PraiseTracks » Spitfire Audio Releases TAPE SYNTHS Partnering with Renowned Brooklyn

Transformative tape-drenched textures from an analog expert.

£49 / $49 / 49€

Immerse yourself in the tape-drenched world of Blankfor.ms with this vast, inspiring collection of mind bending, dreamlike sounds and unpredictable, multi-layered organic textures – dripping with vintage analog warmth and nostalgia.

A living, breathing machine of complex sonic metamorphosis spanning multiple genres, Tape Synths pushes the tone-shaping magic of tape to new limits, harnessing the artist’s enviable collection of classic and unique tape machines, pedals, and unusual gear coupled with bespoke experimental processing techniques to create a kaleidoscopic range of multidimensional textures that change and grow beneath your fingertips.

Expect the unexpected. The plugin’s radically transformative processed signal allows you to move between up to seven different layers of tape and granular processing on each preset, featuring over 150 layers across the 28 main presets – while our wide range of in-built controls offers endless analog inspiration and exploration. From woozy, dusty lo-fi atmospheres to rich, multi-tonal granular synth textures that haunt and glisten, Tape Synths will transform your soundscapes — whether you’re a pop producer, electronic remixer, beatmaker, or a composer writing your next indie or game score.

“Imagine that dusty unmarked cassette you find in a thrift store… lush tones hidden behind a veil of tape degradation, distortion, and magnetic saturation. There’s something magical about how each tape machine filters, destabilizes and saturates whatever is recorded onto it…”

— Tyler Gilmore aka BlankFor.ms

ENDLESS ANALOG EXPLORATION

Distorted. Dreamlike. Unstable. Chaotic. Granular. Noisy. Woozy. Euphoric. Intangible. Imperfect. Ever-changing….

Through Tape Synths, Tyler Gilmore aka BlankFor.ms shares his unique creative process and life-long passion for tape’s endless spectrum of sonic possibilities — from lo-fi digital grit and playful stabs, plucks, and bells through to 80s neon-lit, retro pads, gamer’s nostalgia, and woozy, shimmering euphoria. Based out of his Brooklyn studio, the artist uses a range of degraded tape machines run through rare and classic pedals, tone-shaping devices, vintage delay chips, and unusual gear, from the Walkman, Library of Congress C1 cassette player to a range of Tascams and a Modular system — heavily mangled and processed via tape splicing, pitch-shifting, generative techniques, analog saturation, filtering, distortion, granular synthesis and more.

In his own words: “To my ear, tape introduces a deep, organic version of chaos. It brings a level of randomization in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Pitch (tape speed), filtering, and level are all subject to constant variability. It occurs to the brain as a hazing effect when used lightly, and disorienting when intensified. We have become so accustomed to digital audio and its pristine perfection that tape’s magic has a new sort of value. It brings something more tactile, more alive, to the tones.”

Tyler’s vision was to pass basic synth tones through each tape machine, which the user can scroll through with the mod wheel. The idea then grew to include complex synth tones, delay circuits, analog distortion circuits, and effects pedals, passed through various signal chains for degradation, flavor, coloration, and vibe.

Designed to encourage sound design, the plugin features 138 presets as a starting point, offering users as many opportunities as possible to make the sounds their own. Whether you’re looking for instantly usable sounds straight out of the box or wanting to spend a few hours getting lost in analog inspiration, Tape Synths will alchemize your tracks and scores — introducing exciting new and unpredictable colours and textures to your sonic palette.

“I don’t know of another software instrument quite like this… once the Spitfire team built out the first draft, we knew we had something incredible.”

— Blankfor.ms

FEATURES

Presented in Spitfire Audio’s award-winning dedicated plugin
Features classic synth sounds and shapes run through unusual gear, including a Walkman, Library Of Congress C1, Modular System, Tascam 414, Tascam 424, Tascam PortaOne, Marantz PMD and GE Portable with FoldyMakes Mod
Designed for producers, composers, and beat makers looking for interesting deeply sampled analog tape textures
The radically transformative processed signal features over 150 layers of tape and granular processing across the 28 main presets
PRESETS

PADS (10)
KEYS (12)
ARP (6)
BLANKFOR.MS PRESETS (110) – Made by the artist himself

CONTROLS
- EXPRESSION – Adjust the level of the technique
- DYNAMICS – This slider allows you to move between multiple layers of varying processing including tape machines, vintage delay circuits, analog distortion, and granular
- ATTACK
- DECAY
- RELEASE
- SUSTAIN
- REVERB – Select alternative reverb types in the reverb selection box, choosing between a bespoke collection of 7 impulse responses, ranging from short studios and rooms to long, cavernous churches and halls
- START POINT – Cut further into the note

~10.5GB
NKS compatible

BLANKFOR.MS

“For me it starts with the signal chain. I try to find a unique pathway for the sound, a pathway that tells a story. I want the resulting sound to feel intrinsically linked to its signal flow… I love to experiment with gear, turning my brain off and simply improvising with pitch motion until I have something that feels evocative and alive. Once I have that, I simply try to get out of the way and let the devices shine.”

Tyler Gilmore, aka BlankFor.ms is a Brooklyn-based artist who makes richly textured, emotive ambient music using his rare collection of degraded tapes, analog synthesizers, and an old spinet piano. Growing up surrounded by nature in Wyoming has influenced his signature sound, finding his musical home in a decidedly analog electronic aesthetic. He has released two EPs and Works for Tape and Piano, a full-length LP on Puremagnetik, and has also created remixes for The Cinematic Orchestra, Arthur Moon, and Para One. In addition to his popular line of self-released tape-oriented sample packs, BlankFor.ms was sampled on the Ethan Gruska and Bon Iver single, So Unimportant. Tyler maintains a transparent relationship with his fans, sharing the ups and downs of his creative process across his social media platforms with his dedicated 100k+ following.