Vintage Tape Echo

The TD-201 vintage tape echo plug-in brings the unmistakable sound of the most beloved tape delay unit into the 21st century. This highly customizable piece of studio history effortlessly switches between old-school ping pong to a deep space odyssey, and everything in between - it’s all you’ve ever wanted from a tape delay!

Intro deal: only $29 instead of $99 for a limited time!

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Compatible with
AAX plugin support VST plugin supprt Audio Unit plugin support

TD-201 Plug-In Videos

Vintage Tape Echo TD-201

From tape to space

As a part of the 1950s revolution in music production, musicians, producers, and engineers were busy creating the foundation of the modern-day workflow and introducing countless technical innovations - from guitar amps to electric organs, as well as an incredible amount of studio effects. This period also marked the birth of electric reverberation & delay units.

Early-day tape delays such as the Echoplex or Copicat - the first attempts at echo generators - have a history of being technically unreliable and prone to damage when transported, yet their sound was so captivating that further attempts inevitably ensued.

It was in the late 1960s when Japanese engineer Ikutaro Kakehashi and Hammond started experimenting with multi-head tape echos. One of these featured a free-floating 1⁄4-inch tape & spring reverb housed in a rock-solid tape chamber, ready for touring

and more stable and reliable than anything on the market at the time.

The Roland Space Echo RE-201 became a best-seller for the brand. It further evolved into a range of delay effects that are still extensively used in music productions and in sound design today. The famous delay sound has stayed consistent ever since the RE-201 was born.

For many tape delay aficionados, there is nothing like the sound of a legendary vintage unit. Still, many struggle with their unpredictability, not to mention that they can be time-consuming to use and difficult to access. This is why we have created the TD-201 - a highly customizable in-the-box tape delay that offers all of the vintage character of the classics, as well as countless customization options for maximum usability.

TD-201 Tape Echo Plug-in Frontplate

PRO TIP - Try using the TD-201’s range of fine-tuning parameters to control the motor, flutter, headroom, dropouts, and noise – all of which are hardware tape machine features. Play around with these, and dial in some randomness to make your echo sound even more authentic.

Igor Korzhov

From Psychedelic Tones To Surf Tunes

Mechanical Reverb Emulation

Inspired by a true classic - The TD-201 offers vintage character galore! It was inspired by a true studio classic, with the added reliability of our signature state-of-the-art technology to give you the most complete tape echo plug-in for your toolkit.
Complex mode selection made simple - This feature allows for a seamless transition between the playback heads so that you can dial in your perfect room setup, and effortlessly mix your reverberation and delay just as you would with the vintage originals.
Per head fine-tuning - Fine-tune your perfect echo by adjusting the depth, volume, and stereo position per playback head in the lower panel. The nine parameters allow for surgical-level precision in your workflow.
Audio samples of TD-201 Plug-In

Audio examples

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"I always wanted to have the real Space Echo, now I feel like I do! It's super easy to set up and fun to use. Brilliant recreation! The color it brings is what I missed for my vintage guitars."

Igor Korzhov

Producer/Mix Engineer
Igor Korzhov

Plug-In Features

All Black Rooster Audio plug-ins are designed for high-performance and authenticity.

Multi-Head Mode Selector

We have implemented a complex mode selection that allows for seamless transitioning between the play-back heads so that you can dial in your perfect room setup. Effortlessly mix your reverberation and delay just like with the vintage original.

Per Head Fine-Tuning

Fine-tune your perfect echo by adjusting the depth, volume, and stereo position per playback head in the lower panel. The nine parameters allow for surgical-level precision in your workflow.

Tap & Sync

Quickly synchronize the tape speed to your mix/ rhythm with the sync control. By using this feature, the echo will follow the impulse given by the tap knob.

Dial in some Randomness

In order to go "full vintage", try to use our range of fine-tuning parameters to control the motor, flutter, headroom, dropouts, and noise – all of which are hardware tape machine features. Play around with these, and dial in some randomness to make your echo sound even more authentic.

Lo-Fi Cassette Effect

Here’s a little pro-tip: Set your echo to 0ms (HEAD 1 ONLY Mode Selector = 1 & HD1 Pos = 0) and solely manipulate the motor, flutter, headroom, dropouts, and noise in the mid panel. This is your perfect lo-fi cassette effect.

Adjustable Gain-Staging

The adjustable gain-staging gives you the ability to control the pre-processing input gain level, as well as the post-processing output gain level.

SSE2 & Apple Silicon optimized code

DSP operations are pipelined using SSE2 and Apple Silicon instruction sets. This ensures a high-performance operation despite its very complex computations.

HighDPI/Retina Support

The user interfaces support high pixel density on both Windows and Mac OS systems, giving you the most enjoyable user experience on high DPI displays.

System Requirements

Minimum System Requirements (MAC)
  • SSE2 compatible processor (Intel Core CPU recommended)
  • 1GB of RAM
  • Mac OSX 10.9 or newer (Big Sur 11.x not yet supported)
  • VST, AU or AAX compatible host (64bit)
  • Display resolution of 1280x1024 pixels or higher
Minimum System Requirements (WINDOWS)
  • SSE2 compatible processor (Intel Core CPU recommended)
  • 1GB of RAM
  • Windows 7 or newer
  • VST or AAX compatible host
  • Display resolution of 1280x1024 pixels or higher

Extensive DAW Compatibility

Black Rooster Audio Plug-Ins (AAX/VST/AU) are compatible with all major digital audio workstations (DAW) and many more.

Avid ProTools ProTools
Presonus Studio One Studio One
Steinberg Cubase Cubase
Reaper Reaper
Bitwig Bitwig
Audition Audition
Live Live
Logic Logic
Digital Performer Digital Performer
FL Studio FL Studio

The TD-201 allows you to enjoy all of the vintage character and feel of one of the most beloved tape echo units on the market, without the fuss. Whether you want to go ‘full vintage’, or if you are just looking to find the right vibe for your mix, this unit can do it all.

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