The Pulsar Modular P821 MDN Tape Plugin

[Geoff Grace]

The Pulsar Modular P821 MDN Tape plugin emulates the Stephens 821 2” tape machine. Here’s what the website says:

”The 821A is the first multitrack tape machine that doesn’t use a transformer. It doesn’t have a capstan or a pinch roller, so the tape path is free to move without any resistance or audio signal degradation.

For the first time, engineers and producers could hear the physics of the recording process without interference from excessive electronics. They experienced the unaltered sound of tape and could present their clients with a clearer representation of what was captured on the studio floor.

P821 MDN Tape is based on Marc Daniel Nelson’s personal Stephens 821 2” tape machine, which was utilized at the Producer’s Workshop, renowned for producing iconic albums such as The Wall, Aja, Rumours, and others.

The P821 signature sound is very open and has a large sonic character, as there is very little electronics and zero transformers in the tape machine, making the sound stage massive and no aggressive compression or clamping down. This is the first plugin of its type where you’re actually hearing TAPE and how it reacts.

Now, hearing the P821 MDN Tape plugin recreates that same experience. It’s truly incredible and unlike anything else out there.

Features
• Zero samples delay compensation when modulation is off or 1.1 ms when on.
• Two legendary tape formulas: 900 & 456.
• Speed: 15 and 30 ips.
• True tape-hiss generator (not noise).
• Pre/Post shelving EQ.
• Low and High Bias controls.
• VU meter with dual input/output needles.
• Tape delay circuit with feedback and filtering.
• Modulation circuit—Wow & Flutter (Slow/Fast) with tape flanging.”

I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ve been impressed by the depth and breadth it can add in some of the YouTube videos I’ve watched. On the downside, it seems easy to overdo it; so it may have more of a learning curve than most tape plugins.

Priced at $179, this isn’t an impulse purchase; but it may be worth it, if you love the sound. The P821 MDN has already generated a lot of excitement over at Gearspace. The thread has grown to 22 pages after just one week:

Pulsar Modular and Marc Daniel Nelson Introduce the P821 MDN TAPE Plugin

Best,

Geoff

[Piet De Ridder]

Demoed it for a couple of days last week. Not going to buy it. It does a few nice things — and I'm sure, or at least: I hope, that it does a lot more nice things when you send living audio through it instead of samples — but unless you explore the more extreme settings, at which point you get that all too familiar and rather boring caricature of 'tape sound' that all tape simulators are so good at, I really don't hear a difference or a quality here that justifies the price.

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[Geoff Grace]

This may be worth a look:



Mike's concluding remarks are at 18:20 in the video.

I've been waiting for a sale before seriously considering it. I believe that Pulsar Modular do have sales, albeit infrequently.

Best,

Geoff

P.S. I’ve linked to this thread from the VI-Control Tape Emulation Plugins. Give me your experiences thread.