Recording to tape is a glamourised, but for good reason. There is something undeniable about the grit, as well as the workflow, that tape brings to the table.
The Ampex ATR-102 Professional Tape Recorder is the glue that holds countless classic albums together. Bringing a sense of cohesion to a final mix, as well as a distinctive low-end kick, pleasant saturation and subtle tonal colour, the ATR-102 is the final touch that gives analog recordings that three dimensional feel and deep, rich tone.
Ampex was founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff in Northern California, their first great success being the creation of a series of reel-to-reel tape recorders developed from the German wartime Magnetophon system at the request of Bing Crosby. The company then went on to gain global recognition for its various tape recorders, which played an important part in chronicling many of the most important events of the 20th century. By 1976, they were one of the most revered and popular recording technology manufacturers in the world and it was that year that the ATR-102 was born.
Read up on all the latest features and columns here.
The ATR-102 swiftly became an almost universal favourite of audio engineers when it came to final mixdown. Despite being discontinued in 1982, its popularity continued. Even today, many digitally recorded albums are passed through an ATR as the last step in the mixing process to give them that classic, indefinable analog glue.
Many put the immense popularity of the ATR-102 down to its famous dependability, its reliable construction a testament to Ampex’s engineering prowess. Others put it down to its even, almost transparent frequency response, providing an incredibly accurate sonic transfer. The ATR-102 may have been ‘transparent’ as compared to the other tape machines of the day, but it is now, in a mostly digital world, revered for its characterful yet smooth sound and vintage analog warmth.
ATR-102
Another reason for the machine’s enduring success is its incredibly low noise floor, a particularly appealing feature in the mastering stage. Aside from that, the ATR has a particularly generous low end, beefing up mixes that are a little on the thin side and adding some subtle compression.
The amount of saturation and colour, lets call it ‘tapeyness’ that is applied to a mix passing through an ATR is dependent on the tape speed or IPS (inches per second). The higher the speed, the higher the fidelity and the more transparent the process is. The available speeds on the ATR included 30 IPS, 15 IPS, 7.5 IPS and 3.75 IPS. From high fidelity sheen down to grainy, bordering on lo-fi tapey goodness, the ATR could and can do it all, another key to its enduring appeal.
The lack of inherent noise in an Ampex ATR-102 was truly impressive for its time, with a distinct absence of motor noise making its way into the tape heads, it was a cut above its competitors. It was due to this exceptional clarity that the sonic difference between tape speeds was so discernable, making it a very versatile tool.
Another factor contributing to the ATR-102’s popularity and enduring legacy is that it was highly customizable. The machine can be adjusted for different tape widths by simply changing the head stacks and dual guides, a process far more elaborate on other machines. The ATR also had inner electronics that were easy to access and tinker with, opening up various customization options for engineers tailoring them to their specific needs.
Tape flutter
Additionally, the ATR-102 featured an innovative transport system that dramatically cut down on wow and flutter. This was achieved by getting rid of troublesome pinch rollers and instead developing a system of keeping constant tension on the tape, as well as using a notably large capstan drive wheel which helped to prevent the machine from ‘running out’. The ATR-102 also benefited from an excess of horsepower, the additional power helping to maintain the machine’s stability.
Today, the ATR-102 lives on in the form of an incredibly popular emulation plugin by Universal Audio. Let’s be honest, for many smaller studios and bedroom producers, a tape machine is simply not a possibility, but UA have done an exceptional job at recreating the magic. A fantastic addition to any DAW, the ATR-102 plugin does fantastically well at providing that warmth, compression and glue missing from the digital process, adding a dose of tapey magic to any mix not able to benefit from the real thing.
Fully authenticated by Ampex themselves, the UA ATR-102 plugin is used by countless producers and engineers to capture the colourful saturation and harmonics the original machine is famous for. The plugin features very accurate gain staging, as well as a vast array of different reel-to-reel textures. Featuring three virtual tape heads, ¼”, ½” and 1” and the four tape speeds available on the original machine, the plugin provides an amazing array of very usable sounds.
The plugin also features several EQ settings and several tape formulas including GP9, 456, 900 and 250. Like the original machine, it is highly customisable, with users being able to fine tune the virtual calibration to either provide maximum headroom, or a grittier, more compressed result.
Amazingly, despite all the added convenience, cost effectiveness and time saving that digital technology has afforded us, there are many esteemed recording artists who still swear by recording to, or at least mixing down to real analog tape. The endurance of this technology, despite how incredibly antiquated it now seems, is an undeniable testament to the power it still holds. Whilst the difference can often be hard for people to articulate, the magic of tape is undeniable. You can’t prove its merit with arithmetic or even with logic, and yet it’s real. Like true love.
Regardless of whether you can get your hands on the real thing, or if you’re using the emulation, the Ampex ATR-102 just has the sauce. It glues a mix together with that warm, textural, three dimensional energy that we in the audio world all know and adore. It takes a collection of tracks, something that sounds like several separate things happening at once, and bakes it into a homogenous piece of music. In short, it turns recordings into records, and at the end of the day, that’s what we’re all trying to do.
Mara Machine are in the business of restoring, servicing and selling tape machines, including some stellar Ampex examples. Check them out there.
