Dees Tape
The pocket four-track. Record, overdub, mix, master and split — every take saved twice, RAW + FX, and nothing ever gets overwritten.
Record, mix, master, split
Dees Tape is a multitrack tape machine that lives on your phone — the deck is identical on Android and iPhone. 4 tracks free, 8 with Pro. Patch in your mic or a USB audio interface — up to 8 channels in at once — arm a track, and record. As it prints, it writes two WAVs per track: the untouched track#_RAW.wav and the processed track#_FX.wav. Every track keeps its own file, so your parts stay separate and safe until you choose to bounce.
Work the way you like: the classic Session mixer deck, or the desktop-style Tracking timeline with a lane per track. Dees Tape also handles the back half of the job — a built-in Level Lab for honest LUFS metering, per-track pan, a D'Master mastering stage, one-tap Bounce to a finished mixdown, single-track stem export, plus Split and Import. The processed version is a take; the raw one is the truth, and both are always saved.
Every control
This is the Session view — the classic mixer deck. On iPad, the SESSION / TRACKING switch flips to the timeline (see section 03).
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Counter | Tape position. The lamp is lit while recording. |
| Input line | Tap to pick the device — mic or USB interface, up to 8 channels. Shows the live format. |
| Project LCD | Tap to name it. Tap the badge for About. |
| IN meter | Master VU. Tap it to open the Level Lab. |
| The reel | Drag to scrub — 1 turn = 8 s. Flick to coast. |
| Reel skins | Tap the tiny reel: 12 looks, wood to steel. |
| Transport | REC · RW · PLAY · STOP (= pause) · NEW · SHARE. |
| IN patch | Tap = input / pairs · hold = name the track. |
| VU + FX | Tap the VU for Level Lab · FX opens the rack. |
| Fader + LEDs | Mix level, with a post-fader meter. |
| Pan | Place the track in the stereo field. |
| Arm / Mute / Erase | Enable · silence · wipe (Erase asks first). |
| Side panel | MASTER · MONITOR · DIRECT · quality · length. |
| MIDI Sync · Pro | Lock the deck to an external MIDI clock — start/stop & tempo from a controller or DAW. |
| Bounce / Import / Split | Mixdown · load audio · 4 stems. |
| Recordings | The folder: every project and take. |
Two ways to work
Tap the SESSION / TRACKING switch (iPad) to choose your view. Session is the classic deck above — reel, transport and channel strips. Tracking is a desktop-style timeline with a lane per track, each labelled with an instrument icon (guitar, bass, drums, keys, vocal and more).
Scrub
Drag across any lane to slide the playhead — tap to jump straight to a spot.
Time ruler
Timecodes space themselves to the screen and stay readable, even with the FX rack open.
Per-track gain
Every lane has its own gain fader with a 0 dB mark — drag to set, independent of the mix fader.
Press and hold a track to open its menu:
Rename
Give the track a name of your own.
Export Stem (WAV)
A clean export of just that track.
Export Stem with FX
That track with its effects printed in.
Reset Gain
Return the lane's gain to 0 dB.
Mute / Unmute
Silence or restore the track.
Open FX Rack
Jump straight into that track's rack.
The full Tracking timeline is on iPad today; iPhone Tracking and in-lane waveform editing are on the way.
Honest metering
Tap any VU to open the Level Lab — the analog needle stays, and a digital screen adds LUFS and dBFS so you set levels by the numbers. Pick a target (−20 / −18 / −14 LUFS) and it tells you the move for every preset. Full Level Lab guide →
A rack per track
The FX button on any strip opens its rack, running in order: Preamp · Gate · EQ · LA-style comp · Deestress · De-Ess · Tape · Dimension · Delay · Spring · D'Master. Tap any effect's name in the app for a quick what-it-does and tips, and reorder units freely. Browse the in-app Plugin Marketplace to add more units to your racks — some are included, others are paid add-ons or part of Pro.
Preamp · Pro
Neve-style console color — DRIVE glue/grit, IRON low-mids, AIR silky top.
De-Ess · Pro
Tames harsh "S" sibilance on vocals — set FREQ, raise AMOUNT.
Dimension · Pro
Analog chorus for width & shimmer — RATE · DEPTH · MIX.
Spring · Pro
Vintage spring-reverb tank — DWELL · TONE · MIX. Drippy and boingy.
D'Master · Pro
Mastering stage: AIR · WARM ↔ BRIGHT · WIDE stereo spread.
Deestress
The signature squeeze — gentle all the way to NUKE.
Factory presets
VO · vocals · sax · DI · drums · lofi, ready to go.
Your presets
Save any chain and recall it on any track.
Free rack: EQ · Tape · Gate. The Preamp, LA comp, Deestress, De-Ess, Dimension, Delay, Spring and D'Master are Pro.
Finish it inside the app
Bounce
Faders · pans · WIDE · master, printed to a single MIXDOWN.wav.
Export a stem
From the press-and-hold track menu, export any one track — clean, or with its FX printed.
Import
Load an existing audio file straight onto a track.
Split
Separate a file into stems in a SPLIT folder.
How the tape behaves
STOP is pause
The next REC continues the same take.
Undo take
Hold NEW to pull the tape back one pass.
RAW is the truth
FX always prints to its own file, beside the raw.
Nothing overwrites
Tracks reset only on a NEW project or ERASE.
From plugged-in to shared
Plug in & arm
Tap the input line to pick your device, and ARM a track.
Set your level
Tap the VU for the Level Lab → aim for −18 LUFS, peaks under −6 dBFS.
Dial the FX
Pick a preset, dial it with DIRECT on so you hear it live, then hit REC.
Finish
STOP · RW · overdub · BOUNCE the mix · SHARE.
Where your takes live
Every project is a folder named on the Project LCD. Each track lands as track#_RAW.wav and track#_FX.wav at your chosen bit depth, 48 kHz, mono. A Bounce adds MIXDOWN.wav; a Split writes stems to a SPLIT folder. Open the Recordings folder to see every project and tap any file to share it.
Ready to roll tape?
Dees Tape is in final testing — free & open source.