize it in the mix. Whether it sounds like an actual tape is almost irrelevant. I use Klanghelm SDRR and DC8B for a similar effect.
Sometimes I like Kramer Master Tape better. Haven't really enjoyed pushing the PC tape too hard, but it's pretty decent at low distortion levels.

TS
Hola, restons calmes et polis, entre gens de bonne compagnie !
I have just expressed my opinion, I offended nobody.
 
If somebody thinks he gets a Redd console with a 200$ plug, it is free to him.
I am sure that the plug works very well, with a astounding character, warmth, etc ; but it is NOT a Redd console, voyons (even with the attractive drawing)...
 
NB :
I had already read the advertising sentences of all the "comparses"
 

You don't understand - I'm agreeing with you!