TAPE
Virtual tape with live looping and overdubbing capabilities
TAPE is designed for live looping and overdubbing. It supports both variable and fixed recording lengths into a dedicated 30‑second buffer for each instance of the device. With varispeed recording, you can record and overdub at different speeds—or even in reverse—on the virtual tape to build complex, layered sequences.
Material Device
Parameters
SPEED : Adjusts the playback speed of the tape reel.
| Parameter Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Scales | Learn more about Scales here. |
ROTATE: Adjusts the rotation of the virtual tape reel.
LENGTH : Adjusts the length position of the tape reel. Exceeding the original sample duration adds silence to the buffer.
| Parameter Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| 4/1 | 4 bars. |
| 2/1 | 2 bars. |
| 1/1 | 1 bar. |
| 1/2 | 1/2 bar. |
| 1/4 | 1 quarter note |
| 1/8 | 1 eighth note |
| 1/16 | 1 sixteenth note |
| 1/32 | 1 thirty-second note |
| 1/64 | 1 sixty-fourth note |
| FREE | Adjusts the length of the buffer freely |
LEVEL: Adjusts the amplitude of the virtual tape reel.
SOS: Bipolar control for sound‑on‑sound behavior.
- 0% (default): Monitors both TAPE output and incoming audio at full level.
- 100%: Mutes incoming audio and outputs only the TAPE signal.
- −100%: Mutes the TAPE output and passes only incoming audio.
XFADE: Applies a crossfade at the loop end/start point.
Actions
LOAD: Open the Sample Browser to load a sample into TAPE.
REWIND: Move the playhead to the beginning of the virtual tape reel.
REVERSE: Toggle reversing of playback.
RECORD: Available when the TAPE buffer is empty. Starts and stops recording into the 30‑second buffer.
OVERDUB: Available when the TAPE buffer is not empty. Adds new audio to the existing buffer according to the current SOS setting.
Recording and Overdubbing
TAPE offers flexible ways to capture audio into its dedicated 30‑second buffer.
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| VARIABLE | The default mode when recording into an empty buffer. The buffer length is determined by the duration of the recording. |
| FIXED | Allows you to set a fixed buffer length using LENGTH. Parameter Modes on LENGTH let you define the length in seconds or in quantized musical values. |
When recording ends (either by tapping RECORD while recording, or when the buffer is full), the action changes to OVERDUB. Engaging overdub adds material to the existing buffer based on the SOS parameter.
While overdubbing is always non-quantized, starting and stopping recordings in an empty buffer is quantized by default. Quantization for recording can be adjusted. Learn more about Quantization Settings here.
Post Record Action
Choose what happens when recording ends on an empty TAPE:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| PLAY | Stops recording and immediately plays back the recorded audio. |
| OVERDUB | Enables overdub for continuous layering on top of the existing recording. |
This is controlled by the POST RECORD ACTION setting, found under [CONFIG] → METER.
Monitor Behaviour
The MONITOR action in TAPE controls how audio is routed:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| OFF | Outputs the TAPE audio. |
| ON | Outputs the SOS mix. |
You can toggle this manually or enable automatic behavior using the MONITOR ON RECORD setting under [CONFIG] → AUDIO.