WatKat is a free audio software plugin that functions as a digital clone of the classic WEM Watkins “Custom” Copicat tape echo unit, which originally revolutionized music in the late 1950s. Developed by Genuine Soundware and Instruments (GSi), the plugin purposefully replicates the highly irregular, grainy, and lo-fi characteristics of vintage analog tape machinery. The Origin: What it Emulates The hardware that WatKat honors is the legendary Watkins Copicat Go to product viewer dialog for this item.
, invented by British audio pioneer Charlie Watkins in 1958. It was the father of British tape delays, utilized by hundreds of thousands of recording studios to create a signature “slapback” echo or warm, saturated feedback loops. While several models existed, WatKat specifically emulates the solid-state ” Custom Copicat Go to product viewer dialog for this item. “ transistor model. Key Features & Quirks
Unlike modern, pristine digital delays, WatKat behaves exactly like a mechanical machine on its last legs:
Mechanical Imperfections: Replicates capstan motor flutter, wow-and-flutter tape speed variances, and uneven loop splicing.
Tape Deterioration: Simulates what happens when a physical tape gets warm, stretches, bends near the capstan, or passes over dirty heads—causing periodic pitch drops and loss of high frequencies.
Lo-Fi Noise & Hum: Models the build-up of background tape hiss and subtle hardware hum over time.
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