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1.2 Product Overview
Developed in association with producer/engineer Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix, Led
Zeppelin), the Kramer Master Tape plugin is modeled on a rare vintage ¼” tube-powered
reel-to-reel machine. A similar machine was used by Eddie Kramer during the late ’60s
at London’s Olympic Studios to record some of rock’s most classic tracks, by artists
including Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Traffic. Typically, it was the
final link in his recording chain, used to record the output of the Helios console (modeled
in the Kramer HLS Channel plugin), with dynamics processing by the PYE compressor
(modeled in the Kramer PIE Compressor plugin.)
With adjustable tape speed, bias, flux, wow & flutter, and modeled noise, the Kramer
Master Tape provides comprehensive control over the contours of your sound. To top it
off, we’ve added a flexible slap & fe
edback delay section.
Accurately modeling the character and sound of the machine proved quite challenging,
from the acquisition of well-maintain
ed components, generously provided by Eric
Schilling (Shakira, Gloria Estefan, Natalie Cole, Elton John), down to finding the correct
magnetic tape, in addition to modeling the mechanical and magnetic modulations and
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3
colorations that give these rare machines their own unique sound. Special thanks go out
to Bob Olhsson (Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross) and especially John Haeny
(Bonnie Raitt, Weather Report, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Jim Morrison, Tom
Jones) who provided invaluable assistance in the development of the Kramer Master
Tape plugin. You can read in greater detail about the modeling process in the White
Paper which is included as an appendix to this manual.
1.3 Concepts and Terminology
The following are a few of the terms and concepts that you will encounter while using the
Kramer
Master Tape plu
gin. You can read more about them in the White Paper
at the
end of this manual.
Tape Speed
The Kramer Master Tape offers two tape speeds: Low (7.5 inches per second or “ips”)
and High (15 ips). Low speed offers better low frequency response with some high
frequency loss, while high speed offers a more full range signal with slightly less low
end.
Input and Reproduce
When recording to tape, two monitoring modes are available. Input monitoring lets you
hear the signal as it reaches the recording head, including tube and mic-pre saturation.
Repro monitoring lets you hear the output of the repro head just like normal tape
playback, meaning that tape speed, bias, flux, wow & flutter, and noise, in addition to
tube and mic-pre saturation, all affect the monitored output.
Bias
Bias is an ultrasonic signal which is added to the recording in order to reduce limitations
of the magnetic medium. Bias calibration was a regular part of the tape machine
calibration routine and, while the manufacturers had their declared recommendations for
specific machines, many engineers felt that adding more gain to the bias signal gave
them better sound. For this reason, the Kramer Master Tape plugin offers both nominal
bias as well as overbias, which represents 3dB over the recommendation, a setting
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4
which became popular with many users.
Flux
Flux is the term used for the level of magnetic radiation emitted from the record head on
to the tape,
commonly referred to as operating level. Measured in nano Webers per
Meter – nWb/m, flux is essentially a gain factor reflecting a higher level passed onto the
record head. While older tapes were designed to handle lower flux levels, modern tapes
could withstand much higher flux before distorting, resulting in relatively lower noise.
Noise
The Kramer Master Tape plugin features modeled noise which is a combination of the
tape hiss ge
nerated by analog tape r
ecording, overlaid by the thermal valve noise of the
reference machine’s input and output electronics.
Wow & Flutter
The term wo
w & flutter refers to modulations and
fluctuations in speed and gain caused
by physical friction of the mechanical parts of the tape machine and the tape itself. While
the original machines were designed to minimize wow and flutter, they nonetheless have
become part of the sound we associate with analog tape. Increasing the Wow & Flutter
control makes for a rougher, more “worn” sound.
VU Meter
The Kramer Master Tape features a modeled analog VU meter, where 0 dBVU =
1.23Volts RMS = +4 dBu at 1 kHz. Using a 700
Hz tone at -18 dBFS, input and output
levels are equal. The default VU meter calibration is -18 dBFS = 0 dBVU, which we
found to be optimal for achieving the desired sound when the meter action hovers
around 0 dBVU. For hot digital signals peaking close to 0 dBFS, this will require lowering
your Record Level proportionately to achieve “proper” tape sound. When running hot
signals, the needle may stick to the right side (≥ +3 dBVU). If you are achieving the
desired sound, but would like to see some meter action, you can calibrate the meter to
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User Guide
5
your desired headroom, and the VU meter will offset its metering so that 0 VU will
correspond to the selected headroom value.
Delay
While the original tape machine didn’t feature dedicated delay functions, many engineers
he
utilized t
machines for slap/feedback echo effects. The Kramer Master Tape plugin
offers delay times from 1ms to 500 ms, with settings for 7.5 ips (266 ms) and 15 ips (133
ms), emulating the natural slap heard when monitoring the incoming and reproduced
signals at the indicated speeds.
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1.4 Components
The Kramer Master Tape consists of two components:
Kramer Master Tape Mono
Kramer Master Tape Stereo
Kramer
Master Tape Mono
Kramer Master Tape Stereo
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7
Chapter 2 – Quick Start Guide
o Insert the Kramer Master Tape on a track, group, or master.
o Go to the loudest passage in your song and, using the Record Level control,
adjust the in
put until the meter displays -5 dBVU to 0 dBVU.
o If the track has important high frequency content (e.g., acoustic guitars, vocals,
hi-hats, str
ings), use the 15 ips to better preserve high frequencies.
o If the track has a lot of low frequency information (e.g., bass, kick drum, tuba),
use the 7.5 ips to better
preserve low frequencies.
o Adjust the Flux control to increase or decrease amount of distortion.
o If needed, unlink the Record Level and Playback level and adjust levels
individually.
Please note:
recommend experim
Since input levels have a significant impact on the sound of the plugin, we
enting in order to find your optimal settings.
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User Guide
8
Chapter 3 – Interface and Controls
3.1 Interface
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