No, I haven't. I also intend to try out the Yamaha/Steinberg tapesim coming.

If you ever used a tape machine you will not find this huge difference compared to digital. You made an interesting point about it being like compression and Eq. You are correct but it does it compress the same way as a compressor. If you put a compressor on even with a gentle ratio of 1.8 it will still take something off the top end your music. The Studer instead gently affects the dynamics without putting a color on your track. Not all plug in's change the sound of your track but only the dynamics. When you learn and listen to what it is doing and A/B them you will hear a subtle difference where the digital track is as Glenn put it as having a crisper or I would say slightly harder sound. The Studer gently adds a touch of smothness that just makes it easier on your ears. It blends the tracks together but of course it is a subtle touch again.

Actually I do have experience with tape recorders, I'm from the 70's and when I started out a reel to reel and a console was the only option out there, so that's how I started out. Not on the Studer A800 of course, but I didn't start on a PC either. They simply didn't exist. However the epectation of tape magic and the looks of spinning reels does nothing for me by itself. My judgement is solely based on what this plugin gives me that wasn't available in my DAW before and if it's worth the asking price or not. And I do hear the difference, of course it's there, I just came to the conclusion that I didn't think it was worth $349 for what it did to me.

The effect is subtle, and the difference of using it versus getting more or less the same effect with comps/eqs are mostly in the workflow and not in the sound.

Surely, if you put it on all tracks of a full mix and turn it on/off it's a huge change, but it would be as big a change if you would turn on/off all normal comps/EQ's of a whole mix at the same time with a button too. Or all reverbs/delays or any other tool of choice for that matter.

Again, this is my opinion, I don't expect everyone to agree with me anymore than I would like them to expect me to agree with them.

What would be a more interesting comparison is if you directly compared to using tape today. Hearing changes a lot in 40 years.

First of all, the photo you have chosen in gearslutz is very distracting. I have a hard time reading your posts as I am glued to the photo. I would gladly give up all my studio possesions for just a week with her.

Second, I respect your observations and cannot disagree with your opinion. It is a subtle difference and yes if you put all your tracks with a gentle compressor it would sound different too. I spent hours testing the UAD Studer and A/B it against using several comp plug ins with low ratios, including the Waves C6. What I have found was the Studer was different and different enough for me to buy it. While it may not be big enough difference for you..that is fair.

Some complained about UA using the MK III as it has less character, but I am happy they choose that one. First off, it won't put too much of an inprint on your music. However you can add more Studer plug ins to add more if you wish. I completed a CD last year that I thought was good. I ran the mastered version of the CD through the Studer and it did change it a little but not do as much as I wanted it to. I ran an additional Studer in the second insert, and then I got the sound that I was looking for. The bass was a little smoother, high hat and cymbals easier on my ears, and the whole mix has this nice gel effect to it. Now could I have improved these things with other tools? Perhaps, but it just seemed to give the character I wanted pretty easy. I did not have to go into each track and start correcting things. So the simplicity of how it works is also appealing to me. At the matering stage I did run the songs through Samplitude's amazing Ammunition compressor, but it did not round of the songs like the Studer did. It would hit the peaks and control them, but not what the Studer performed.

To me that would be totally uninteresting since I don't use tape.

What I'm interested in, whenever I buy something, is something that will improve my setup, therefore I judge it only on what it can do compared to what I'm using now.

Yes, I hear you. Actually trying it out on the master bus is what I'm going to do next. As I said, I only tried it out for an hour so all my opinions so far is still to be considered first impression.

It also has a bit to do with everyones financial situation. I'm not able to spend $349 on any plugin that doesn't blow my socks off.

Make sure you open the lid and work with the bios control and EQ as well. I turned off the noise button. Don't want any hiss. Read the SOS review of it as they explain very well on the different tapes, which one sounds best for mastering etc.

thumbsup

You can go here UAD Studer A800 Audio Examples to listen to the samples with and without the Studer plug in. If it works for you, get it, if not, move on.

The reviewer said this;

"Comparing The Results
I invited the band to make their own artistic adjustments to the mixes, and naturally I took the opportunity to expose them to a blind test. Switching between the two versions I had made of the mixes did reveal some tonal differences, but the consensus was that they were fairly small, and the vote was not unanimous on which was which. In the end, the tape mix was identified as sounding more processed in the low end and a tad smoother in the mid‑range; but on the other hand, the plug‑in mix had a deeper low end and a slightly more open sound. The most interesting thing was that the plug‑in mixes were never identified as ‘digital sounding’ or harsh; they were just slightly different, which I think really shows the potential of this plug‑in."

Don't different tapes have different frequency signatures? Higher tape speed will capture a broader frequency spectrum as well which is what I hear when changing tape speeds. What exact "magic" are you missing?

I personally love the way the A800 saturates and every other control are great sculpting tools.

Yes, they do.


I hear that too.


To put it simple, I wanted a smile on my face when using it. Like I now expect the 224 plugin to do instead.

And that's exactly how tape works - non-linear compression ...
This plug-in is closest thing I have ever heard in any tape sim I have ever used.
It definitely makes me want to turn my Studer on less.