Tape. Without the Tape.
Control Real Gear. Reserve or Use On-Demand.
Control real analog gear straight from your DAW with the Analog Matrix. The Analog Matrix is not an emulation! It acts as a portal, connecting your digital audio workstation to actual physical gear in real time.
Reserve a session using the calendar below, or jump straight into the Analog Matrix plugin and use equipment on demand as it is available. Note: on-demand access requires credits or an active subscription.
Analog Matrix
Robotic Control
Overview
The Walters Audio T805 offers a new twist on a classic obsession: the sound of analog tape. Featuring Walters Audio’s patented Full Spectrum Magnetization™ technology, the T805 recreates the Record Driver and Bias Oscillator circuitry of a 1970s Swiss tape machine to drive a Tape Element™ that can magnetize the entire audio spectrum and an ultrasonic bias signal. This allows it to replicate the AC bias recording process without needing tape or moving parts. In simple terms, you get tape-like tone, compression, and magnetism from a compact, fully analog 500 Series module.
What makes the T805 especially compelling is how much control it gives you over that character. Gain controls the magnetic field strength in the Tape Element while automatically compensating output level, Bias lets you move from cleaner overbiased behavior to more colorful underbiased saturation, HF restores top end before the Tape Element, and Out provides post-stage makeup gain. Walters Audio also includes an accurate head bump modeled on a ’80s Swiss tape machine, so the unit can deliver not just saturation but also the sense of density, contour, and musical weight that engineers seek when they choose tape.
On real sessions, the T805 looks like the kind of box you reach for when a source needs more character rather than more correction. Walters Audio says its magnetic compression can help tame harsher material like vocal sibilance, cymbals, and steel-string pick attack, and the unit offers different calibration approaches for a more vintage, colorful behavior or a cleaner, later-era tape response. That makes it a smart creative tool for drums, vocals, guitars, synths, and even mix bus tone-shaping when you want unmistakable analog attitude without the drama of maintaining a tape machine.
Experience the T805 on Access Analog
Load the Analog Matrix plugin, select the T805, and hear what real magnetic tape saturation does for your mix- controlled robotically, with full recall, from anywhere in the world. No tape reels. No maintenance. No digital plugin emulations. Just the real magnetic experience.
Visit Walters Audio for additional information and detailed specs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Walters Audio T805?
The Walters Audio T805 is a fully analog 500 Series tape saturation module that recreates the magnetic tape recording process without tape, heads, or moving parts. It uses Walters Audio’s patented Full Spectrum Magnetization (FSM) technology to drive a Tape Element, modeled on the Record Driver and bias circuitry of a 1970s Swiss tape machine. The result is real magnetic saturation, tape-style high-frequency compression, and a vintage low-end head bump in a compact module.
What is the Walters Audio T805 best for?
The T805 is best for adding analog tape character to drums, vocals, guitars, synths, and the mix bus. Its natural magnetic compression tames harsh material like vocal sibilance, cymbals, and steel-string pick attack, while the head bump adds weight and density. Reach for it when a source needs more character and cohesion rather than corrective processing.
Is the T805 on Access Analog the real hardware, or an emulation?
It is the real hardware. An actual Walters Audio T805 module with real analog circuitry and a physical Tape Element, not a model of one. Real Gear. No Emulations. Access Analog’s Analog Matrix plugin acts as a portal that streams your DAW audio through the physical unit in real time, so the saturation is generated by the actual magnetic process, not software.
What is the difference between even and odd harmonics?
Even-order harmonics fall at musical octaves and fifths above the fundamental and are heard as warm, round, and thickening, while odd-order harmonics fall at thirds and add a more aggressive, edgy character. The T805 produces dominant even-order distortion, because the bias signal’s even harmonics are transferred to the audio through the non-linearity of the Tape Element. That even-harmonic emphasis is a big part of why tape saturation sounds musical rather than harsh.
How does the Bias control on the T805 work?
The Bias knob sets the level of the 100 kHz bias signal that magnetizes the Tape Element, controlling how much tape color and magnetic compression you get. Decreasing bias adds more color and compression for a vintage, underbiased sound; increasing it cleans things up with less color. For standard tape behavior, keep Bias roughly between -2 and +2; pushing past about +3 enters a nonlinear region useful for creative distortion effects.
How do I get subtle warmth versus heavy saturation from the T805?
Use the Gain control and the meter to set how hard you drive the Tape Element. Subtle enhancement happens up to about -6 VU, noticeable coloration arrives around 0 VU, and the Tape Element starts to saturate around +6 VU with a soft-knee curve. For heavier, more aggressive distortion, lower the Bias toward its minimum; for gentle glue, keep levels modest and Bias near center.
Is the T805 good for vocals?
Yes. The T805 works well on vocals, adding tape thickness and rounding off harshness without obvious processing. Its source-dependent high-frequency magnetic compression naturally smooths sibilance and presence, and lowering the Bias pulls a voice forward with more density. It is a popular choice for both sung vocals and voiceover when you want warmth rather than correction.
Can I save and recall my T805 settings on Access Analog?
Yes. Every knob and switch on the T805 has independent robotic control, so you can save a preset for the device or an entire signal chain and recall it later. You can also run a matched stereo pair, since Access Analog hand-calibrates units and supports standard tape-style stereo alignment. Use the device’s preset button to store a single unit, or the chain preset button to recall a whole chain.
How much does it cost to use the Walters Audio T805 at Access Analog?
The T805 reserves from $2.63, and you can also use it on demand through the Analog Matrix plugin with credits or an active subscription. Every new account gets a free hour of access (about 12 credits, roughly one hour on an average device) so you can try it at no cost. Credits never expire, and on-demand use bills only for the time the device is inserted.
More Information
Select Features of the Walters Audio T805:
- Patented Full Spectrum Magnetization™ (FSM™) technology recreates the AC bias tape recording process in a Tape Element™ – no tape, no moving parts
- Discrete transistor circuitry borrowed from a legendary 1970s Swiss tape machine, including the Record Driver and Bias Oscillator
- Natural high-frequency magnetic compression that tames sibilance, cymbals, and harsh transients – just like real tape
- Direct control over magnetic hysteresis via the Bias knob, from subtle coloration to intense vintage saturation
- Accurate head bump modeled on a 1980s Swiss tape machine for authentic low-end weight
- Gain control with automatic output compensation (±20 dB) for easy level-matched A/B comparisons
- HF control provides up to 8 dB of high-frequency restoration to compensate for bias-induced losses
- Output control provides 16 dB of additional gain after the Tape Element
- 100 kHz bias frequency for ultrasonic AC bias processing
- True analog bypass via the In/Out switch
- Hand-calibrated during assembly; stereo-matchable using standard tape alignment procedures
- Fully analog 500-series format module
- Designed, assembled, and tested in the United States
Reviews of the Walters Audio T805:
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The Time Recordist – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6n2JquLbFU
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Christian Svedin – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjNjSNUJZ44
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RealGearOnline – https://realgearonline.com/thread/19701/walters-audio-t805-test-review
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Gearspace – https://gearspace.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/1461065-walters-audio-t805.html
User Manual for the Walters Audio T805
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0742/5458/1981/files/t805.pdf?v=1762479970
The Time Recordist – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6n2JquLbFU