Softube’s Dirty Tape is a filthy free plugin full of lo-fi analogue warmth

Softube has already brought us Tape, an emulation plugin that models three classic tape machines, and now it’s offering something a little rougher around the edges with Dirty Tape. What’s more, for a limited time, you can download it for free.

The GUI features a “do not clean tape heads before use” warning, so it’s safe to say that pristine sound isn’t the aim of the game here. Instead, we’re promised instant lo-fi modulation and distortion, resulting in warm, analogue-style vibes.

Softube compares Dirty Tape’s processing to a filter on a photograph, in that it can “take a track from flat to full colour in seconds”. You have just two main controls - Drive and Dirt - so you should be up and running in no time, and there’s also a low-cut filter to reduce low-end rumble.

Dirty Tape runs on PC and Mac in VST/AU/AAX formats, and is free until the end of the month. Find out more and grab it on the Softube website.

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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