8.4Great
Chow Tape Model is a free open-source physical model of reel-to-reel analog tape, originally based on the Sony TC-260 and expanded for deep tape saturation control.
Plugin comparison
Chow Tape Model vs UAD Empirical Labs FATSO
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which effect to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
Contenders
The side-by-side
UA's native Empirical Labs FATSO folds tape-style saturation, transformer warmth and four compression modes into one plugin, no Apollo hardware required.
Technical matrix
Specs compared
| Signal | Chow Tape Model | UAD Empirical Labs FATSO |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $149 |
| Dubspot Score | 8.4 | — |
| Formats | VST3, AU, AAX, CLAP, LV2, standalone | VST3, AU, AAX |
| Type | Physical-model tape saturation | Tape-style saturation, transformer warmth and compression |
| Price | Free / open source | — |
| Origin | Sony TC-260 inspired; expanded multi-machine modeling | — |
| Formats | VST3, AU, AAX, CLAP, LV2, standalone (platform-dependent builds) | VST3, AU, AAX |
| Platforms | Windows 7+; macOS 10.12+ (Intel & Apple Silicon); Linux builds | — |
| Manual | https://chowdsp.com/manuals/ChowTapeManual.pdf | — |
| Source | https://github.com/jatinchowdhury18/AnalogTapeModel | — |
| Versions | — | FATSO Jr (core tones) and FATSO Sr (deeper control) in one plugin |
| Saturation | — | Warmth (high-frequency saturation and soft limiting) and Tranny (transformer and tape-head saturation) |
| Compression modes | — | Buss, G.P., Tracking, Spank |
| Sr extras | — | Tranny saturation control, sidechain filtering, threshold, attack and release |
| Platform | — | UAD native; no Apollo or UAD-2 hardware required |
| OS | — | macOS and Windows |
| Spark | — | Included in UAD Spark Studio |
| Developed with | — | Dave Derr, original FATSO designer at Empirical Labs |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.