Classic Analog Tape for the Modern Age
As the only emulation that the Ampex Corporation fully authenticates, it’s safe to say that you can trust Universal Audio’s Ampex ATR-102 UAD plug-in and LUNA Extension to lend the final analog “glue” that will turn your productions into perfections. Long utilized by studio giants such as Chick Ainlay, Mike Poole, and more, the classic Ampex ATR-102 tape machine has been revered for its rich saturation, deep warmth, and harmonic coloration ever since it hit the scene in 1976. The precise emulation that only UA can provide, coupled with intuitive controls, puts this industry-standard tape machine at your command with various signal paths, tape heads/speeds/formulas, emphasis EQs, and other features geared toward a contemporary workflow. Auto-Gain enables you to maintain perfect gain staging while you explore, and Auto-Cal adjusts to the perfect “flat” EQ and bias voltage for your currently selected tape settings. Infuse your music with authentic hardware non-linearities or disable them for a cleaner sound. All of this potential and more lurk inside the Ampex ATR-102 UAD plug-in and LUNA Extension from Universal Audio.
Related Videos: Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder Plug-in
An analog tape playground
Sweetwater studio engineers concur that the Universal Audio Ampex ATR-102 is a proverbial playground of different signal paths, tape heads, tape speeds, EQs, tape formulas, and more. While physical tape machines can be temperamental and cumbersome, UA has given you incredibly intuitive controls that make opening up headroom, getting slamming tape compression, and adding or removing authentic analog hum and hiss a total cinch.
Timeless tape with contemporary workflow
Gain staging on the Ampex ATR-102 — or any tape machine, for that matter — is an art and science that requires years of practice. However, thanks to the included Auto-Gain feature, Repro or Record level adjustments can made while keeping your gain staging intact. There’s also an Auto-Cal function that automatically adjusts the emphasis EQ and bias voltage to their “flat” calibrated position for your currently active tape settings. Of course, you can shape your own custom user EQs and Biases as well, if you like.
Turn LUNA into an analog workstation
The LUNA extension of the Universal Audio Ampex ATR-102 arms your LUNA-based workstation with all the character and firepower of the original tape machine — and then some! For example, you’ll get Input monitoring, which wasn’t available on the original hardware. Use the extension, either pre-fader or post-fader, on LUNA’s mixer bus or Main track and streamline your workflow significantly.
Note: The LUNA extension retains the head stacks, speeds, tape formulas, and gain and control cards of the UAD-2 plug-in version but removes some other features. Please consult your Sweetwater Sales Engineer if you have questions or concerns.
Presets from prominent Ampex users
If even virtual tape machines intimidate you, then don’t fret: onboard presets from longtime ATR‑102 users like Chuck Ainlay (Chris Botti, Mark Knopfler), Richard Dodd (Wilco, Robert Plant), Buddy Miller (Martina McBride, Emmylou Harris), and Mike Poole (Keith Urban, Dolly Parton) provide convenient springboards for your own settings. You’ll enjoy exploring all of them — and creating your own — thanks to an enhanced retina GUI with interactive original hardware tape reels and controls that will almost make you feel like you’re piloting a real hardware ATR‑102.
Universal Audio UAD Ampex ATR-102 Features:
- Glue your productions together with one of the most renowned professional 2-track tape machines ever made
- Benefit from the classic sound of an entire ATR-102 circuit, including transformers, amplifiers, Repro, Sync, and Input paths
- 3 classic tape heads: 1/4-in, 1/2-in., and 1-in.
- Multiple tape speeds — 3.75, 7.5, 15, and 30 IPS (inches per second)
- Various emphasis EQs — CCIR/IEC1, NAB/IEC2, and AES
- Famous tape formulas (GP9, 456, 900, 250) and the ability to combine home/consumer tape
- Auto-Gain feature adjusts Repro/Record levels while maintaining perfect gain staging with a single click
- Auto-Cal feature automatically adjusts EQ and bias voltage to “flat” settings for your currently selected Tape Formula, Tape Speed, Emphasis EQ, and Head Width
- Noise On/Off lets you add or remove the original hardware’s hum, hiss, wow, flutter, and crosstalk characteristics
- Enhanced retina GUI with interactive original hardware tape reels and controls
- Includes Input metering, unavailable on the original hardware
- Use the ATR-102 LUNA Extension to produce rich, analog tape sound, either pre- or post-fader, right in LUNA’s mixer buses and Main track
- Utilize presets created by known ATR-102 users, such as Richard Dodd and Buddy Miller
- Choose Classic or Clean or mastering-oriented sounds, or Pushed and Vintage presets for more harmonic saturation and coloration
