Soft Tube Tape

[Louella Kammann]

Timeto get reel! Softube's Tape plug-in adds cohesion and weight to your mixes. But Tape goes far beyond your average tape machine emulation. It includes three distinctly different tape machine types, and it offers the ease of use and low CPU strain that today's music creators rightfully expect.

Select your favorite tape machine Type, and adjust the Amount knob to taste. In most cases, that's all you need to do to soak your tracks in analog tape sweetness. Easier still, load up one of the included presets, made by award winning engineers such as Joe Chiccarelli (Beck, U2, Strokes) and Howard Willing (Smashing Pumpkins, Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson).

Tape Type C - Amount , 7.5, 9.5, 10.0 - Tape Speed N/A

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Interestingly, none of the tape types soft clip at unity setting of 5.0. Tape A, has a small amount of soft clipping at 7.5, which you do not see from Tape B or C until reaching the 9.5 mark. Tape A also has a softer knee and has a gentle soft-clipping behaviour, shaving approximetely 7 dB off the top compared to 2 and 3 dB for Tape B and C respectively.

Tape Type A - Amount 50% - Tape Speed 15 IPS Crosstalk 75%

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For this test I utilised Tape A at 15 IPS, as this has the flattest frequency response out of the tape types. Crosstalk boosts low frequencies with a relatively large boost at 50 Hz with a little complimentary dip at around 80 Hz. Crosstalk also boosts high frequencies starting around 1 KHz. This explains why I like the sound of this parameter so much! Crosstalk is relative, the more you increase the greater the frequency shift. In this example Crosstalk is at 75%.

Thanks Paul! I use it on every track as my tape saturation. I find I usually prefer the A on brighter sounds and B on sounds I want to fatten like kicks and bass. If I am using it on the Master Buss it depends on the type song but often I use B

love this plug and the ease of use.

it has replaced the studer for me on individual tracks because I just find it easier to dial in and it sounds great.

ATR-102 still dominates every mixbus though

Scapa 2708 is a 0.25mm heavy-duty premium non corrosive self-extinguishing soft PVC tape which combines the high flexibility and abrasion resistance of a superior quality soft PVC backing with the high grab and adhesion of an aggressive non corrosive pressure sensitive rubber-based adhesive system. It has been designed for all underground or above ground optimum anti corrosive duct and pipe protection and for improved electrical insulation.

Developed to be kind to sensitive skin and comfortable to wear, this tape is latex-free and hypoallergenic. It is well tolerated by sensitive skin and suitable for babies and elderly people. The fixation tape holds dressings, wound pads and compresses in place. It is also suitable for the securing of medical equipment such as tubes, catheters, probes, and measuring instruments.

Cleansing the wound from dirt and bacteria is an essential first step to enable optimal healing. To prevent wound infections, spray the Hansaplast Wound Spray from a distance of approximately 10 cm onto the entire wound area. Repeat if necessary, then gently dry the wound and surrounding skin area with a sterile compress.

Important: A minor wound will soon stop bleeding. If it continues, apply more gauze pads, keep pressure on the wound and seek medical advice.

Help your wound heal safely, quickly and with a lower risk of scarring. Apply Hansaplast Wound Healing Ointment regularly until your wound has healed completely. Carefully apply a thin film one to two times per day. Make sure the opening of the tube does not get in contact with your wound. Repeat regularly until the healing is completed. The Hansaplast Wound Healing Ointment can be used on open minor superficial wounds and at any stage of the healing process. If necessary, cover the wound with a plaster, dressing or compress.

Always see a doctor if the wound is deep, bleeds heavily or shows signs of infection like reddening, swelling or warmth. Please note that, although they were compiled with great care, the tips and advice given on this website by no means substitute medical advice and treatment. If you have or suspect a health problem, consult a doctor and follow medical advice, regardless of what you have learned on this website. Always read carefully and follow the instructions for use or the leaflets of our products.For further information, please contact us via email at Hansa...@Beiersdorf.com

Distortion is a fickle thing. Distortion is bad in some cases, like when you leave a preamp turned all the way up and accidentally cause a perfect vocal take to clip. In other cases, like a snarling rock guitar solo, distortion can be great. How do you know the difference?

