| MIX VERDICT: SPL MACHINE HEAD |
| THE TAKEAWAY: “Affordably priced, SPL Machine Head takes tape emulation to previously unattained heights.” |
| COMPANY: SPL via Plugin Alliance • www.plugin-alliance.com PRICE: $125 PROS: • Sounds amazing. • Practical implementation of bass control. • Simple, intuitive interface. • Affordable. CONS: • No Undo and Redo. |
Like many of you who are reading this, I’ve used numerous tape-emulation plugins over the past two decades. It’s been a mixed bag, with a couple sounding great and the others unconvincing. Now the SPL Machine Head plug-in has come along. My reaction on the very first listen: OMG, nothing sounds this good.
The original algorithm for Machine Head—an emulation of the Lyrec TR-533 24-track, 2-inch, open-reel tape machine—was developed by engineering firm SoundArt in the mid-1990s, the Stone Age for plug-ins. Today’s astronomically increased computing power begged for a major upgrade, which the developers have dubbed the Ultimate version.
The current Machine Head plug-in (a joint venture between SPL and SoundArt) lets you effortlessly switch between using the Original and Ultimate versions in the same UI. Believe me when I say that the Ultimate’s increase in clarity and spatiality is a game-changer.
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The most important control in Machine Head’s stable is the Drive knob; crank it to saturate the plug-in’s virtual tape and increase perceived loudness. The Drive control is adjustable from -7 to +14 dB in 0.2 dB steps in Machine Head’s Original version and 0.1 dB steps in Ultimate.
The more you saturate real magnetic tape, the more high frequencies are damped (and they’re progressively lost the more you play back analog tape recordings). Machine Head lets you independently adjust Drive saturation and HF damping, or accentuate the highs. The damping range is adjustable from -6 to +6 dB, in 1 dB steps in the Original version and surgical 0.1 dB steps in Ultimate.
The Ultimate version (only) includes an additional Low Freq Adjust control that lets you boost or cut bass frequencies in a range from -6 to +6 dB in 0.1 dB steps. At the 0 dB setting, “head bump” (a boost in bass frequencies inherent in analog tape machines) is neutralized.
Both the Original and Ultimate versions offer a High Tape Speed switch and associated status LED. Activate it to switch from a simulation of operating the Lyrec TR-533 at 15 inches per second or 30 ips. The higher-speed setting emulates real-world pre-emphasis, resulting in finer resolution and detail in upper-midrange and high frequencies and harmonics.
However, when operating Machine Head at 30 ips, the expected reduction in bass energy from 40 to 70 Hz is not reproduced. Purists: This is a good thing, as it precludes your having to fight changes in low-frequency balance when switching from one tape speed to another, and it puts reasoned control of the bottom end in your hands via the Low Freq Adjust knob.
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Rounding out Machine Head’s feature set are input- and output-gain knobs (adjusting levels ±12 dB max, in 0.1 dB steps), L/R LED ladders displaying I/O and drive levels with peak hold, and four buttons (A, B, C, D) for recalling custom presets.
You can also store and recall presets using the plug-in’s menu bar, but there’s a benefit to using the alphabetized buttons instead: After activating one of them, you can switch between Original and Ultimate versions to hear the differences their respective algorithms lend. Note: The Low Freq Adjust effect, exclusive to the Ultimate version, will not be heard when switching to the Original version, and Ultimate’s higher-resolution settings will also be rounded to hew to the Original version’s capabilities.
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Machine Head displays all of your current control settings in alphanumeric readouts on the left side of the resizable UI. The only important things missing in the UI are Undo and Redo buttons.
In my mix sessions, I almost always selected Machine Head’s Ultimate version, and not just for its finely engineered Low Freq Adjust control, which lends a huge but tight bottom end, never tubby-sounding. The Ultimate version is the best of both worlds, painting tracks and full mixes with gorgeously creamy texture and boosting midrange girth, while retaining excellent detail and a more open soundstage—especially when using the High Tape Speed setting. Time and again, I was floored by its sound.
When I’ve instantiated a different, widely acclaimed tape-emulation plug-in on selective tracks in years past, some clients with hearing like a bat have asked me to remove it, bemoaning the subtle loss of detail and clarity. You won’t hear those complaints using Machine Head in Ultimate mode, and that’s the main difference between this plug-in’s sound and that of its competitors. Affordably priced, SPL Machine Head takes tape emulation to previously unattained heights.
