FreeVST3 · AU · CLAP

Free tape stop plugin.

Slow any track to a standstill like a tape machine switched off, then spin it back up in time. Click Stop, hold a MIDI note or automate it, and flip Reverse to run the tape backwards instead.

Download for macOS
Other downloads
Download for Windows
Download for Linux Or the zip: VST3, CLAP and LV2

Free, no account · VST3, AU & CLAP (LV2 on Linux) · macOS, Windows & Linux

Press start to hear it, then stop it. Try Reverse, the knobs and Sync too. This browser can't play the sound, but the deck still runs. This is the plugin's own tape engine and pixel art, running in your browser.

Side A

How to use it.

  1. Put it on a track

    Add simpleTapeStop as an effect on any track, a bus or your master. Until you stop the tape, the sound passes through untouched.

  2. Set the times

    Choose how long the stop and the spin-up take, up to 8 seconds each, and the curve, from a slow drift to a hard brake. Turn on Sync to use note lengths, 1/32 to 4 bars, instead.

  3. Stop the tape

    Click Stop, hold a MIDI note or automate the Stop parameter. Let go and the tape comes back in time with the music.

Download simpleTapeStop

Free installers for macOS, Windows and Linux. No account and no licence key: install it, open your DAW and it's in your effects.

macOS (AU, VST3 & CLAP) Windows (VST3 & CLAP)
Linux (.deb) Or the zip: VST3, CLAP and LV2 (unzip into ~/.vst3, ~/.clap and ~/.lv2)

Version 0.1.0 · macOS 11 or later (Apple silicon and Intel) · Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit · Linux x86-64

Side B

Questions.

Is it really free?

Yes. There's no trial, no account and nothing to sign in to. Download it, install it and use it.

Which DAWs does it work in?

It's a VST3, AU and CLAP effect, so it loads in Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro, Cubase, Studio One, REAPER, Bitwig and most other DAWs. On Linux it's VST3, CLAP or LV2.

How do I trigger it with MIDI?

Send MIDI notes to the track simpleTapeStop is on. While any note is held the tape stops (or reverses), and it starts again when you let go. Ableton Live doesn't send MIDI to effects, so there, automate the Stop parameter instead.

Does it change the sound while the tape runs?

No. At full speed the output is the input, bit for bit, 8 samples late. simpleTapeStop tells your DAW about that delay, so everything stays in time.

How long can a reverse last?

A reverse plays back about the last ten seconds of music. Hold it longer and the tape falls silent until you let go. At the shortest Stop time the tape turns round instantly.