The key difference between hard and soft clipping is the type of harmonic distortion or overtones they produce. Soft clipping yields mostly even harmonics, while hard clipping tends to produce odd harmonic overtones.

Analog audio circuits can add overtones, or harmonics, to the original signal, creating harmonic distortion. The harmonics may be created by overloading a circuit or as a side-effect of analog tape or tube-, transistor- or transformer-based circuits. Overtones are audio signal created as harmonic multiples of the fundamental frequency in a signal.

Generally speaking, tube designs create higher levels of even-order harmonics, while tape and transistor-based designs create higher levels or odd-order harmonics. However, every circuit creates a different blend of both even and odd-order harmonics that give it a unique sound.

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) is a measurement of how much harmonic distortion a particular circuit is likely to generate. THD calculates the total of both even and odd-order harmonics in a signal and is typically expressed as a percentage.

The microphone preamp is the next stage that may introduce distortion. Preamp distortion can be the result of tube or transistor saturation or, as in the case of Neve preamps, transformer-bases saturation, which causes mostly low-frequency harmonic distortion. Some preamps like the SSL VHD designs even feature a built-in distortion control for adding even and odd overtones without actually clipping the signal.

Those of you who are wary of tracking with distortion can use preamp emulation plug-ins like those available from UAD, Slate Digital and Waves to simulate the saturated sound of their favorite tube and solid-state preamps.

Another colorful layer of harmonic distortion is typically added using compressors, both on individual tracks and on busses. Compressors inherently change the shape of a waveform, causing distortion. Additionally, compressors are based on circuits that may contain tubes, transistors, and transformers, which each add their own harmonic coloration.

Tube compressors like the Fairchild 670 and Teletronix LA-2A are great for adding soft clipping and transformer saturation distortions to beef up the low mids in your mix.

Some compressors like the Empirical Labs Distressor and Fatso also come equipped with distortion and saturation controls for dialing in the perfect amount of smoothness and grit.

If you work in a small studio, you may not have the room or budget for a large-format analog console, in which case you may want to consider an analog summing mixer. Summing mixers are used to breathe life into sterile-sounding digital mixes by routing multiple audio tracks or stems through analog circuits and summing them to a stereo analog output and back into your DAW.

For those working completely in-the-box, Slate Digital, Waves, Brainworx and Universal Audio make console emulation plug-ins that simulate the unique analog summing characteristics of a number of different consoles. Some plugins even generate different algorithms for each channel to help simulate the experience of working on an actual analog console, where each channel has its own unique sound.

Another great way to add harmonic distortion to your mix is a tape machine. Analog tape offers a unique sound, unlike any other circuit. The soft-clipping effect combined with odd-order harmonics creates a pleasing compression effect that fattens up the low-end and smooths out edgy high frequencies. Many tape machines also use transformer-based circuits which provide a bit of low-frequency harmonic coloration.

There are even a few analog distortion units specifically designed specifically for mixing. Units like the Thermionic Culture Vulture and the Vertigo Sound VSM-2 deliver versatile controls for dialing in the perfect amount of dirt. Sometimes simply running your digital tracks back through an analog preamp or EQ, like the AMS/Neve 1073SPX can add a certain familiar quality to your sounds.

Now that you have a better understanding of the different types of distortion and how to use them in your mixes. Just remember to use a light touch, as a little distortion can go a long way! As always, make sure you use accurate monitoring so that you can trust what you hear.

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This page may contain affiliate links that mean I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read the full privacy policy here.

Before the medical care team take him to the theatre, they check the length of the tube by holding the tip of the tube against his belly button, then holding it by the bottom of the breastbone, against the side of the face and making sure that the end of the tube is far enough away from the nose. Measuring the length before attempting to pass the tube will give just a little bit more reassurance that the tube will be in the right place. Once the tube has been placed you will need to use a syringe (I use a 20 ml syringe) to withdraw some of the stomach contents then using ph paper or a ph stip you can determine once and for all if the tube is in the correct position.

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