Tape MK2

Name: Tape MK2
Price: 22.7 USD
Author: HoRNet

by HoRNet · Saturation · Tape machine saturation

Not rated yet

Tape MK2 emulates magnetic tape saturation with five tape recorder models, each at two speeds, plus a Swiss 2 Deck option.

It adds continuous bias, hiss, a pre-emphasis filter, auto gain with seven targets and a legacy MK1 mode, for about $22.70.

Best for: Mix Bus, Drums, Bass, Vocals, Mastering. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: tape, auto-gain, full mix, bass, drums, gentle, hardware emulation, vocals, warm, mastering, bus processing, harsh, heavy, mix bus, mixing, oversampling, single-band, thin, utility.

What it does

Tape MK2 simulates the way tape machines record, from gentle warmth to heavier saturation. HoRNet says it uses improved mathematical models of the physical behaviour of magnetic tape compared with the original Tape.

Machines: five tape recorder emulations, each with two speeds, plus a Swiss 2 Deck option and an optional legacy Tape MK1 mode.
Bias: a continuous bias control rather than fixed settings.
Pre-emphasis: a recording EQ high-shelf filter that changes how the highs hit the tape.
Hiss: optional analog hiss with its own level.
Gain staging: Auto Gain with seven target levels, and linked input and output to keep the loudness constant while you drive it.
Group function: copies settings between instances, so a session can share one tape setup.
Quality and interface: oversampling up to 4x with an auto option, and a vector interface in light and dark modes.

The current version is 2.1.3. The demo is fully functional but drops out to silence now and then, cannot save settings and ignores host automation, and purchases have a 15-day money-back guarantee.

Source: HoRNet product page

When to use it

Tape MK2 is an inexpensive tape box for using on many tracks at once. Compared with the Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder, it models no single named machine in depth, but it offers five decks, Auto Gain and a group function at a much lower price. Unlike RC-20 Retro Color, it has no wow, flutter or degradation effects; it is about the recording stage, with bias, pre-emphasis and hiss. Compared with Decapitator, it stays gentler and more tape-like rather than heading into heavy distortion. The linked input and output make it easy to judge the colour without being fooled by level.

Best for: warmth and gentle compression on buses, drums, bass and vocals, and a light tape layer across a whole mix.
Genres: all, especially rock, soul, indie and lo-fi.
Look elsewhere if: you want wow, flutter and degradation for lo-fi sound design (RC-20 Retro Color), or a detailed model of one mastering deck (Ampex ATR-102).

What producers say

Feedback is thin; what there is centres on launch bugs that the developer fixed quickly.

Cakewalk forum users: reported crashes and harsh, "sawtooth clipping" distortion in the first release, with one saying it "crashed Cakewalk immediately".
Developer response: the same thread credited HoRNet for being "very quick to fix it", and one user who owns about a dozen HoRNet plugins said they had had no earlier problems.

Cakewalk forum thread

Where to buy

HoRNet: $22.70 (Listed at €19.99; converted at €1 = $1.1355 (ECB rate, 29 Sep 2026))

Tutorials and reviews

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