Reels is a tape machine with the reels actually spinning. Asymmetric saturation, head bump, wow and flutter, age and hiss: from pristine studio tape to a 30-year-old cassette found in a drawer.
Get started in 3 steps
1. Put Reels on a track. Drums love it, bass loves it, whole mixes love it. Start on the master bus for instant glue.
2. Pick a machine. Three machines: clean 15ips studio tape, warm workhorse, and a genuinely old cassette. Each one is a different decade.
3. Turn it up until you smile. Push the input for saturation. The harder you hit the tape, the thicker it gets.
Make it yours
HEAD BUMP. The low-end lift real tape machines add. This is where drums get that vintage weight.
WOW and FLUTTER. The gentle pitch drift of real tape. A little makes things feel human, a lot sounds like a warped memory.
AGE. Years of wear in one knob. Dulls the top, softens the edges, adds character.
HISS. Real tape noise, dosed to taste. Great for lo-fi beds and intros.
Pro tip
Print your drum bus through the cassette machine with medium AGE, then blend it under the clean bus. Instant lo-fi weight without losing the punch.
Common questions
What does tape emulation add to a track? Tape softens harsh digital edges, adds warm saturation, and drifts slightly in pitch (wow and flutter), which is a big part of the lo-fi and vintage sound. Reels models a real tape machine so your drums, keys and full mixes get that glue without the hardware.
Is Reels really free? Yes. Enter your email and the download starts right away. Full version, no locked knobs, no trial timer.
What DAWs does Reels work in? Any macOS DAW that loads VST3 or AU plugins: Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, GarageBand, Reaper, Studio One and more. Logic and GarageBand pick up the AU version automatically.
Is there a Windows version of Reels? Windows builds are finished and getting their final polish. macOS is live today and Windows lands soon. Join the email list when you download and you will hear the moment it drops.
How do I install Reels? Run the installer and it puts the VST3 and AU files in the right folders for you. Restart your DAW, rescan plugins if needed, and it shows up like any other plugin.