If you are looking for some some cool tape delay plugins then Ronan Macdonald has you covered with some hot tips.
When only the warm, retro-style echoes of tape delay will do, these stunning plugins offer a wealth of possibilities.
AudioThing Outer Space
One of the most successful tape delays ever built, Roland’s RE-201 Space Echo was a studio must-have in the 70s and 80s, and although there are numerous plugin versions of it on the market, AudioThing’s magnificent emulation is our favourite.
As well as modelling the central three tape heads and spring reverb of the original hardware, and all 12 of its signal routing/configuration modes, Outer Space throws in a variety of extras and enhancements. Not least of these is the de rigueur tempo sync option for keeping the delays locked to the host DAW’s clock, but rather more interesting are the addition of ‘New’ and ‘Old’ tape types alongside the default RT-1L model, per-head volume and pan controls, low- and high-cut filters, adjustable background noise with envelope following, and Pre-Emphasis and wet signal ducking controls.
Outer Space’s headline feature, though, is its palpable analogue sound. It serves up echoes of such rich textural character and vintage authenticity that you’ll swear they’re coming from physical tape.
FabFilter Timeless 2
Not based on any particular real-world unit, Timeless 2 embellishes a flexible stereo tape delay setup with FabFilter’s renowned filter algorithms and creatively liberating freeform modulation system. The Left and Right delay lines can run synced (with variable offset) or free (up to 5000Hz), and be overdriven and fed back into each other; while the filters are routable in series, parallel or one-per-channel.
Even before getting stuck into the modulation panel at the bottom, Timeless 2 is a stellar delay plugin with a sound that spans the gamut from perfectly clean to filthy. Start piling on those envelope generators and followers, LFO/sequencers and XY controllers, though – not to mention the Stretch delay mode (pitch stays constant through delay time changes) and Freeze function – and you’re soon deep into sound design territory, conjuring up all sorts of dubby soundscapes and wild rhythmic evocations.
Soundtoys EchoBoy
Soundtoys’ hugely popular Swiss army knife delay plugin features no less than 32 preset analogue and digital delay styles, including a range of tape options – Space Echo, EchoPlex, Tube Tape, Cheap Tape et al – each with its own particular frequency response, non-linearity and saturation characteristics. Four delay modes – Single, Dual, Ping-Pong and Rhythm – determine the nature of the echoes, the last a fully programmable 16-tap affair that can be quickly tweaked with the multifunctional Shape knob, should you want to steer your electromagnetic adventures well off the path of realism. It all comes together in a powerhouse plugin that could genuinely serve all your present and future echo generation needs.
Read our review about the SoundToys rack
u-he Satin
This sublime tape emulation plugin doesn’t put delay effects at the top of the agenda, being primarily concerned with applying luxurious saturation to tracks and mixes, but kick it into Delay mode and a world of echo-based treats opens up. Two or four tape heads provide the taps, each one adjustable in terms of Distance (delay time), Balance, Level and modulation, and routable in Multi-Mono, Ping-Pong and Cross modulation configurations. The more general controls – tape speed, input gain, feedback and low/hi cut filters – work in tandem with the ‘service’ panel parameters at the bottom to define the sound, the latter enabling tinkering with the technicalities of the tape (Asperity, Wow & Flutter, etc) and heads (Gap Width, Bump and Azimuth).
Although it’s not as flexible as others in our list, Satin’s four-head option and mechanical tweaking nuances set it apart, and it sounds as genuinely tape-like as we’ve ever heard in software.
Check out our review of u-he Satin
Universal Audio EP-34 Tape Echo
UA’s DSP-powered (UAD-2 and Apollo) virtual take on the Echoplex tape delay captures all the lively distortion and temporal fluctuations of the real thing, drawing on both the EP3 and EP4 models in its design and spec. Like the original hardware, the delay time is controlled by sliding the playback head towards or away from the record head, with two tension settings affecting the response; and the effect can be spun off into ‘self-oscillation’ territory with a flick of the input-killing Send On/Off switch – just the thing for those dubtastic ‘live’ delay-scapes. Where the software does deviate from the 20th century blueprint, of course, is in the addition of tempo sync for those that require it.
Check out our video of the Universal Audio EP-34 Tape Echo
Valhalla Delay
Sean Costello’s staggeringly comprehensive Valhalla Delay plugin includes Tape and DuckTape among its many modes, alongside the likes of BBD, Ghost, Digital, RevPitch and BBDuck. Tape models the Roland Space Echo, complete with all the wow, flutter and warmth that you’d expect, while DuckTape boasts 70s-style companding noise reduction for a brighter sound, and ducking of the wet signal by the input. Factor in Valhalla Delay’s global controls – including five routing and voicing Styles, overdrive, EQ, stereo width, diffusion, ‘aging’ and more – and you have a killer tape delay (amongst other things!) at a crazy price.
Wavesfactory Echo Cat
A different flavour to the RE-201 or Echoplex. Echo Cat, Wavesfactory’s meticulous recreation of the Copicat delay brings all the tapey goodness of the original unit. Invented in 1958 by Charlie Watkins and featured in countless albums from the 60s and 70s, it was primarily designed for guitar. It's now a sought after piece of equipment in studios around the world and can of course be used on anything, from mungy echoes on vocals to thickening slaps on pads. Echo Cat brings back the sound and behaviour of the original unit with authentic tape simulation and three playback heads. With added extra features that any modern delay plugin should have. These include M/S processing, tempo sync delay times, filters on the feedback path, varispeed, modulation and ducking.
What’s your go-to tape delay plugin? Let us know in the comments.