HissboxCassette tape effect · a home deck, a boombox or a pocket recorder, one insert
The only cassette plugin you'll ever need to put any track on tape.
Play a beat, a vocal or a whole mix back from a real-sounding cassette: AGE from fresh tape to worn out, WOBBLE from steady to warped, DRIVE for a pushed bounce, and a home deck, a boombox or a pocket recorder to play it on. Hold STOP for a tape stop on the beat. Zero latency, every preset level-matched.
- Use it on 5 computers per copy
- Lifetime updates
- 90-day money-back guarantee
- Download link in minutes
- VST3, AU and AAX, Windows and macOS
- Try it free
Formats and DAWs
Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit): VST3 and AAX
macOS 11 or later: VST3, AU and AAX
Works in any 64-bit DAW that loads VST3, AU or AAX plug-ins.
Licence
Use it on up to five of your own computers per copy you buy. Yours for good, no subscription. Unlock it with your email and a six-digit code, no dongle and no password. It checks in now and then and works offline in between.
Delivery
Download links by email within about five minutes, and always in your account under Downloads.
Hear the difference
The same dry sound, without and with Hissbox.
Lo-fi beat on cassette
A clean lo-fi hip-hop drums-and-keys loop · Init (the home deck)
Full mix, fresh chrome tape
A soul full mix · Deck / Fresh Chrome (a clean, subtle tape glue)
Warped hand-me-down tape
A lo-fi hip-hop beat with keys · Worn / Warped Hand-Me-Down (heavy wobble, dull top)
Bedroom four-track guitar and voice
A dry acoustic guitar and male vocal · Boombox / Bedroom Four-Track
Song on a pocket recorder
A dry acoustic guitar and male vocal · Pocket / Built-in Mic
Tape stop between phrases
The lo-fi drums-and-keys loop · Stop / Eject, STOP held over beats 3-4 of bars 8 and 11
Every clip is level-matched, so the difference you hear is tone, not volume.
Hissbox in action
Why Hissbox
The whole cassette chain
Tape saturation, the noise-reduction squash, the head bump, oxide wear, the tape's band, wow and flutter, hiss and dropouts, in the order a real cassette puts them on your sound.
Two knobs to the exact tape
AGE takes the tape from fresh to worn out: duller, hissier, more wobbly and, past halfway, dropping out. WOBBLE sets the wow and flutter from steady to warped.
Played back on a real machine
TYPE plays the tape on a home DECK, a BOOMBOX through its small speakers, or a mono POCKET recorder through its own little speaker: the bedroom demo sound most tape plugins leave out.
Age. Wobble.
Two big knobs do the work: how old the tape is, and how much it wavers. DRIVE and HISS sit right under them.
- VST3 · AU · AAX
- Windows and macOS
- 0 ms latency
- 17 presets
The cassette tape effect
- Fresh to worn. AGE dulls the top end from 14 kHz to 5 kHz, raises the hiss and, past halfway, adds dropouts.
- Steady to warped. WOBBLE sets the wow and flutter, from a good deck to a warped hand-me-down.
- Deck, boombox or pocket recorder. The bedroom demo sound, through a real small speaker.
- A tape stop built in. Hold STOP; STOP SYNC times it to 1, 2 or 4 beats. Zero latency.
- AGE (14 to 5 kHz, hiss, wear, flutter, dropouts) and WOBBLE (wow and flutter).
- DRIVE (-9 to +18 dB into the tape, level held) and HISS (-80 to -30 dB).
- TYPE (DECK, BOOMBOX, POCKET), STOP and STOP SYNC.
- MIX, IN and OUT with meters, and ENGAGE.
- 17 factory presets and your own preset files; A/B, undo and redo, MIDI Learn on every control; a window from 75 to 200 %; the full manual.
TYPE
A deck, a boombox or a pocket recorder.
Choose what plays the tape. The band narrows, the squash and the wobble grow, and BOOMBOX and POCKET play it through a small speaker.
What Hissbox does
Every control has one job: the exact tape you hear in your head, faster.
AGE
From fresh tape to worn out
One knob moves the tape's top end from 14 kHz down to 5 kHz, raises the hiss, adds oxide wear and a little more flutter, and past 50 % brings in brief dropouts, up to about one a second. The line under it reads the top-end corner.
