Dusk Audio Tape Echo 2 is a new free, open-source Roland Space Echo emulation plugin for macOS, Linux and Windows.
The Roland Space Echo is a legendary delay that has been emulated by many companies. Yonac even offers Zodiak Echo, a great emulation of it for iOS, often on sale for under 5€.
Now there’s even one that’s completely free. Dusk Audio, which has recently released AI-created plugins (Sunset Circuits…), has released a free emulation called Tape Echo 2.
Dusk Audio Tape Echo 2
Tape Echo 2 is a free and open-source emulation of the legendary Roland 201 Space Echo hardware FX unit for macOS, Linux, and Windows.
Like previous Dusk Audio plugins, the developer used AI tools to create Tape Echo 2. It’s unclear whether DA created the entire plugin with it or in a supportive way. In any case, the UI looks much better than that of many other AI plugins.
Tape Echo 2 consists of a three-head tape delay and a spring reverb, modeled from the record head to the output amplifier. The three-head tape delay emulates the concept of a loop running past one record head and three playback heads. In this, the m
It models that machine rather than approximating it with a delay line. The three heads share a single motor, so moving the Repeat Rate moves all three together and the tape glides into its new speed the way a real transport does.
Onboard are all 12 echo configuration modes, which determine which heads are active and whether the spring tank is in the signal path. This ranges from individual heads (1-3) up to all three heads plus reverb.
For both the tape echo and reverb, it offers various parameters, including bass and treble, repeat rate, intensity, echo level, reverb level, reverb pan, and more. Intensity, for example, controls the regeneration/feedback that can drive the tape into self-oscillation.
Do you need some extra imperfection or dirtiness? There are three cartridge conditions available: new, used, and old, each with different aging behaviors for the tape. Wow & Flutter for more wobble is also onboard.
The spring tank then models three unequal springs, spaced far enough apart that their transit times span about 5.6 ms. Each pair beats at the difference of its round-trip rate, and that beating is the tank’s movement. All without an LFO.
It’s also possible to mute the tape feed with the record input switch. This way, you can leave the spring on, so you can create spring washes while the echoes decay underneath. There is also a VU meter in the middle of the plugin.
Dusk Audio ships Tape Echo 2 with various presets with which you can play instantly.
First Impression
I haven’t done a direct comparison to other tape echo emulations, but in the initial demos, it sounds very solid. It’s great that there’s now a free and open-source option.
Dusk Audio Tape Echo 2 is available now as a free download. The code is open source under the GPL-3.0-or-Later license. It runs as a VST3, AU, VST3, CLAP, and LV2 plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel), Linux, and Windows.
More information here: Dusk Audio
Very good emulation, very close to UAD version. It’s easy to compare because presets of dusk audio one are copy of some UAD one (even with name similarities 😂). AI coding in good hands is great.