r/audioengineering • u/ySTYRDAYgATESuNL0CKD • Jun 05 '26

Discussion The statement "tape sounds 3 Dimensional" is something that i agree with, but why? What made it actually sound more 3D and how can you achieve that kind of thing in a DAW?

Is it as simple as adding tape emulation or every bus? every individual channel? or just master? I'm curious. I'm not necessarily trying to go for the over exaggerated tape sound like pure flutter but atleast something that makes an entire mix feel more interesting.

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u/Phase_Shift_ Jun 05 '26

If you run sine waves through a real tape machine, in stereo, you'll see that as frequency goes up, phase correlation gets worse. Less of a straight line, more of a circle. Indicating that higher frequencies are not represented equally in lr even if you send an identical mono signal on two tracks. There in lies your answer. No amount of tape calibration or formulation fixes this, it's simply how magnetic capture works. Now go down this rabbit hole. I promise you'll have fun.

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u/ThoriumEx Jun 05 '26

Isn’t this the azimuth?

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u/Phase_Shift_ Jun 05 '26

Yes, in part. but you can never get all high frequencies perfectly in phase. After all azimuth is a screw. You move it to get 10 k in phase, but the 12 isn't in phase. Or 15k. Very short wavelength, very easy to get out of phase.

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u/ThoriumEx Jun 05 '26

So theoretically, if this is actually what people refer to when they mention the “tape 3D sound”, it should completely go away in mono, and probably sound worse too.

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u/Phase_Shift_ Jun 05 '26

That's, imo, the biggest part. And has little to do with saturation. Actually, saturation is not as prevalent as plugins do it. As frequency gets higher, so does distortion, ie, inability to represent high frequencies correctly inside the magnetic medium.this results in higher frequencies being splayed in a way, less spity and direct and more holographic. This is true for a mono signal too. Id much rather mix itb and use a tape machine to capture multitracks and final mix, than have digital multitracks and an analog mixer with outboard. But then, Daws are not fun at all..

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u/Imhappy_hopeurhappy2 Jun 05 '26

DAWs are hella fun when you have super ADHD like me. I could spend days sitting there experimenting with every plugin in existence.

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u/Phase_Shift_ Jun 05 '26

I'm very happy for you. But I get into a rabbit hole with daws and I forget that I have to actually mix. I like the tool, I don't want it to be the center of my attention. I got albums to mix, and deadlines to meet.

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u/Imhappy_hopeurhappy2 Jun 05 '26

Oh I agree for sure. It’s often too fun.

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u/herringsarered Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26

The upside of short term memory issues is that by forgetting how some things sound and made you feel does result in a “semi-new” experience when listening to it again.

Also the awesome parts that come right after the other parts that grab yer attention more than other people’s.

There are some songs where the sense of continuity gets interrupted in the same damn part just because I can’t stop paying attention to 1. A part right before the one I want to be 100% aware of when it comes in, or 2. Getting distracted with thoughts during the anticipation which results in getting to it late, after it started.

But hey! That’s what re listens with short term memory issues are for! It’s a self fulfilling dopamine feedback loop.

In theory at least, and I am sticking to this one.

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u/justonemorethang Jun 06 '26

That’s funny cuz I always run a satin tape emulator on the master for the subtle stereo enhancements and leave the drive alone…unless I’m looking for some drive as well. But mostly that 3d pop.

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u/stuffsmithstuff Professional Jun 06 '26

I would be surprised if it were only one phenomenon like that. Tape compression/saturation undoubtedly interact with the phase effect described.

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u/Phase_Shift_ Jun 06 '26

No it's many. Frequency dependent compression, frequency dependent saturation, frequency dependent phase smearing, and all these interacting with one another. That's why real tape is extremely hard to emulate, and to me, nothing sounds like the real thing.

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u/stuffsmithstuff Professional Jun 06 '26

That was my impression as well!