Ampex^® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder

I'm in love. Everything gets mixed through this plug now. I love having it on the master buss. I feel warm just knowing it's there, all aglow & spinning. Nice big soundstage, creates that wide extended frequency response you'd expect from Ampex. I'm personally loving these new digital/vintage type tools. the UAD2 Ampex goes on every mix, I don't even have to think about it. Set it & forget it....how did the mix get that much easier to sound like that? Thanks again UA for such brilliant processing.

I've never worked with tape, and I don't care if this plugin is accurate to that end or not....this thing just sounds damn amazing in it's own right. I use this thing in a million different ways, and always does it bring a smile to my face!! This combined with the Massive Passive has brought so much joy to my creative endeavors! As someone who cannot afford to spend the big bucks on all the best analog gear, I've found an alternative in UAD that has been a game changer for me.

This is an essential mastering tool, now I have the ampex I couldnt imagine living without it. It is what it says that beautiful final polish in mastering.

The ATR-102 is that huge extra gain at the end of a great mix. I slap it on the 2 buss, turn to look at the clients face, and wait for the jaw to drop. Happens every time. The low end bump, high end clarity, and widening effect just makes it sound right every time. Need a little taming off the top of an ITB mix, just roll the HF screw back a bit and pure analog goodness ensues. Need a little more warmth......, hit the G9 tape roll and get ready for thick city. I pretty much use it on anything, because without it, it just don't have the kick ass factor. I'm not a fanboy for out of the box or in the box discussion. I just know that whatever this is doing, it is making my job easier, and my mixes better.

Hands down the best mastering tape emu on the market. Everything is instantly more round and 3D with the ATR-102 applied on the 2buss. I can't get over the way this plug helps glue things together while enhancing the stereo image. The effect is subtle, but it is instantly missed when bypassed. It is an essential tool on all of my work.

It is the perfect Tape machine. So detailed that you can get the sound you are searching for.. Just perfect

Seems UA will not rest until the stigma of "in the box" music production is eradicated. This plug-in is a stand-out to that commitment. For all of the reasons you'd want a mastering 2 trk reel-to-reel tape recorder (saturation, boost, cohesion), you have the epitome of 2 trks, the Ampex ATR-102, in all its' tweak ability.

I checked the 14-days-demo-version, just for fun.
That was a "mistake", because i was addicted immediately.
Markus Mehr

I checked the 14-days-demo-version, just for fun.
That was a "mistake", because i was addicted immediately.

le top niveau pour le grain anlogique, je ne connais pas mieux, quel chaleur et
rondeur il apporte au mix et meme en mastering, c'est exceptionnel,une fois
mis sur un master de bus ou groupe impossible de s'en passer. une de mes armes
secrete.

I've been using Nebula tape sims for a while and I totally failed to demo the UAD Ampex because I figured that I had enough "subtle" tape sims. And of course the Ampex *can* be subtle but it can also be quite obvious. More so and more pleasingly than the UAD Studer (in my opinion). I use the Studer, the Ampex and Nebula now. Not always all of them on all projects but if I had to choose to keep just one of the three it would definitely be the Ampex.

Probably the most realistic plug-in I've heard so far - and I have a huge number from Waves, and several other excellent companies. Having worked countless hours for over three decades on analog tape machines by Ampex, Otari, MCI, Studer, etc. I haven't been convinced until now. I think UA did a remarkable job with the ATR-102, and the positive quality it adds to my tracks (especially in Mastering) is significant. Thank you for this wonderful addition to my arsenal.

Rafael Carmany
Cobalt Creative Recording Services

I've used the Ampex ATR-102 on four mixes now and I have to say that this plugin
is amazing! It gives my mixes a warm and natural sound. For that little amount of money?!! it is so good!I can recommend Universal Audio ATR-102 with all my heart_3
Peter from Sweden.

Wonderful!! I love it!!

Printing my mixes through the Ampex ATR-102 is now my final touch before mastering

Jeff Grenier

every time i delude myself into thinking that UA just couldn't make a better plugin, they make a fool out of me. this is the analog-style plugin we've all been waiting for. play around with it for a while and you get 100+ variables and endless possibilities. but simply turning it ON makes a difference that is nothing short of miraculous. I own a Studer A80 2-track tape machine in my studio, but i don't need to run my mix through it nearly as much as i used to. This new UAD Ampex plugin sounds better. plain and simple. i'm thrilled to death over this one and the Studer A-800 plugin, and i'm scared to sh*tless to see what the team at UA dreams up next. Rock on, boys & girls!

This plugin is simply stunning! I can't imagine any mix without this for now on.

This is the missing link. The Holy Grail. Essential. This takes flat, lifeless music and gives it the dimension that digitally recorded music is missing. This is how music is supposed to sound. It's a shame in a way, that my DAW doesn't just DO this on its own, so thanks to UAD and Ampex for this. This somehow simultaneously compresses and yet adds those trademark tape characteristics which seems to bring out the dynamics. A dimension jumps out. The music seems to flow more naturally. Bravo.

It took me less than 1 minute to love this great analog sounding tape plugin. I compared to the Studer A800 plug, and this one is far better for my use. I love the warmth of this plugin, it 'glues' my mixes amazingly, and I could not master without it. The bass rounds out nicely, adds subtle punch, provides subtle compression, and adds a sheen that I get from my Neve gear. One of the best UAD plugins ever.

Unless you wish to endorse me perhaps you should piss off and write your own review?!!

I don’t know what this thing is doing to gel my mixes together but I was completely sold when I found out.

I would recommend using a midi controller for adjusting the knobs. They are very sensitive and almost blow my head off on a few occasions.