High Speed Dubbing System · Model KS-83. Manual as PDF.
Kaset is a double cassette deck, modelled as generations rather than a single “tape” effect. Each generation is one more trip onto tape and back — record pre-emphasis, saturation, playback de-emphasis, head bump, gap loss, wow and flutter, hiss and worn-oxide dropouts — run again on top of the last, the way a mixtape dubbed from a dub of a dub sounded.
It ships as VST3 and AU on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), and as VST3 on Windows (64-bit).
Every “random” element in the engine — drift, hiss, dropout timing — comes from a seeded generator: identical input and settings give identical output, bit for bit.
Kaset installs as an Audio Unit (AU) and a VST3 plug-in on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel). On Windows (64-bit) it installs as a VST3 plug-in.
.component (AU) into ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/, or the .vst3 into ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/.This build is not yet code-signed or notarised, so macOS Gatekeeper refuses to open it on a first double-click. To get past that once: in Finder, right-click (or Control-click) the plug-in and choose Open, then confirm Open in the dialog that follows. macOS remembers the choice for that file.
.vst3 folder to C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\.Laid out as a double deck: transport and dub-generation controls along the top strip, the knob row across the middle, and the two cassette wells — record side (A) and dub side (B) — across the bottom, with the tape counter and record-level ladder between them.
| Control | Range · default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Generation | Master–4th Dub · 2nd Dub | How many trips onto tape and back the signal takes. Each generation runs the full chain again on top of the last, so top end loss, hiss and speed error accumulate. |
| Tape | Normal / Chrome / Metal · Normal | Normal is Type I. Chrome and Metal hold more top end and headroom before the tape compresses, and have quieter hiss (see Specifications). |
| Input | −12 to +12 dB · 0 dB | Gain into the tape path only; the dry path is unaffected. |
| Saturation | 0–100 % · 55 % | How hard the tape is driven — a soft, slightly asymmetric curve. Reduced automatically past the 2nd dub so it does not keep piling up. |
| Wow | 0–100 % · 50 % | Slow speed drift, up to 0.35 % of head travel per pass at 0.55–0.8 Hz. Heaviest through the 2nd dub, then eases off. |
| Flutter | 0–100 % · 50 % | Fast speed wobble, up to 0.12 % of head travel per pass at 6.5–9.5 Hz. |
| Hiss | 0–100 % · 50 % | Band-shaped tape noise, roughly 900 Hz–7.5 kHz, added once per generation. |
| Wear | 0–100 % · 25 % | Worn-oxide dropouts: brief level sags of 20–90 ms, at random (seeded) intervals that scale with this control. |
| Mix | 0–100 % · 100 % | Dry/wet balance. Also scaled by the TAPE / BYPASS state. |
| Output | −12 to +12 dB · 0 dB | Final output trim, after the mix and after Auto Gain. Out of the path in BYPASS. |
| Auto Gain | On / off · on | Matches the tape path’s loudness to the input over about 1.5 s, within a ±12 dB range; holds level within ±0.1 dB in tests. Tracks average loudness, not peaks. |
| TAPE / BYPASS | Default: TAPE | TAPE runs the engine. BYPASS is a complete bypass — every knob including Output is out of the path, and the signal leaves bit-exact and latency-aligned. Fades over about 20 ms; latency stays fixed either way. |
In BYPASS the knobs dim and the DUB / COPIES dial reads “BYPASS — tape is out of the signal path.” The knobs still move while dimmed; they have no audible effect until TAPE is pressed again.
Generation: 2nd Dub · Tape: Normal · Auto Gain: on · Mix: 15–25 % · Saturation: 40–55 %
A starting point for a mix bus: enough generation loss to feel like tape, with Auto Gain keeping the level steady so you judge the effect by ear, not by a jump in level.
Generation: 4th Dub · Tape: Normal · Wow: 70 % · Flutter: 60 % · Hiss: 60 % · Mix: 100 %
Heavy top-end loss (down toward 4.4 kHz) and audible hiss for a deliberately worn, dubbed-cassette vocal.
Generation: 1st Dub · Tape: Chrome · Saturation: 35 % · Wear: 0 % · Auto Gain: on
Chrome’s extra headroom and quieter hiss keep this pass close to the source — tape colour without much degradation.
TAPE / BYPASS: BYPASS
Check the untouched dry signal. BYPASS is bit-exact and the plugin’s latency does not change, so the comparison stays time-aligned.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Formats | macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel): VST3, AU · Windows (64-bit): VST3 |
| Channel layouts | Mono → Stereo, Stereo → Stereo |
| Latency | Fixed 720 samples at 48 kHz (15 ms), the same for every generation |
| Code signing | macOS build not yet signed or notarised — see Installation |
| Generation | Top end (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Master | ≈ 10 kHz |
| 1st Dub | ≈ 8.4 kHz |
| 2nd Dub | ≈ 6.4 kHz |
| 4th Dub | ≈ 4.4 kHz |
| Type | Top end | Hiss | Headroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal (Type I) | baseline | baseline | baseline |
| Chrome (Type II) | × 1.18 | −4 dB | more |
| Metal (Type IV) | × 1.3 | −6 dB | most |
There is no demo or trial version. A licence comes from a purchase or from a free launch licence. Without one, the plugin shows an activation card and passes audio through untouched.
The activation is then stored on the computer and works offline. The plugin checks it again in the background about once a week; only a clear answer that the key is disabled, expired or released turns it off — a missing connection never does.
| System | Where the activation is stored |
|---|---|
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/SubverseLab/Licenses/ |
| Windows | %APPDATA%\SubverseLab\Licenses\ |
A purchased key activates on one computer; a free launch licence on up to three. To move a key, open the plugin on the old computer and choose “Release this computer”, then paste the key on the new one.
If the old computer is no longer available, write through the Help page from the e-mail address used at checkout.