Tape Saturator

The Warmth & Cohesion of Classic Records

Magnetic tape didn’t just capture the rise of popular music; it made it possible. For more than half a century, tape machines sat at the centre of professional recording studios, shaping how music was written, recorded, and experienced. They imparted warmth, saturation, and punch that defined a golden era of sound, with their unmistakable sonic fingerprint woven into nearly every classic record.

Tape Saturator Plug-in from Harrison Audio is a faithful recreation of the sought-after sound of classic 2‑track analogue reel‑to‑reel tape machines. Faithfully modelled on classic tape machines, Tape Saturator brings the unmistakable character of analogue tape to your tracks, from subtle warmth and cohesion to rich saturation, and everything in between.

High‑Fidelity Tones to Low‑Fidelity Magic

Tape Saturator distils the character of popular 1970s 1/4” 2‑track tape machines into a single, powerful software emulation. Choose from five distinct tape fidelity options and six speed settings, then dial in true analogue tape behaviour — including dropouts, mechanical wow and flutter, tape drive and hiss — delivering one of the most authentic emulations of these revered tape machines available today.

Designed to enhance your audio with layers of even‑and odd‑order harmonics, Tape Saturator thickens the low end, smooths the top, and gently smooths transients. It also introduces subtle, natural tape‑style compression that adds glue and cohesion to your mix. Whether you want to add analog-style colour and punch to your drums, soften the top end of guitars, or tighten your entire mix, Tape Saturator delivers authentic tape character exactly where you need it.

Input & Output Gain & Meters

Dedicated input and output gain controls, along with clear metering, let you easily see how hard you’re driving the Tape Saturator and monitor your final output level.

Fidelity Selector

Choose from five tape grades, with “Best” offering the highest headroom and widest bandwidth with minimal distortion. Lower the selector to introduce more character and step into authentic lo‑fi analog territory.

Speed Selector

Switch between multiple tape speeds, from 60 ips for the highest‑quality, studio‑grade performance, all the way down to 1 7/8 ips, like classic consumer cassette machines.

Drive

Increase the Drive knob to intensify the tape saturation, adding warmth, grit, and analog-style color to your source.

Flutter

Introduce subtle to extreme variations in tape speed, creating slight pitch fluctuations that authentically replicate the natural mechanical inconsistencies of real tape machines.

Dropouts

Emulate the artifacts of worn or damaged magnetic tape that momentarily lose contact with the tape heads. This control adjusts both the frequency and intensity of those dropout events.

Hiss

A classic byproduct of recording to tape, created by the magnetic particles and the mechanical nature of the machine. Add as much or as little hiss as you like to dial in the perfect amount of vintage charm on your tracks.