Delay TAPE-201 gives you one classic tape echo with a spring reverb for $79. RysUpAtmosphere gives you 24 delay types and 24 reverb types for $49.99. If you want the tape echo job plus everything else a vocal needs from a space plugin, RysUpAtmosphere is the cheaper way to get range.
Disclosure: Rys Up Audio makes RysUpAtmosphere and RysUpSuite. Competitor facts come from each vendor's own product page, checked September 17, 2026. This is a workflow, feature and price comparison. We did not run a blind listening test, so nothing here names a sound quality winner.
What Delay TAPE-201 does
Arturia's Delay TAPE-201 recreates the famous 1970s tape echo with a continuous tape loop. Arturia describes an integrated spring reverb, multiple delay patterns from a mode selector, repeat rate, intensity, bass and treble controls, and a reverb only setting.
The plugin adds modern extras the hardware never had, including a sync switch, a ping pong option and LFO modulation that can move parameters such as reverb amount and stereo width. Arturia's store lists VST, AAX, Audio Unit and NKS formats, with installation and activation through Arturia Software Center.
On September 17, 2026 Arturia's store listed Delay TAPE-201 at $79.
One machine or a whole rack of spaces
TAPE-201 is deliberately one instrument. Every sound it makes comes from one tape echo and one spring tank. That is the appeal if you want that exact character on everything.
A vocal mix usually needs more than one flavor. A slap on the verse, a wide dotted eighth on the hook, a long hall for the bridge, a short room to glue the doubles. Atmosphere gives you 24 delay types and 24 reverb types in the same plugin, so those moves come from one tool instead of a folder of single purpose effects.
What RysUpAtmosphere gives you
Two engines, one screen. The reverb and the delay each get their own type, their own low and high cut, and their own level in the balance.
- 24 reverb types and 24 delay types in one plugin, with the two engines running side by side.
- Delay time tempo synced or in milliseconds, with ping pong and feedback.
- Low cut and high cut on each engine, so the reverb and the delay can be shaped separately.
- Ducking with an adjustable curve, so the effect can sit back while the vocal is singing.
- Predelay you can sync to tempo, plus warmth and air tone controls.
- Decay from 0.2 to 75 seconds.
- Reverb and delay level balance, a mix control and mix lock.
- 231 factory presets in 10 groups.
- Mac AU, VST3 and AAX, Windows VST3 and AAX. Installed through RysUpHub. No iLok.
Atmosphere does not claim to be a tape machine model. It is a broader space plugin that happens to cover the delay and reverb jobs a tape echo gets used for, and a lot more.
Side by side
| Feature | Arturia Delay TAPE-201 | RysUpAtmosphere |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $79 | $49.99, or included in RysUpSuite |
| Delay | Tape echo with a head mode selector | 24 delay types, tempo synced or milliseconds |
| Reverb | Integrated spring reverb | 24 reverb types, decay 0.2 to 75 seconds |
| Stereo | L/R, ping pong and M/S delay types | Ping pong delay |
| Tone | Bass and treble | Low and high cut per engine, warmth and air |
| Ducking | Not listed on the product page | Ducking with an adjustable curve |
| Formats | VST, AAX, AU, NKS | Mac AU, VST3, AAX. Windows VST3, AAX |
| Activation | Arturia Software Center | RysUpHub, no iLok |
TAPE-201's strengths are its focus and its tape modulation tricks. Atmosphere's strengths are range, ducking, per engine filtering and a lower price.
Other combined space plugins
AudioThing Outer Space 2 is another tape echo and spring reverb design, listed at $69 with three heads and two spring tanks. Read Outer Space alternatives.
Baby Audio Spaced Out is a modern space echo with a step sequencer, listed at $99. Read Spaced Out alternatives.
Waves CLA Epic pairs four delays with four reverbs, listed at $149 and frequently discounted. Read CLA Epic alternatives.
Nuro Audio Supernova is $159.99 with 28 reverbs, 34 delays and a routing matrix. See Supernova alternatives.
FabFilter Timeless 3 is a $149 delay with no reverb built in. See Timeless 3 alternatives.
A dub style vocal throw in Atmosphere
A starting point for the end of line echo that tape delays are famous for. Tune it by ear.
- Put Atmosphere on a return and automate the send so only the last word of a line reaches it.
- Choose a delay type with character and set a tempo synced dotted eighth or quarter.
- Push feedback higher than you would for a lead, then use the high cut on the delay engine so every repeat gets darker.
- Add a short reverb type underneath and keep the reverb level low in the balance, like a spring sitting behind the echo.
- Low cut both engines so the repeats do not build up in the low mids.
- Use ducking so the next line punches through while the throw fades behind it.
More delay technique lives in how to use delay on vocals.
Questions producers ask
Is Atmosphere a tape machine emulation? No. It is a broader space plugin with 24 delay types and 24 reverb types, not a model of one unit.
Can I sync the delay to my session tempo? Yes. Delay time runs tempo synced or in milliseconds, and predelay can sync too.
Does it need an iLok? No. RysUpHub handles install and activation.
Where does it run? Mac AU, VST3 and AAX, and Windows VST3 and AAX.
Get more space for less
TAPE-201 is $79 for one machine. RysUpAtmosphere is $49.99 for 48 reverb and delay types, ducking, per engine filters and 231 presets. Or get it in RysUpSuite with the rest of the Rys Up lineup.
RysUpSuite bills $119.88 a year and includes RysUpAtmosphere plus every current and future paid Rys Up plugin while it stays active. Prefer no commitment? Suite is $14.99 month to month. Compare everything on the RysUpSuite page.
Keep comparing: CLA Epic alternatives, Spaced Out alternatives, Outer Space alternatives, Supernova alternatives, Timeless 3 alternatives, the full reverb delay plugin roundup and the side by side comparison page. For technique, read reverb settings for vocals and how to use delay on vocals. The whole catalog lives on the Rys Up plugin lineup.
Sources. Prices and features were read from official vendor pages on September 17, 2026: Arturia Delay TAPE-201, Arturia store listing, AudioThing Outer Space 2, Baby Audio Spaced Out, Waves CLA Epic. Sale prices move often, so treat every competitor price here as a dated snapshot. Taxes and regional pricing can differ at checkout.