Free Instrument, Slower Fragment, Captures The “Evocative Warmth & Warped Textures” Of Half-speed Tape Recordings
If you are curious to explore tape’s creative potential but are not yet willing to fork out the cash for a paid-for product, German software developer e-instruments is hoping to give you a taste of its “evocative warmth and warped textures” free of charge.
e-instruments has just released Slower Fragment, a virtual instrument that’s designed to capture the unique sound of analogue tape when it’s been slowed down to half speed. By recording sounds to tape and reducing the playback speed, we can shift the pitch down an octave and introduce a colourful and expressive lo-fi tone.
Here’s the Official Walkthrough:
In developing Slower Fragment, e-instruments has recorded a number of sound sources through four different tape machines, ranging from the Studer A812 – a top-end master recorder that you’d find in a professional studio – to a Tascam Portastudio 424, Uher 4400 and even a Sony M650v handheld dictaphone.
Slower Fragment features a selection of six presets covering pianos, synths, strings and flutes, and three macro controls can be used to tweak delay, reverb, modulation and more, depending on the preset selected.
This new free instrument delivers instant inspiration straight out of the box. Slower Fragment is built on the acclaimed Slower instrument, Slower, a paid-for plugin features 230 presets built from 65 sound sources, along with expanded modulation and effects capabilities. Slower is priced at €149.
Head over to e-instruments website to download the free plugin and find out more.
