KASET — owner’s manual

High Speed Dubbing System · Model KS-83. Manual as PDF.

1. Introduction

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).

Generations

Master — one trip onto tape.
1st Dub to 4th Dub — two to five trips, each a copy of the one before. The top end falls and hiss builds with every generation; speed error (wow and flutter) does not build up: each pass drifts independently, so pitch deviation is highest on Master and falls with each dub.

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.

2. Installation

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.

macOS

Run the installer package (.pkg) you downloaded. It is signed with a Developer ID and notarised by Apple, so macOS opens it without any extra step.
Choose what to install: the VST3 plug-in and the Audio Unit.
Restart your DAW, or make it rescan its plug-in list.

Windows

If Windows blocks the downloaded files: right-click the zip, choose Properties, tick Unblock, then extract.
Copy the .vst3 folder to C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\.
Rescan plug-ins in your DAW.

3. Panel tour

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.

TAPE / BYPASS — piano keys under the “SIGNAL PATH” bracket. TAPE runs the signal through the engine; BYPASS is a complete, bit-exact dry bypass.
AUTO GAIN — piano key, turns automatic level compensation on and off.
DUB / COPIES dial — the generation selector: Master, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Dub, shown as a tuner-style scale with a pointer.
TAPE SELECTOR — three buttons: Normal, Chrome, Metal. Under it, TRACK (low-latency switch) and a LATENCY window showing the latency reported to the host.
RECORD group — Input, Saturation.
TRANSPORT group — Wow, Flutter.
TAPE group — Hiss, Wear.
OUTPUT group — Mix, Output.
Deck A (record / play back, gold badge) and Deck B (play back, teal badge) — cassette wells showing the tape type and hub position.
TAPE COUNTER — a three-drum mechanical counter; click to zero it.
REC LEVEL — a segmented L/R level ladder, 0 at −18 dBFS RMS.

4. Controls

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 and hiss accumulate. Speed error does not: pitch deviation is highest on Master (2.53 cents RMS at default Wow and Flutter), then 2nd Dub 2.08, 4th Dub 1.81.
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. With Auto Gain on, Input changes the drive (grit), not the output level.
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. Pitch deviation is highest on Master and falls with each dub.
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 is the same in TAPE and BYPASS.
TRACK	On / off · off (MIX)	Low-latency switch for recording through Kaset. On, the five trips share one moving head instead of five: 72 samples at 48 kHz (1.5 ms) instead of 720, the same tape colour, and shallower Wow at its deepest settings. Saved with the project, not automatable; some hosts re-read the latency only after a transport restart.

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.

Troubleshooting

I turn knobs and hear nothing — check that TAPE is lit. In BYPASS the tape path, and every knob on it including Output, is out of circuit by design.

5. Recipes

Mix-bus warmth (starting point)

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.

Lo-fi vocal dub

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.

Clean chrome pass

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.

A/B against dry

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.

6. Specifications

Item	Value
Formats	macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel): VST3, AU · Windows (64-bit): VST3
Channel layouts	Mono → Stereo, Stereo → Stereo
Latency	MIX (default): 720 samples at 48 kHz (15 ms), 660 at 44.1 kHz, the same for every generation · TRACK: 72 samples at 48 kHz (1.5 ms), 66 at 44.1 kHz
Code signing	macOS installer signed with a Developer ID and notarised by Apple

Top end per generation (Tape: Normal, white-noise response, −3 dB point)

Generation	Top end (approx.)
Master	≈ 10 kHz
1st Dub	≈ 8.4 kHz
2nd Dub	≈ 6.4 kHz
4th Dub	≈ 4.4 kHz

Tape types

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

Transport and noise

Wow: up to 0.35 % of head travel per pass, at 0.55–0.8 Hz; pitch deviation 2.53 / 2.08 / 1.81 cents RMS on Master / 2nd / 4th Dub.
Flutter: up to 0.12 % of head travel per pass, at 6.5–9.5 Hz.
Wear: dropouts of 20–90 ms, at random (seeded) intervals.
Hiss: band-shaped noise, roughly 900 Hz–7.5 kHz.
Auto Gain: ±12 dB range; holds level within ±0.1 dB in tests.
Bypass: bit-exact dry.

7. Getting the plugin

Sign in on subverselab.com/launch and download. Install and open it in your DAW. Your licence key is on your Account page; the current versions do not ask for it.

Getting the plugin

Enter the Download Room with your account.
Download the macOS package or Windows zip.
Install the macOS package, or copy the Windows VST3 folder to C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\.
Open the plugin in your DAW.