﻿================================================================
 SORYNO TAPE Free  v1.0.0
 Tape saturation (Windows / VST3)
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Thank you for choosing SORYNO TAPE Free.

This is a free version, but it is not a demo. The aim is that it is
enough to finish the job on its own. There is no time limit, no
feature timeout, no nag screen and no license activation, so it
runs offline.

It is a tool that adds to the sound. The other SORYNO plug-ins
(EQ / COMP / LIMIT / DEESS) tidy a mix up; TAPE is the first that
adds, and you can watch what it adds on screen.


[ SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ]
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  OS              Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit)
  Format          VST3
  Sample rates    44.1 / 48 / 96 / 192 kHz
  Channels        mono / stereo
  Extra runtime   none

  The Visual C++ redistributable is NOT required. Everything the
  plug-in needs is inside the plug-in itself.

  There is no macOS version and no AAX version.


[ HOW TO INSTALL ]
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  Double-click  Install.bat

  Administrator rights are NOT required.

  (The other batch file in this folder has a Japanese name and is
  exactly the same thing. Either one will do.)

  It installs to:
    %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\VST3

  This is an official VST3 location defined by the VST3 standard.
  The installer also looks in the system-wide VST3 folder and moves
  any older copy of the same plug-in out of the way. It moves it to
  a backup folder; nothing is deleted.

  When it has finished, rescan your plug-ins in your DAW.

  * Prefer to install by hand?
    Copy the folder
      VST3\SORYNO TAPE Free.vst3
    into
      %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\VST3
    That is all the installer does.

  * About the Windows warning
    Windows may show "Windows protected your PC". That is because
    we have not bought a code-signing certificate, not because
    there is anything wrong with the file. Choose "More info",
    then "Run anyway".

  * To uninstall
    powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File install.ps1 -Uninstall


[ READING THE SCREEN ]
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  Top left      TAPE TONE       The tape colour (frequency response).
                                In the free version SPEED and BAND belong
                                to Pro, so this curve changes with DRIVE
                                and TYPE (it grows as DRIVE goes up).
  Middle left   BEFORE / AFTER  Level over time of the original (BEFORE)
                                and the processed sound (AFTER). The gap
                                between them is filled in, and the current
                                difference is shown in dB.
  Bottom left   SPEED           Speed wobble. In the free version it stays
                                still and reads "steady" (WOW is Pro).
  Right         TRANSFER CURVE  The further it bends away from the 45-degree
                                line, the more it distorts. The glowing dot
                                is where the sound is right now. The curve
                                on screen and the sound come from the same
                                calculation. ALIASING at its bottom right is
                                a measured figure (see QUALITY below).

  * Move a knob and the graph where its effect shows up is framed in
    colour, with the knob's name and value, for about 2 seconds. The
    frame has the colour of that knob's panel. This also happens for
    automation, preset changes and A/B.

  * SORYNO cares about letting you SEE that something is working.
    Whenever you turn a knob, something on the screen moves.


[ WHAT IT DOES ]
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  * Main controls

    DRIVE       0 - 100 %      Amount of saturation. The bend of the
                               transfer curve is the distortion itself.
                               At 0 nothing is distorted (the curve is a
                               straight line).
    TYPE        Tape / Tube /  The character of the saturation. Tube adds
                Transformer    sheen to the highs, Transformer thickens the
                               lows (the transfer curve and the tone curve
                               change with it).
    MIX         0 - 100 %      Blend with the dry signal (parallel). At 100
                               you hear only the saturated sound.
    IN / OUT    -24 - +24 dB   Input and output trim.
    AUTO GAIN   on / off       Takes back the loudness the saturation
                               added.

    Keep AUTO GAIN on when you compare. Louder always sounds "better"
    to the ear, whether it is or not.

  * QUALITY (oversampling)

    1x / 2x                    Default 2x (Pro adds 4x / 8x).

    Distortion creates high frequencies that were not in the original.
    Left alone they fold back (alias) into a gritty sound, so the
    signal is processed at a higher rate and brought back down.

    Measured aliasing with a 7 kHz tone driven hard (relative to the
    tone; more negative is cleaner):
      1x  -7.5 dB    2x  -21.5 dB    4x  -45.2 dB    8x  -81.0 dB
    4x / 8x are Pro.
    The same figure appears at the bottom right of the transfer curve
    (ALIASING). It is the measured value for the QUALITY you chose,
    not a reading of the sound playing now.

    2x is included in the free version on purpose. Leaving it out
    would make the free version sound worse.

    Latency   0 at 1x, 3 samples at 48 kHz at 2x (about 0.06 ms)
    CPU       about 1.4 % of one CPU core per instance at 2x
              (measured: 10 s of stereo audio processed in 0.14 s)

  * Fixed in the free version (adjustable in Pro)

    SPEED     15 ips (Pro: 7.5 / 15 / 30 ips)
    BIAS      0 (Pro: the top and the bottom of the curve flatten at
              different heights)
    WOW       0 (no speed wobble)
    BAND      off (the whole band is distorted; Pro chooses the band
              with HPF / LPF)
    CHANNEL   Stereo (Pro adds Mid-Side)
    QUALITY   up to 2x (Pro adds 4x / 8x)

    These are shown on screen in grey with a gold "PRO" mark, so you
    can see what is fixed rather than having it hidden from you.
    (QUALITY has no PRO mark: 1x and 2x work in the free version.)

