GreatGreen
Power User
Tape delay is an interesting thing that seems to describe a distinct combination of multiple elements that impact the delayed signal. EQ filtering, saturation, tape engine modulation, tape malfunctioning artifacts like crinkling, etc.
To me the best element of any tape delay is the wow and flutter effects of the natural modulation in a non-uniformly spinning tape motor that gives everything a vintagy, nostalgic vibe that comes from small unstable pitch variations over time. To me nothing has really captured this effect like the Strymon tape delay algorythms. I'm not the biggest fan of Strymon's tape delay overall because it feels like a caricature of an actual tape delay, and most specifically I think the high cut control has WAY too steep of a db/octave curve which makes the control sound a bit synthetic or bucket brigadey, but I have to say the way that algo handles modulation is something else.
To me the best element of any tape delay is the wow and flutter effects of the natural modulation in a non-uniformly spinning tape motor that gives everything a vintagy, nostalgic vibe that comes from small unstable pitch variations over time. To me nothing has really captured this effect like the Strymon tape delay algorythms. I'm not the biggest fan of Strymon's tape delay overall because it feels like a caricature of an actual tape delay, and most specifically I think the high cut control has WAY too steep of a db/octave curve which makes the control sound a bit synthetic or bucket brigadey, but I have to say the way that algo handles modulation is something else.
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