How to get Analog Tape (on a budget)

The cheapest way to get an authentic warm analog tape sound on a budget is buy a #cassette machine and bounce your entire mixed song down to tape. Don't even worry about stems. After that you can send it back into your #daw and master after that. You can also leave your vocals off and resync them after your bounce.

Don't try to do this with plugins because plugins cannot recreate the sound of authentic #analog #tape. All you need is a tape recorder or boombox.

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Studio Guitarist & Virtual Guitar Teacher

[James-egnf]

Exactly what I do. I record in a modern DAW and record the final mix to an old Pioneer tape deck. No plugin in the world can exactly replicate that.

[jones]

A piece of advise, if you are recording your mix onto a cassette, then recording the cassette, use this to avoid excess noise

When you record it to the cassette, boost the high frequencies (like 6khz and beyond) by a lot, like 15db. Then, once you record it back off the cassette, attenuate the high frequencies with the exact same eq curve by the same exact amount.

This is essentially doing what dolby noise reduction does, but you can be more aggressive with your noise reduction by boosting and attenuating the high frequencies more

[bonemasterj]

Pro Tip - For most authentic sound when using a boombox, hold it on your shoulder with the (working) speaker against your ear.

[andrew]

I have an old fostex cassette tape recorder I run my sub groups through, it sounds amazing whenever I do !

[rickrockzyootoob]

Actually, I used to think you can't replicate tape with plugins, but not anymore. I used to do what you're suggesting with my Teac 3440 (with the accompanying dBX NR box), but then I tried Waves J37 and IK Multimedia's Teac tape series, and decided there's really no point in bothering anymore. That's how good they've gotten now.

[GaryRSpicer]

I'm excited to begin my tape trials for my self made tunes. I plan on CDs as well. I'm just starting out with my two digital multitracks by tascam and a simple tape deck qfx

[brad_hensil]

Fun Fact: Kiss From a Rose by Seal was recorded and mastered on cassette using similar equipment (TASCAM Portastudio 244)

[Lucaboninimusic]

Or the free softube saturator plugin is a decent option too 😅

[MrHhkrohn]

Record on tape pre mix, , then to the DAW for fx, , then to VCR, then master
Although the last 2 could switch .
Anyway, I did not do it but is my plan
What you think?

[BlueZaddy]

You can make a microphone out of an old landline

[prinzbach]

More than the setup > I envy the space you have (even tho it must be f*cking cold in winter)

[The-Jim-Miller-Project]

Great vid! I’m just getting back into Tape, and away from the Daw. Do you recommend using DBX noise reduction while tracking to tape or, bouncing back to Daw?

[kris]

I still dont know the tape sound…is it just the hiss and vintage sound, so it doesnt sound so clean?

[zillyzachary]

Thoughts on Tascam 414? Thinking about getting started with it 👀

[arwaldc]

I use a digital Tascam dp24 and actually just mix down to cassette tape. Still beats using a daw

[abbycorrigan]

can you make a video on how to send your song through to tape and back again?

[kienanhuard]

So I’ve had this question for ahwile, I’m buying a tape deck off fb marketplace today and I think I know how to send my digital mix to the tape deck, but how do I bring the tape bounce back to my DAW? Or just a wav file or something. Love your videos!!

[IanJamesBeats]

Did you delete your IG? Could have sworn I was following you. Anyways…keep up the great videos dude!

[luhmayo]

So should you take the final mix (with EQ, compression, reverb, and delay added to your tracks), plug it into your tape machine, and record from there back into your DAW or record each individual stem raw without FX into the tape machine back into the DAW and mix them all together from your computer or what should you do?

[Badam-Wackler]

What do you mean by "send it to tape"