Review: Studer A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder Plugin for UAD-2

This week on I/O, Eli and Geoff review the Studer A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder plugin for UAD-2, from Universal Audio, and then share some examples of this deep plugin in action.

Input/Output Podcast: UAD Studer A800 Plugin Review by SonicScoop

The Studer A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder plug-in for UAD-2 (Mac and PC) is authenticated by Studer, and was modeled by Universal Audio’s team of DSP engineers and AES magnetic recording expert Jay McKnight over a 12-month period. It models the entire multitrack tape circuit path and electronics of a popular A800 machine from Allen Sides’ collection at Ocean Way Studios, along with the sounds of multiple tape formulas.

Geoff and Eli’s review is accompanied by example tracks of the plugin in action.

First is an excerpt of “Love You Dearly”, a track from PT Walkley’s Ghost of Chivalry EP in which Eli Janney swapped the original drum recorded on tape with a different drummer not recorded on tape. He then used the Studer A800 plugin to simulate the tape sound with great results.

Listen to the clip here:

“Love You Dearly” by PT Walkley

Next, Geoff Sanoff used the Studer A800 plugin for a project with the Chicago band Bottomless Pit. Hear it applied on the song “Winterwind” from their album Blood Under the Bridge, recorded by Geoff live at the Knitting Factory Brooklyn, November 13, 2010 using the club’s Avid Venue console via firewire to a MacBook Pro.

There are 3 groupings of Bottomless Pit mixes:

1) The plugin is applied on individual tracks (tracks 2-4 below)
2) The plugin is applied on just the drums, and (tracks 5-8 below)
3) The plugin is on the mix bus both with and without it on individual tracks, and with no plugin at all (tracks 9-11 below)

Input/Output Podcast: UAD Studer A800 Plugin Review by SonicScoop

Press it!

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