Reelight Pro

Name: Reelight Pro
Price: 29 USD
Author: Tone Empire

by Tone Empire · Saturation · Tape saturation and compression

Not rated yet

Reelight Pro (now version 3) models six tape machines, captured in motion with Tone Empire's Advanced Dynamic IR technology.

Each machine has its own response and saturation, with speed, bias, crosstalk and tape compression, on sale for $29 (regular $99).

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

Keywords: tape, bass, drums, impulse-response based, warm, clean, full mix, glue, mastering, metering, undo/redo, A/B compare, bright, bus processing, dark, enhancement, mix bus, mixing, oversampling, preset-driven, punchy, single-band, utility, vocals, wide.

What it does

Reelight Pro V3 is Tone Empire's tape saturation and compression plugin, with "six machines, A through F, each with its own personality." It uses what Tone Empire calls Advanced Dynamic IR, recordings that capture the tape machines in motion, together with hysteresis modelling.

Six tape models: machines A to F, each with its own frequency response and saturation character.
Bias: sets the amount of saturation and shifts the tone brighter or darker.
Speed: selects the transport speed; slower speeds give more warmth, faster speeds more top-end clarity.
Comp and Crosstalk: Comp sets the amount of tape compression; Crosstalk adds head crosstalk between channels for a sense of width and punch.
Pre-filters: 12 dB/oct analog-style high-pass and low-pass filters before the tape stage.
Gain staging: input and output controls with Lock, which compensates gain automatically so you hear only the saturation.
Workflow: 50+ presets with favourites, A/B comparison, full undo/redo history, VU meters and up to 8x oversampling.

A 15-day full-version trial is available with no feature limits.

Source: Tone Empire product page

When to use it

Reelight Pro is the better pick when you want several tape characters in one cheap plugin. Compared with UA's Ampex ATR-102, which models one mastering machine in depth, it gives six machines to audition side by side at a low price. It is more focused on tape than Decapitator or Softube's Saturation Knob, with real tape controls such as Bias, Speed and Crosstalk. Unlike RC-20 Retro Color, it has no wow, flutter or hiss, so it stays clean and polished.

Best for: tape glue and saturation on mixes, masters, drums and bass, and warming up clean digital recordings.
Genres: general purpose.
Look elsewhere if: you want wow, flutter, noise and lo-fi artefacts; RC-20 Retro Color or Tone Empire's TM700 V3 cover those.
Tip: use Lock while adjusting Bias and Speed, so a louder setting doesn't fool you into thinking it sounds better.

What producers say

The one review we found is positive about the sound and value, with missing tape artefacts as the main reservation.

Audio Plugin Deals (Greg Savage, 2023) said "Tone Empire did a great job with Reelight Pro", praising the warmth on sterile digital recordings and the Crosstalk control; it lists the machines as Ampex, Studer, TEAC, AEG Telefunken and Revox models.
Criticisms: the same review was surprised to find no wow and flutter and no tape hiss or noise simulation.

Audio Plugin Deals review

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

Similar plugins

Tape by Softube · Tape machine emulation · $39
Reel-To-Reel by Antelope Audio · Tape machine emulation · $149
Magnetite by Black Rooster Audio · Reel-to-reel tape emulation · $49
Monarch Tape Machine by Canvas Audio · Tape machine emulation · $99
Flywheel by Fuse Audio Labs · Reel-to-reel tape emulation · $59
Remanence by Stillwell Audio · Tape machine emulation · $79
Tape Face by Kiive Audio · Tape machine emulation · $100
Oxide Tape Recorder by Universal Audio · Tape saturation · $29
Tape J-37 by Arturia · Tape machine emulation · $79
TapeLite by HoRNet · Tape machine emulation · Free

All saturation