WatKat

I recently had the opportunity to test a hardware unit, as well as a digital simulation of it, and both experiences were underwhelming. The first issue that became apparent was when I turned it off and left the tape loaded. It became clear that leaving the tape loaded causes it to bend in proximity of the capstan, leading to a periodic pitch fall during echo playback. Additionally, leaving the tape loaded caused the hardware to become hot, and the background hum became worse over time.

Another issue I encountered was the need to turn it off every now and then. This is because the capstan motor flutters and the tape is never completely erased. The problem only worsens if you touch it while it's spinning, as the heads tend to get dirty very quickly. Cleaning the heads often is necessary to avoid this issue altogether. It turns out that this is true for both the hardware and the digital simulation.

Overall, my experience with this software/hardware was incredibly disappointing. The issues with tape bending, humming, and motor flutter were difficult to overlook. It's definitely not a product I'd recommend to anyone looking for reliable and high-quality simulation hardware/software.