Plugin · VST3 · Windows

Video Tape Emulator 2

Your audio, rewound to the video era.

Hiss, wobble, warmth and that squashed, slightly worn sound of a well-loved VHS. From a clean late-model deck to a chewed-up rental copy, Video Tape Emulator 2 gives anything the instant nostalgia of video tape.

Windows 64-bit VST3 only. No Mac version yet.

Instant downloadNo dongle, no activationWorks in any VST3 host

Not sure yet? Try the free demo.

The Video Tape Emulator 2 interface: knobs with red LED readouts above a noise bank of trim pots
Listen

Hear it

The news report and the ident play the clean audio first, then the same audio through Video Tape Emulator 2. The two Skitchy tracks are finished pieces made using it.

News report

Clean first, then through Video Tape Emulator 2

0:00 of 0:25

Video Tape Emulator 2 Before & after

Remember rental stores?

Every VCR had a voice of its own

Stretched tape, heads slightly out of line, sticky reels, cheap electronics and an over-eager limiter. It was considered rough at the time, and now it is the sound of an era. Video Tape Emulator 2 lets you choose exactly how much of it you want.

Lo-fi & beats

Warm, wobbly and hissy: the texture that makes a loop feel lived-in.

Synthwave & vaporwave

Put the real 80s back into your 80s-inspired tracks.

Film, TV & games

Found footage, flashbacks, home videos and in-game TVs that sound the part.

Sound design & sampling

Age a sample, a voice line or a whole mix in one move.

The controls

Every flaw, on a knob

No menus: every part of the sound has its own control, from the tape itself to every kind of noise on it. Go as subtle or as wrecked as the track needs.

Input

The level going into the tape. Push it and everything after it bites harder.

Broadcast

The dense, loud, squashed sound of TV audio taped off the air.

Hipass & Lopass

Thin out the bottom end and roll off the top, for that soft, many-times-copied sound.

Bump

A lift in the midrange, in three strengths: green, orange and red.

Tilt

A subtle tilt to the tone, as on a real deck.

Clip

The crunch of tape running out of headroom.

Destable

Wow and flutter: the drifting, seasick wobble of a stretched tape.

Misalign

The muffled, wandering top end of heads that are slightly out of line.

Compres

The pumping squash of a VCR's built-in level control: glue for a mix, or a squeeze for one sound.

Output

The level coming out, from silent to +12 dB.

The noise bank

Every kind of noise, on its own controls

Hiss, hum, whine, buzz, ticks, grit and pops, each with its own character and level, and eight tapes' worth of presets to start from.

Noise preset

Eight tapes, A to H. Pick one and every noise control is set for you.

Morph

Change the character of each kind of noise, from one tape's to another's.

Level (each)

Mix each kind of noise in or out, from a trace to the full amount.

Density

How often the pops and crackles come.

Mains

50 to 60 Hz: the hum and buzz of a European or an American deck.

Level (all)

All of the noise at once, from a whisper to a wall.

AGC

Automatic gain control for the noise, as on a real VCR.

Width

From mono noise, as off a mono deck, to stereo.

Built to be used

More features

  • Freely resizable. Drag the window bigger or smaller and every knob and readout stays crisp, from a laptop to a 4K monitor.
  • A whole noise bank. Start from one of eight tapes' noise, then shape every kind of noise on its own.
  • Works at the sample rate you work at. 44.1, 48 or 96 kHz.
  • Every knob can be automated. Let the tape wear in through a song, or snap back for a chorus.
  • Built-in help. Click the ? on the panel and every control explains itself.
Free demo

Try the real thing. Free.

The demo is the complete plugin: every knob, every sound, in your own sessions on your own tracks. Take your time, and buy when you're sure.

The demo goes silent for one second every 30 seconds, and the panel says DEMO VERSION. Buy the full version and both disappear.

My promise

Buy it once.
Use it everywhere.

No dongle, no serial number, no online activation. Install it on your studio machine and your laptop and get on with your work. I’d rather spend my time making plugins than making you jump through hoops.

DyVision Works is one person: me. I make every plugin myself, and if you email, the person who made it writes back.

  • 00Dongles to plug in
  • 00Serial numbers or online activations
  • 01Instant download, and you're recording

DyVision plugins are made by one person and used by one of the world's largest video game companies, recording and film studios, radio stations, and producers who just want their audio to sound right.

Specifications

What you get

Format
VST3, 64-bit
System
Windows 10 and 11 only. No Mac version yet.
Channels
Mono and stereo
Sample rates
44.1 to 96 kHz
Controls
11 main controls, a 19-control noise bank, 8 noise presets
Interface
Freely resizable, sharp on 4K screens
Delivery
Instant download
Copy protection
None
Video Tape Emulator 2

Press play on the past

Windows 64-bit VST3 only. No Mac version yet.

Instant downloadNo dongle, no activation
Video Tape Emulator 2