Tape Machine 24: Analog Tape Emulation Plugin by IK Multimedia

IK Multimedia says the JH24 was designed around a transformerless, op-amp-based circuit. Tape Machine 24 aims to reproduce the interaction between electronics, tape and transport that gives analog tape its character.

Signal path selection lets you choose between Input, which passes audio only through the recorder's input and output electronics, and Repro, which runs the signal through the full recording chain including the tape and playback head. The Input path can sound very transparent or slightly colored, depending on the machine.

The plugin offers tape speed selection between 15 and 30 inches per second. Higher speeds give more fidelity, while lower speeds produce a warmer, rounder tone.

Record bias affects saturation and high frequencies. Overbiasing is described as a way to get a warmer, gently saturated sound, and underbiasing can boost high frequencies. True Stereo models small level, EQ and distortion differences between channels, and Transport Modeling adds subtle movement from the mechanical transport. Both can be disabled for identical, steady processing.