Overview

All the vibe of real analog tape… and more
Some of the most common emulations of high end tape machines on the market can be a bit too subtle at times, leaving one to ask “is this thing on”? That’s why Kiive Audio’s Tape Face is modeled after one of the most characterful professional tape machines ever made, adding a welcome dose of analog charm to digital recordings.

Three modes: from tasteful, to subtle, to seriously tapey
In Mode I, Tape Face provides an exacting emulation of an Irish-made tape machine known for its pleasantly colored tone. In this default setting, it offers an even greater sonic imprint than some of the cleaner machines made in Switzerland and the U.S. In Mode II, the emulation becomes significantly more transparent, for when a gentler touch is in order. And for Lo-Fi enthusiasts, Mode III dials in extra grit, saturation and top-end softening for more extreme analog degradation.

More than just emulation 
The Tape Face offers features not found on the original analog tape machines. It adds extra tape speeds for a greater number of frequency curves and head bumps. 

Want that head bump to be even more significant? Try the “Low Boost” feature to restore lose bottom end. Want more tape color and compression without increasing the gain? Just turn up the saturation knob. 

Want some real magic? The “Bias”’switch fattens and saturates your low mids while keeping them controlled with frequency dependent tape compression. Tape Face even allows you to add stereo width or see just how much tape compression is being applied.

Try it on EVERYTHING
Tape Face sounds great just about everywhere. For a hint of subtle tape saturation, try Mode II on mix bus or on all your tracks, in 30 or 15ips. 

Fatten up thin guitars in Mode I, and then try flipping on the bias switch and running it in 15 or 7.5 ips for an even richer sound. Bring parallel drum buses and loops to life by engaging Mode III—And don’t be shy with that saturation knob! 

Give any of these approaches a try on vocals, bass, high percussion and synths to dial in your preferred amount of color.

Features

  • Analog-modeled emulation of a classic Irish tape machine
  • CPU-friendly oversampling allows you to throw it on every track to emulate recording through a physical tape machine
  • Three modes:
    •  (I) - Perfect for getting that pumpy tape sound while adding minimal distortion. This setting is best used for mix bus or drums with heavy transients that need taming. 
    • (II) - Emulates a near perfectly calibrated tape machine with silky smooth high end, low end bump and a very usable tape compression when the input is driven. Perfect for mix bus or any finishing touches. 
    • (III) - Made with LoFi producers in mind. Dark and gritty tape saturation with heavy Gain reduction and harmonics when pushed.
  • Additional features include:
    • Bias: Make your low mids fat, gritty, and forward while keeping them well-controlled 
    • Tape speed: Increase the amount of high end rolloff and the frequency of the head bump by going down in speed
    • GR metering: Visualize how much take compression you’re applying
    • Stereo width: Spread out your sound 
    • Low boost: Bring back lows lost to saturation
    • Saturation: Increase tape compression and harmonic coloration without messing up your gain staging 

Audio Examples

Industry Reviews

  • Jesse Ray Ernster

    Jesse Ray Ernster

    Grammy-winning Mixing Engineer (Doja Cat, UMI, Burna Boy)

    MAN this thing is sick! Gets so chubby and fat, and then I flip the ips switch and it’s the PERFECT top end! Tape Face is the best tape sim. Hand Down!

  • Scott Middleton

    Scott Middleton

    Producer, audio engineer, guitarist, songwriter (Cancer Bats, Blood Opera, Junko Daydream)

    Tape Face oozes classy, warm, and gooey tape vibes all day long! Love its fast and well-thought-out approach to help get a mix or master just the right amount of harshness taming saturation &… Read More

  • Zac Tiessen

    Zac Tiessen

    Award-winning composer (Netflix, Ubisoft, Cole Rolland)

    Want an authentic analog vibe on your mixes? Well, look no further than Tape Face! Kiive Audio’s tape emulation is my new favorite plugin to use on my mastering chain to give mixes that extra… Read More

  • Pete

    Pete "Boxsta" Martin

    Producer, Composer, Songwriter (Netflix, HBO, Sony) OR (James Arthur, Jesse J, Dope Saint Jude)

    Tape Face now resides on every summing bus on DAW Versatile and incredibly simple to use.

  • Ryan Farish

    Ryan Farish

    Artist & Producer

    Kiive Audio Tape Face sounds incredible! I love how quickly I can dial in exactly the amount and type of "tape vibe" I'm looking for, with some added features and enhancements that instantly lifts… Read More

Customer Reviews

  • My Go-to Tape Plug!

    ★★★★★
    by Chuck
    Just a fantastic sounding tape plug-in. I own several, but this is the one I always turn to.
  • Very special.

    ★★★★★
    by Ed Brandon
    I LOVE the ability to see what this is doing to the dynamics with the gain reduction metering - something I had always wanted in the other tape plugins I used to use. This sounds very special indeed.… Read More
  • Pleasantly Suprised

    ★★★★★
    by FiveHyts
    I don't write many reviews but this tape plug-in is the clearest tape emulation I have heard. I use a tape plugin when mastering and I have always used UAD Ampex ATR-102 because I don't like a tape… Read More
  • Tape with boldness

    ★★★★★
    by MiamiDude
    This tape plugin is one of the best I have used. It won’t alter the stereo image, like some other tape plugins do. It keeps the stereo image in tact. Put this on kicks, bass and whatever else!… Read More
  • Excellent Plugin

    ★★★★★
    by AORUA
    Testing thru my active ATC's quickly, on what I consider to be an almost perfect mixdown and master. The mix amount function works brilliant, unlike other Tape plugins. Tape Face seems to have much… Read More

Specifications

Supported Plugin Formats
AAX Native, AU, AAX AudioSuite, VST3

Supported Operating Systems
macOS 14 down to macOS 11
Windows 11 down to Windows 10

Mac
Intel or Apple Silicon architecture

PC
x64-compatible CPU

System Requirements
Display resolution: 1440 × 900px or 1280 × 960px or higher
Memory: 2 GB RAM

 

 

Downloads

With the Installation Manager you can select, download & install all the Plugin Alliance products. Select any and all formats you need for your system! Mac & PC.

ChangeLog

Tape Face

Kiive Tape Face - Changelog

Version 1.0.1 (Mar 23, 2023)
- Initial PA Release