July 28, 2026
by Gabriel Harley

I started out recording on analog tape. In the world of analog, you make your sonic decisions early, you work hard to lay down the perfect performance, and you don't waste time with endless tweaks and edits. What you put on the tape is what you get back out of it. It's honest, it's fast (if you know the music), and it's human, not micro-edited and "gridded" within an inch of its life.

That's why I'm happy to say we've added TAPE 16 to our toolbox here at Chapter One. If you haven't heard of it, TAPE16 is a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) that functions like a 16-track analog tape machine. Not only does it faithfully emulate the warm, slightly-punchy sound of tape, its lack of waveforms and other visual editing functions put your EARS--not your eyeballs--back in charge of the take. Combined with our 1989 AMR analog recording console and real, physical outboard gear, you can now record using the same techniques and sonic flavors utilized on some of the most monumental albums of the last 60+ years. And, with no actual to tape to buy (or rent), you can do so at a fraction of the price.