Wavesfactory Cassette offers lo-fi tape sound effects and warping to bring a different sound to your mix.
Are you looking to get a more lo-fi sound to your mix? Or want to get that retro vibe sound from the 80’s on a track. Look no further than our friends at Wavesfactory giving you the opportunity to do so with their plugin Cassette.
Our Wavesfactory Cassette review will take a look at some of the features that are on offer and how adding it you a track (or an entire mix) can give a unique sound.
Contents
Wavesfactory Cassette Review
Wavesfactory Cassette is being tested in a Bitwig Studio 4 environment. Installation comes via the usual Wavesfactory portal with a download available for demo mode, to be activated with license key when purchased.
I am using the VST3 64bit version of the Cassette plugin with Bitwig, but there are multiple platforms available (AU for Mac, AAX for Pro Tools, VST2 and 32bit versions available too).
The plugin is scanned by the DAW and then appears as an effect which can be dropped on to either a midi track or an audio track.
Of course this can also be put on a hybrid track if your DAW supports them like Bitwig Studio does. The signal then passes through the plugin and can be adjusted as necessary.
There is the option to put Wavesfactory Cassette on either an individual track or the Master Buss. It is also possible to put multiple versions of the plugin within one audio session if you so desired!
Features of Wavesfactory Cassette
While checking out the plugin for this Wavesfactory Cassett review there were some nice features that I found. The key points for me were:
- Tape versions
- Presets available
- Static & Dynamics options
Tape versions
During the Wavesfactory Cassette review we could see there are 4 versions of tape that are available in this plugin. We love a tape emulation and have checked out others such as Echorec and TAIP.
Type I was the standard and most compatible tape format. Featured a ferric-oxide coating (Fe2O3) and it first appeared in the 1960s.
Type II was formulated with a chromium dioxide (CrO2). This formulation was introduced at the dawn of the 1970s featuring an undeniable increase in high frequency response.
Type III was living a short period between the mid 70s and early 80s, the ferro-chrome (FeCr) never made it into the golden era.
Finally type IV was a metal-formulated hit the scene at the end of the 70s. This type offers firmer bass as well as louder high frequencies.
Presets
I had fun doing the Wavesfactory Cassette review and as part of my review process I always make an effort to test out the plugins using the built in presets because this normally shows off the best of their ability.
Wavesfactory Cassette was no different and some brilliant presets come with the plugin. Some of the presets would complement the 80’s sound we were hoping to achieve in our Stranger Things post.
Two sets of presets were bundled with the plugin, “Factory” and “More”. These sets are more than enough to get you started but they also show off what the plugin has to offer.
Static & Dynamics options
Finally as a way to review features of wavesfactory cassette the static and dynamics option show the amount of degradation that can be dialled in to the mix.
These settings for me were really what made this sound – for want of a better word – bad. I mean bad in a positive way, after all we are trying to make the quality of the audio sound more analogue and old.
Previously I have achieved tape emulation using plugins such as SketchCassette II and SuperVHS. These plugins are great but Wavesfactory has something about it that I really like.
I’ve managed to do tape looping in the past with a real tape player (check out my Youtube video and post on creating looping effects with a tape) and so I know what it should sound like.
Checking out this Wavesfactory Cassette review I could see that this product certainly comes close to the real thing.
From a price point of view this is a great plugin. I hope you found my Wavesfactory Cassette review of use and will make use of the features to get your mixes to that next level.
