Name: Toilet TAPEr
Price: 19.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Ramalejo

How it works.

Hover the machine to see what each part does. The arrows change the tape.

Tap any part, or a name below, to see what it does. The arrows change the tape.

Standard. 15 ips, the reference: tape the way you remember it.

Silk. 30 ips, double speed: cleaner and tighter, the lightest touch.

Sandpaper. 7½ ips, half speed: darker, fatter, more wobble. Driven harder.

machine

Every control, in one list

In / Out: Drive into the tape, and the level coming out. They are the two taps.; how hard you squeeze the roll
Link: Ties In and Out together, so you judge the drive instead of the volume.; so louder doesn't pass for better
Crinkle: A tilt on the top end, from the noise-reduction circuit. Tone sets where it pivots.; crumpled or pressed
Unroll: Flutter depth: how far the pitch wobbles.; the roll that unwinds crooked
Spin: Flutter rate, from slow wow to fast flutter. It follows the tape speed.; how fast the holder spins
Clog: Head bump, the low-end lift of a tape head. Point tunes it from 25 to 200 Hz.; what gets stuck down low
Worn: Tape wear: rounded highs, softer transients.; a roll used once too often
Flush: Takes the low-mid mud back out, anywhere from 80 Hz to 2 kHz.; flushing
Mix: Parallel blend: how much tape you keep.; how much paper you use
Pink button: Bypass. On Silk and Sandpaper it is the lever under the bulb.; closing the door

How shitty would it sound on toilet paper?

I love tape, and I've always wondered how other materials would sound on a tape machine. Then the question got stupid: what about toilet paper?

So I built three machines, each with its own paper, from rough one-ply to perfumed three-ply. Spoiler: it doesn’t sound shitty.

Ramalejo

Alejandro Ramírez, Colombian
Latin Grammy–credited mix engineer

The Sandpaper machine, three-quarter view

what makes it different

Why another tape.

The famous tape plugins copy real machines, limits included. I wanted that same sound as a starting point, and the room to take it much further.

it saturates without the mud

Push any tape and the low mids cloud up. Flush clears them while you saturate, anywhere from 80 Hz to 2 kHz.

it takes far more drive

In goes up to +24 dB and Link pulls the output down by the same amount, so you hear how much tape you’re adding, never just more volume.

it modulates for real

Unroll and Spin range from the slow sway of an old machine to a grainy shimmer no real transport makes, and their speed changes with the paper.

At default, tape. Pushed, something else.

listen

Run it through each paper.

Same clip, same level. Pick a paper and the machine swaps in; the switch keeps your place in the clip.

Standard

Vocals

Drums

Guitar

Piano

made by hand

Every machine was built by hand.

Every machine was built by hand by Nicolás Bolívar, who leads 3D design at Hot Shower Audio.

Each one started as a sketch and a pile of references from real tape machines, and grew in Blender piece by piece: the reels, the heads, the taps, every screw.

Nicolás Bolívar3D design lead

“A challenging project, made with a lot of care and attention to detail so every control would feel natural and easy on the eye. I’m excited for what this tool will bring to so many musicians and studios.”

The Sandpaper model in Blender, every face of it

Sandpaper before the materials, plain clay

Roll it.

Sandpaper, the rusty machine, from the front — Sandpaper

Silk, the pink and brass machine, from the front — Silk

Standard, the wood and aluminium machine, from the front — Standard

14 days free. Then it’s yours: no subscription.

buy Toilet TAPEr try it free for 14 days

Mac: VST3 · AU · AAX | Windows: VST3

More details

price: $19 launch price (regular $29)
trial: 14 days, the full plugin
formats: VST3, AU and AAX on Mac. VST3 on Windows.
systems: macOS 11 or later, Apple silicon and Intel. Windows, 64-bit.
license: Two computers at once. Move it whenever you want.
questions: FAQ and [email protected]

Download the manual (PDF)

Testers

They tried it before anyone.

Toilet Taper is a versatile tool, with controls that let you shape the sound to what you need without losing that tape color. It’s a go-to for my bass!

Felipe LeónRecording & mixing engineer@felipeleonb_