  Shared controls:
    A / B       Compare two settings.
    A>B         Copies the setting you are listening to onto the
                other one (it reads B>A while you are on B). The other
                side is overwritten; UNDO brings it back. The button
                you copied to lights up briefly.
    UNDO/REDO   Step back and forward.
    INIT        Return to the default setting.
    BYPASS      Stop processing (see ABOUT BYPASS).
    Window      Drag a corner to resize.
    Tooltips    Hover over a button to see what it does.


[ PRESETS ]
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  14 presets are included. Step through them with < > at the top, or
  open the list with the grid button.

  You can save your own (+ Save Current).
  They are saved to: %APPDATA%\Pinzu\SORYNO TAPE Free

  When Pro (coming soon) is installed, user presets made in the free
  version are carried over automatically when Pro is opened.
  The free version's file is never modified.


[ ABOUT BYPASS ]
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  Unlike most plug-ins, the latency is still applied while BYPASS
  is on. Switching it does not move the timing of the audio, so
  you can compare against other tracks freely. This is deliberate.

  At QUALITY 1x the latency is zero. At 2x it is 3 samples at
  48 kHz (about 0.06 ms).


[ WHAT SORYNO TAPE Pro ADDS ]
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  If the free version is not enough, consider Pro. It works the
  same way and adds the following.

  - SPEED: tape speed 7.5 / 15 / 30 ips.
  - BIAS: the top and the bottom of the curve flatten at different
    heights.
  - WOW: speed wobble (wow and flutter).
  - BAND: choose the band to distort with HPF / LPF.
  - CHANNEL: Mid-Side.
  - QUALITY 4x / 8x.
  - 44 presets (the first 14 are the same as the free version).

  SORYNO TAPE Pro is in preparation and is not on sale yet.
  It will appear in the SORYNO shop on BOOTH.
    https://pinzu.booth.pm/


[ RELEASE NOTIFICATIONS ]
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  SORYNO TAPE Free is free. When a new version is released you can
  download it from the same BOOTH page at any time.

  The plug-in checks for a newer version when its window opens. If one
  exists it shows a notice. It never installs anything by itself.

  * To switch the check off
    Right-click anywhere on the plug-in window and untick
    "Check for updates". It works over knobs and graphs too.

    - The change takes effect the next time you open the plug-in.
    - The setting is saved with your song (the DAW project), not as a
      machine-wide preference.

  * What the check sends
    Nothing.
    It reads one small text file hosted on GitHub. No information
    about you, your computer, your projects or how you use the
    plug-in is ever sent. The version comparison happens on your
    machine. If there is no connection it simply does nothing.

  The latest news is here:
    https://pinzu.tech/


[ NEW PRODUCTS ]
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  The notice above only covers new versions of this plug-in. When a
  different product comes out, the plug-in cannot tell you.

  Two places to look, if you would like to:

  - The BOOTH shop
      https://pinzu.booth.pm/
      BOOTH notifies followers when a new product is listed.

  - The YouTube channel
      https://www.youtube.com/@soryno_audio

  No email is ever sent from us, and no email address is collected.


[ LICENCE ]
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  - There is no limit on the number of machines, and commercial use
    is allowed.
  - Please do not redistribute or resell it (this includes the free
    version). To recommend it, please point people to the BOOTH page
    rather than passing on the file.
  - Details: https://pinzu.tech/terms.html


[ HOW TO CHECK THE VERSION ]
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  The version is shown at the top left of the window, to the
  right of the product name.

    V1.0.0

  To check the file itself, compare the hash below.

  SHA256 of
    VST3\SORYNO TAPE Free.vst3\Contents\x86_64-win\SORYNO TAPE Free.vst3

    A4DE5E11CAD48F8B99408B3D86B0B86738F4D66454B9931FD51F2E24A091A061

  To check it, paste this into PowerShell from this folder:

    Get-FileHash "VST3\SORYNO TAPE Free.vst3\Contents\x86_64-win\SORYNO TAPE Free.vst3"


[ IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG ]
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  It does not appear in my DAW
    -> Rescan your plug-ins. If it still does not appear, check
       whether an older copy is left somewhere else.

  The sound arrives late
    -> Check that delay compensation is on in your DAW. This
       plug-in reports its latency correctly. At QUALITY 2x the
       latency is 3 samples at 48 kHz (about 0.06 ms); at 1x it is
       zero.

  The sound changes when I press BYPASS
    -> Latency is still applied while BYPASS is on (by design).
       The sound itself is not altered.

  The saturation does not seem to make it better
    -> Compare with AUTO GAIN on. With it off the level goes up,
       and that alone makes it sound better.

  The distortion sounds gritty
    -> Set QUALITY to 2x (the default). At 1x aliasing remains.
       The ALIASING figure on the transfer curve shows the
       difference between 1x and 2x.

  I cannot tell which knob is doing what
    -> Move the knob. The graph where its effect shows up is
       framed in colour. Look at that graph.

  A grey knob does not move
    -> It belongs to Pro (gold "PRO" mark). The free version runs
       with a fixed value (see "Fixed in the free version").


[ CONTACT ]
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  Please use the message function on the BOOTH product page.

    Shop      https://pinzu.booth.pm/
    Website   https://pinzu.tech/
    Videos    https://www.youtube.com/@soryno_audio

  Replies are written in English or Japanese.


----------------------------------------------------------------
 SORYNO is the audio plug-in brand of Pinzu (Japan).
 (c) 2026 Pinzu
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