Arturia’s $99 Tape Mello-Fi plugin is free to download again, but only for a limited time

If you missed out on Arturia’s giveaway of its $99 Tape Mello-Fi plugin last holiday season, you’ve now got another chance to download it for free courtesy of Audio Plugin Deals.

In case you’d forgotten, this is a vintage tape-emulation and lofi effect based on the sound and behaviour of the classic Mellotron (and, in turn Arturia’s Mellotron V emulation). Parameter knobs enable you to adjust the amount of Noise, Flutter, Wow, Wear and ‘Mechanics’, and you can also dial in subtle distortion and saturation.

This leaves you with an effect that promises to apply lo-fi vibes to anything you stick it on - drum loops, vocals or even your entire mix.

Other features include an interactive tape wheel with tempo-synced Tape Stop feature and optional Instant Tape Catch-up, a 12dB low-pass and high-pass filter section, and a Stereo Width feature that introduces offsets to Wow and Flutter from left to right for an extra-wide sound.

A 25-preset library, meanwhile, gives you plenty of retro starting points.

Tape Mello-Fi runs as a VST/AU/AAX plugin on PC and Mac and is available for free for the next couple of weeks. Go and grab it on the Audio Plugin Deals website.

Arturia Tape Mello-Fi

(Image credit: Arturia)
Ben Rogerson

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. 

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