Flywheel promises all the “special sauce” of reel-to-reel tape in a simple and affordable VST plugin

(Image credit: Fuse Audio Labs)

Fuse Audio Labs’ Flywheel is a new reel-to-reel tape plugin that promises all the “lush analogue sound” of tape machines of yore with none of the associated hassle.

Flywheel isn’t based on any one specific machine - it puts the focus on letting you combine the likes of saturation, hysteresis, high frequency loss and head bump via a simple interface. Promising that “special sauce”, it can be used to add warmth and presence to individual tracks, entire mixes or masters.

The parameter set has been kept intentionally simple - you simply dial in the record gain, select the tape speed and formula and then tweak the hysteresis and EQ controls until you’re happy.

Flywheel is available now for the introductory price of $29, rising to $59 on 21 November. It runs on PC and Mac in VST/AU/AAX formats, and a 14-day demo is available.

Find out more on the Fuse Audio Labs website.

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.