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UAD Ampex ATR-102

svs95

Shareholder
I guess my "sort of" disappointment with the Studer on 2 bus left me not expecting to be blown away by the Ampex. I know the A-800 was a tracking deck, with an effective track width of under 2mm, even on a 2" tape), so I "knew better" than to expect too much on a master bus. But still, I couldn't help hoping there would be some magic in that application, and there really wasn't for me.

So it was with diminished expectations that I fired up the Ampex, and it was just like Bungalow Bill - ZAP! right between the eyes! I was smitten. I can't seem to wear out these demo periods any more. They could have made this one 14 minutes instead of days!


svs95
 

Strange Leaf

Active Member
Uaaahhh... stop it guys. I can't afford anything more this month. I spent nearly 3k € on my studio this month already.... maybe in October I dare to demo this release. :(
 

neil wilkes

Venerated Member
svs95 said:
....I fired up the Ampex, and it was just like Bungalow Bill - ZAP! right between the eyes! I was smitten. I can't seem to wear out these demo periods any more. They could have made this one 14 minutes instead of days!
svs95
I didn't even bother with the demo period on this one. Saw the email, downloaded the software & did the purchase whilst it was all installing.....
 

Fairlight

Venerated Member
neil wilkes said:
svs95 said:
....I fired up the Ampex, and it was just like Bungalow Bill - ZAP! right between the eyes! I was smitten. I can't seem to wear out these demo periods any more. They could have made this one 14 minutes instead of days!
svs95
I didn't even bother with the demo period on this one. Saw the email, downloaded the software & did the purchase whilst it was all installing.....
Haha. Nice. I will be getting this... and the Revitalizer... but not yet, I'm skint!!! :(
 

Bonehead

Member
Nooooooooooo! This just sucks! Ampex is what I wanted as a finish up tool! I picked up the Studer 2 weeks ago thinking I'll have to make-do with that after demoing it twice. Damnit, I don't need the Studer, wish I could swap it for the Ampex.

I've had some success with using the Studer for stem mastering, but Ampex is what I really need. :(
 

tsutek

Established Member
I feel your pain.. I might have not invested in the A800 either had I known that the Ampex is on it's way. Now I'll just have to use both I guess..

I won't start the ATR-102 demo until the 14-day period carries me through to my next paycheck though.. Pretty sure I'll end up buying it. "Consumer tape formulas" FTW :)
 

Fairlight

Venerated Member
Bonehead said:
Nooooooooooo! This just sucks! Ampex is what I wanted as a finish up tool! I picked up the Studer 2 weeks ago thinking I'll have to make-do with that after demoing it twice. Damnit, I don't need the Studer, wish I could swap it for the Ampex.

I've had some success with using the Studer for stem mastering, but Ampex is what I really need. :(
I do feel your pain also but, I'm sure once you get the ATR-102, the two will work beautifully hand in hand :)

P
 

neil wilkes

Venerated Member
Bonehead said:
Nooooooooooo! This just sucks! Ampex is what I wanted as a finish up tool! I picked up the Studer 2 weeks ago thinking I'll have to make-do with that after demoing it twice. Damnit, I don't need the Studer, wish I could swap it for the Ampex.

I've had some success with using the Studer for stem mastering, but Ampex is what I really need. :(
I don't know - what I really want now is the Studer to work in conjunction with this (and my VCC plugins) but the trouble is I will need an additional Quad to run it.
Even then - don't run a mix unless you've bounced to good old 24-track mix reels for added authenticity (sorry - could not resist)
 

verstaerker

Active Member
could someone maybe post some examples of that baby ... i can't be in the studio for 2 weeks and like to listen some examples.. the one from the UA video gives only a little idea how it sounds
 

NuSkoolTone

Established Member
I'm tempted to try it, but I don't do the demos unless I'm ready to buy. I have other purchases planned this coming month, and I don't buy these at full price due to my personal price-creep policy. I just grabbed the Studer and I'm still learning to use it so by the time I've got that down I can look seriously at the Ampex.

I'm pretty happy with my productions so I'm not freaking out with "I've gotta have this!" or anything. Nice to hear some of the heavy hitters here give a thumbs up!
 

benj_sp

Venerated Member
It's interesting they chose to do the Studer first, and then the Ampex afterwards. If they'd done the Ampex first, which is arguably what most people kinda wanted (a master tape emulation to throw on the 2-buss), I wonder how many people who have been interested in the Studer afterwards? I mean, I bet a fair few people bought the Studer as UA's solution for the "tape sound", bunged it on the master buss, and weren't that happy...

Or perhaps it was just how those particular projects timelines turned out, maybe...
 

MadFloyd

Member
I'm surprised by the sudden interest for the Ampex. The Studer sounded terrible - just added distortion to any track I used it on. Tracks always sounded better without it.

Shrug.
 

Hud

Member
guys i am worried i am going to purchase all 3 and my chain on my 2 buss is going to end up as

pulteq eq--> neve compressor--> precision maximiser --> Brainworks --> vitaliser --> Ampex 102 --> Precision Limiter

please help me withdraw from my increasing addiction!
 

tsutek

Established Member
I'm afraid I can't help you.. I actually activated the ATR-102 demo, know I shouldn't have just yet... Damn you UA! :)

The wow/flutter controls as well as the 7.5IPS> modes are a fantastic touch.. No doubt the ATR-102 will work great as a mastering tool, but right now I'm having an illegal amount of fun with the lo-fi side of it :D

I should buy this just for using on keyboards.. some flutter, saturation and a "crappy" tape formula/IPS.. Fun! Adds some serious attitude and modulation even to a pure sinewave tone.
 

Zsarbomba

Shareholder
Hud said:
guys i am worried i am going to purchase all 3 and my chain on my 2 buss is going to end up as

pulteq eq--> neve compressor--> precision maximiser --> Brainworks --> vitaliser --> Ampex 102 --> Precision Limiter

please help me withdraw from my increasing addiction!
yesh thats a serous chain dude, you leaving any headroom for the mastering? Or you mixing thru that chain?...Are the tracks still musical if all master FX are bypassed?...Just dont use anything on the bus except an L2 wacking off a wee bit only..Then once song is hot try those fx...Well thats my approach anyways.
 

tsutek

Established Member
Amusing.. almost all of my tracks benefit from the "Demo Help" preset - Does that say something about my mixing chops LOL

Oh man, I don't expect to last even until monday before I end up buying this.. Now back to demoing it :p
 
30 IPS mode

I really like the Ampex-plugin - but one thing is irritating for me:
While the 15 IPS mode sounds abolutely great - the 30 IPS mode sounds far more strange than the 7,5 IPS.
With the studer plugin the 30 IPS are very subtle and therefore very close to the bypassed signal. The tape sound gets more audible as the tape speed decreases.

Has the 30 IPS mode been messed up - or just the AUTO CAL?
Or should an original ATR-102 behave anything like this when calibrated to AES-standard in 30 IPS mode?

However I don´t care too much, because I might not want to use the 30 IPS setting even if it wouldn´t be that strange.
15 IPS sounds fantastic and even 7,5 IPS is something that works on certain sources.

Best wishes,
Andreas
 
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