DigiTape, Timetravel, The Machine: Free Plugins of the Week
This week’s round-up of free plugins brings you not one, but two tape simulations: DigiTape and The Machine. We’ve also got an emulation of a popular reverse delay pedal.
Free Plugins of the Week
Pulsar Audio DigiTape: Revel in the Sound of Early 2000s Digital Tape
Many plugins – including the freebies we cover here every Sunday – are modeled after classic hardware gear. Here’s a free plugin that does things a bit differently. With the VST standard just having turned 30, we now have three decades’ worth of plugins to look back on. And some of them have turned into classics in their own right – despite, or maybe even because of their digital imperfections.
DigiTape by Pulsar Audio emulates the sound of two early digital tape simulation algorithms from the 2000s. That’s right, you can now once again run your tracks through early tape algorithms from way back when the technology was still in its infancy. But that could actually be a good thing, as Pulsar Audio points out: Back in the day, CPU power was limited, so the developers had to be extra clever to design algorithms that sounded great while making efficient use of the available resources.
DigiTape lets you choose from two modes (Colour, Grain) and five types (Halo, Gasoline, Flare, Sheen, Shade). In addition to the all-important Drive knob, the plugin also offers a Brightness control and a Mix knob.
DigiTape is available for macOS and Windows in VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
Born Second Timetravel: The OBNE BL-44 Reverse Pedal in a Plugin
Timetravel is a reverse delay plugin modeled after the popular and out-of-production BL-44 pedal from Old Blood Noise Endeavors. Everything you play gets captured, reversed, and played back, like a ghostly reverse echo.
The Clock knob is the main control. It adjusts the sample rate, but as the memory size is fixed, this also affects how far back the effect reaches. As you’re controlling the time with the sample rate, different settings also yield different sonic results, ranging from bright and clean to dark and gritty.
The Speed knob lets you adjust the speed and pitch of the reversed signal within a range of ±1 octave. If you can’t get your hands on an original BL-44, this free plugin is as close as it gets!
Timetravel is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Analog Obsession The Machine: Vintage Tube Driven Tape Machine
Prefer a modern tape emulation to one from the early 2000s? Analog Obsession has built an excellent reputation in the world of free plugins with a string of high-quality releases. His latest work is The Machine, an emulation of a vintage tape machine with a tube preamp.
After adjusting the input level, you can push the signal into saturation using the Drive knob. There are two tape speeds to choose from (7.5 or 15 IPS). For a lo-fi experience, The Machine also lets you add wow and flutter and noise.
The Machine is available for macOS and Windows in VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
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