Slate Virtual Tape Machine Review ***9/10***



The magic mojo behind so many classic hits is the two inches of magnetic tape gluing the whole track together at the end of the chain. Now you can inject your tracks with this same buttery goodness in the form of the Slate VTM. We have separate gain controls for input and output, which can be linked, as well as four switches that effect our overall tone. Further settings can be adjusted via the red button in the top left corner. As with most Slate plugins, we get our handy A/B flipper at the top to make sure we are not overdoing any saturation or volume changes. For users looking to ease up the CPU usage, there is an option to remove the tape graphics.



We have selector switches for bias ( how hard the tape is driven ), 30 or 15 ips tape speeds ( with very noticeable differences), two tape types with slightly different EQ curves, and a switch for either 16 track for mixdowns or 2 inch master tape for the master buss. Try using the 30 ips speed on the 16 track during a mixdown then 15 ops on the master after bounced, its “that sound” that everyone and their grandma has shaken a booty to.





The additional settings are helpful when using the groups function and fine tuning the bass, albeit with a one knob design as opposed to the more in depth McDsp route. We also have noise reduction, wow and flutter control, hiss automute which is an invaluable tool, and finally a calibration switch for the VU meters. Look for my upcoming McDsp Analog Channel review where I’ll dive more into the key differences between these two tape modelers.


The only thing that would have taken this plugin over the top to a perfect score would be more control over the bass contour, and more choices for tape type. While the Slate blows the McDsp analog channel out with its gluey goodness, the McDsp takes the prize for tweaking with its radical bass curves and selectable rolloff frequencies and its low cpu usage. This bad boy is still a gem, and 9/10 times I reach for it as my tape saturation.




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