What loudness should you target for Tape / Vintage?
Tape is a tonal flavour, not a loudness target. The point is the warmth and gentle harmonic saturation of analog tape, the subtle second and third harmonics that make digital sources feel rounder, not a particular LUFS. Set loudness to suit the song and its destination (a streaming-friendly -14 LUFS is a fine default) and let the saturation do the character work. True-peak -1 dBTP.
When you export from Quantara targeting Tape / Vintage, the engine measures your master's integrated loudness (ITU-R BS.1770 / EBU R128), normalises it toward the -12.0 LUFS reference, and holds inter-sample (true) peaks under -1 dBTP. It will not slam a quiet, dynamic track up to a loud number just to hit a target — and since the major streaming platforms normalise playback anyway, sitting near the reference is what actually matters. You stay in control: tweak the chain, A/B against the original, and export when it sounds right.
How to master your track for Tape / Vintage
Upload your mix
Drag and drop your WAV, FLAC or MP3 file into Quantara Studio. No account needed to try. Supports files up to 500MB.
Select Tape / Vintage preset
Click the Tape / Vintage target. The mastering chain starts from a -12.0 LUFS reference with EQ, compression, and true mid/side stereo widening for this target.
A/B compare and export
Press Play and flip between Before and After to hear the difference. When you're happy, click Export to download your Tape / Vintage master in WAV 24-bit, normalised toward -12.0 LUFS with true-peak limiting at -1 dBTP.
Best genres for Tape / Vintage mastering
These genres perform especially well with the Tape / Vintage preset: Jazz, Blues, Folk, Country, Rock. Each genre has its own frequency balance and dynamics, so treat the preset as a starting point and fine-tune by ear.
Why master Tape / Vintage with Quantara?
Traditional mastering engineers charge $50-300 per track and require 2-5 business days. Quantara gives you a fast, transparent mastering chain tuned for Tape / Vintage — free (3 exports/month) or unlimited on the Pro plan at €9/month. It is a strong, measurable starting point, not a replacement for a trained engineer's ears on a critical release.
Our 9-stage mastering chain — HPF, sub enhancement, low-mid EQ, presence boost, air EQ, stereo widening, glue compression, harmonic saturation, and true-peak limiting — is tuned toward Tape / Vintage and fully adjustable in real time — and every stage is shown on real LUFS, true-peak and gain-reduction meters, so you can verify what it does.
Unlike generic online mastering tools, Quantara Music gives you full control: adjust all 9 parameters in real time, hear the difference with A/B bypass, and export when you're satisfied. All processing happens in your browser — your audio never leaves your device until you choose to save it.
FAQ — Tape / Vintage mastering
Yes — master and preview for free, 3 exports/month, no credit card. Unlimited on the Pro plan.
Use -12.0 LUFS integrated as a reference and keep true peak under -1 dBTP. Master for the song first — most platforms normalise playback.
Upload WAV, FLAC or MP3 up to 500MB. Export WAV 16/24-bit, true-peak-safe.
Ready to master your track for Tape / Vintage?
Free — 3 exports/month — no credit card required
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