Monarch Tape Machine
Tape for the modern age
A faithful, high-end tape machine emulation focused on tone, weight, and depth without the exaggerated warble, drift, or hiss often associated with tape plugins.
$59
$99 Monarch Launch Sale
The sound of tape, refined
Monarch captures the depth, weight, and dimension of classic tape machines without turning every mix into a lo-fi effect. Built to enhance tone rather than distract from it, Monarch delivers subtle saturation, gentle glue, and the kind of harmonic richness that makes tracks feel finished.
Built for the mix, not just nostalgia
From individual tracks to full mixes
At its core, Monarch is designed to feel immediate. Drive controls how hard the tape is pushed, while Trim lets you level-match with ease. Beneath the surface, carefully tuned tape behavior adds compression, soft transient shaping, and musical harmonic detail that responds naturally to your signal. And while Monarch is calibrated for a healthy input, the input calibration control allows you to further refine how hard you hit the tape. If you work a little harder, don't be afraid to back it off a bit and find that sweet saturation spot.
Shape the character
Fine-tune the Monarch even further with LF and HF Bias controls to sculpt low-end weight and top-end saturation. Switch between cleaner modern tape behavior or a softer vintage response, then choose between tighter 1/2” clarity or thicker 2” style tone for added depth and density.
Everything you need, right in the canvas
The Monarch has controls for 4x oversampling (on by default), as well as a global mix control. At the center top of the interface is the Preset Menu, where you can browse, load, and save presets for quick recall of your favourite sounds. Don't be afraid to dive through tons of our curated artist presets as well, especially if you're looking for some great tone inspiration!
AAX, AU, VST3 versions
64-bit only
Ableton Live 11+ (Mac & PC: AU, VST3)
Bitwig 4+ (Mac & PC: AU, VST3)
Cubase 13+ (Mac & PC: VST3)
Digital Performer 11+ (Mac & PC: AU, VST3)
FL Studio 23+ (Mac & PC: VST3)
Garageband 10+ (AU)
Logic Pro 10+ (AU)
Pro Tools 12+ (Mac & PC: AAX)
Presonus Studio One 5+ / Fender Studio (Mac & PC: AU, VST3)
Reaper 6+ (Mac & PC: VST3)
Cakewalk Next by BandLab (PC: VST3)
AAX is a trademark and software of Avid Technology. Audio Units is a trademark and software of Apple Inc. VST3 is a trademark and software of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.
AAX, VST3, AU versions included
64-bit only (Mac / PC)
Mac OS X 10.15 or higher (Intel native | ARM native)
Windows 10
At least 4GB of RAM, 16GB is recommended
At least 200MB of free drive space (OS drive)
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