u/Switched_On_SNES

Happen to be binging Mad Men when renovating my office/studio…

Had several people message me asking for more photos, so wanted to add these.

Hi everyone!
I’ve been quietly building a new DAW over last year which is inspired by the various tape machines I own.
I started limited public beta testing with redditors in January and finally have it to a point where I’d love broader testing.

I printed sine waves and noise profiles to my reel to reels for each format like (1”, 1/2” etc) and spend a ton of time perfect the physics engine for the tape path mechanics and tape modeling.

For instance, you can grab the tension arm while it’s recording and print the warbles live, record with perfect varispeed overdubs, record in reverse, tape loop with auto aging so that it degrades over time, etc. As someone who has tried every tape plugin and used real machines, I think it’s a hyper realistic recreation. The recording will be different every time you listen back.

I also built in analog synthesizers, drum machine based on the Univox/Acetone, an ondes martenot style synth, and all the main outboard effects you would need like a realistic spring reverb. It also supports third party effects though.

If you’d like to help me test it to iron out any small bugs before release I’d really love your help! It’s available for Mac, Windows, and iPad.
You can try here: www.gulfcoastsynthesis.com/beta
I also run a sub for it if you want to follow along in the progress.

Thank you!
-Will

Hi everyone! My last post had a lot of support and good feedback. I wanted to share some updates and would love more beta testers - primarily for Windows and iPad but also Mac.

Some new features:
I created an alt minimal ui, 3rd party plugin support, built in effects and instruments like the Glissandio (an ondes martenot style synth), Acetone/Univox style drum machine, poly synths and outboard gear like tape echo and spring reverb.

You can now record in reverse, use save states, crash recovery, group tracks, midi learn for everything, etc. If you have time it would be super helpful to uncover bugs especially on Windows as I gear up for release.

I included a universal test key and you can download it on all platforms at www.gulfcoastsynthesis.com/beta.

If you uncover any previously unknown bugs or substantially help out I’ll give you a free perpetual license.

Thank you!
-Will

Also here’s a video demo:

https://youtu.be/iU4goS6koI4?si=LwhdizAe9xLYKW8k

Hi everyone,

I've been working on a new DAW the past year and I'm about to release it. I decided relatively last minute to port it to iPad, and have made some iPad specific changes to make it more user friendly. Essentially, its an exact replication of a reel to reel, with the exact same workflow and tape physics.

Here's the link to try it: https://testflight.apple.com/join/Q76VVGJM

I've been recording to tape for over a decade and am obsessed with the sound and limitations and have been wanting to make a digital version for a long time. I built a custom physics engine that models how the tape moves across the rollers, heads, capstan, etc for an extremely realistic sound. You can choose between cassette, 1/4", 1/2" and 1", and do things like mess with the tape as you record to warble it, record in varispeed and reverse, and essentially any trick that's possible on real tape.

In addition, you can draw defects onto the tape like crinkle, flutter, drop outs, etc and set it to auto age as you play it so it degrades over time.

It supports third party AUv3 plugins, but I also have built in tape echo, analog reverbs like spring, compressors, chorus etc. It also comes with software synths based off my favorites like Prophet 10, Moog, Acetone 60's drum machine, and an Ondes Martenot expressive synthesizer.

I personally think its most fun on desktop but I've been working with the iPad community on the Loopy Pro forum to optimize it and would appreciate any feedback before I release it.

There's a skeumorphic UI as well as a minimal ui which is better suited for iPad which has larger knobs,etc. You can also import audio if you want to run it through tape as well as tons of other features - I'm happy to answer any questions.

I also started a sub if you'd like to troubleshoot or follow along for updates, which I put in my profile.

Thank you!

Edit: here’s a manual for an older version

https://gulfcoastsynthesis.com/model8_manual_1.8.pdf

And to clear any confusion, you can do 8 track, 16 track, and 24 track sessions.

Here’s a demo of a much older version, playing around with the tape loop function and aging for lo-fi piano: https://youtu.be/1QtmTU8u37I?si=tdP9GjYJ5QI2ymd3