WOBBLE
Steady, wobbly or warped
The wow (a slow 0.8 Hz waver that drifts like a real motor) and the flutter (4 to 17 Hz) together, wow rising faster. The default is a cheap deck's 0.18 % RMS; the top end is a warped hand-me-down.
DRIVE
Warm, then pushed
How hard the music hits the tape, -9 to +18 dB. Low is warm and clean; from about 70 % the tape saturates audibly. A measured makeup holds the level, so you hear the tape, not a louder track.
HISS
The bed under the music
Tape hiss from -80 to -30 dB, lifted further as AGE rises. It goes quiet while your host's transport is stopped, so an open session never hisses at you.
TYPE
Three machines to play it on
DECK: a home deck in stereo with the full tape band. BOOMBOX: a narrower band, more squash and wobble, a narrower image and small speakers. POCKET: a mono pocket recorder through its own measured speaker, heavy wobble. Each is level-matched.
STOP
A tape stop on one key
Hold STOP and the tape slows to a halt like a real transport; let go and it spins back up in an eighth of a second. Automate it for transitions.
STOP SYNC
Timed to your beat
STOP takes one second with SYNC OFF, or exactly 1, 2 or 4 beats at your session's tempo.
MIX
A whole bounce, or a blend
100 % puts the whole signal on tape, as a bounce does. Lower it to blend the tape with your dry track.
IN and OUT
Gain where you need it
Input and output gain, -24 to +24 dB, with level meters on both, and a safety limiter that keeps the output under -1 dBFS.
17 sourced presets
Start from settings that work
Home decks from real spec sheets, a pushed bounce, a bedroom four-track on a boombox, a song sung into a pocket recorder, worn and warped tapes, generation loss and two tape stops, every one within 1 LU of the dry signal.
Zero latency
Track and perform through it
Nothing looks ahead, so you can play and sing through the tape live.
A face that moves
Watch the tape run
The cassette's spools turn at the tape's real speed, waver with WOBBLE and spin down when you hold STOP, while the desk lamp flares on them with the output. It rests when you bypass.
Inside the plugin
The Hissbox window: two big knobs, DRIVE and HISS, three machines and a tape stop.
Every feature
Everything in Hissbox, down to the smallest switch.
39 features
The tape
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AGE
Fresh to worn: the top end from 14 kHz to 5 kHz, hiss, wear, flutter and dropouts together
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WOBBLE
Wow and flutter together, from steady to a warped tape
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DRIVE
-9 to +18 dB into the tape, warm then saturated, the level held
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HISS
-80 to -30 dB of tape hiss, lifted by AGE, silent while your transport is stopped
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Dropouts
Past AGE 50 %, brief dropouts that land in the same place on every pass
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The full chain
Saturation, the noise-reduction squash, head bump, wear and the tape's band
Machines and transport
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TYPE
Play the tape on a home DECK, a BOOMBOX or a mono POCKET recorder
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Real small speakers
BOOMBOX and POCKET play the tape through a small speaker
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STOP
Hold for a tape stop; let go and it spins back up
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STOP SYNC
One second, or 1, 2 or 4 beats at your session's tempo
Mix and output
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MIX
The whole bounce at 100 %, or a blend with your dry track
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Level held
A measured makeup across DRIVE, and each TYPE level-matched
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Level-matched
Every preset within 1 LU of the dry signal
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Safety limiter
The output never goes over -1 dBFS
Workflow and control
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A/B compare and A>B
Two complete settings, switch in one click
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Undo and redo
Step back and forward, or press Ctrl+Z
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MIDI Learn
Take complete control of your workflow: right-click any control, move a knob
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Host automation
Automate every control from your DAW
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ENGAGE
Click-free bypass, to hear the before and after
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IN and OUT meters
See the level going in and coming out at a glance
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Tooltips
Every control explains itself as you point at it
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Resizable window
75 to 200 %, and the size you pick is remembered
Presets
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17 factory presets
Starting points built from real settings producers use
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Previous and next arrows
Audition presets one click at a time
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Save your own
Keep your settings as .cassettepreset preset files
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Open presets folder
Back up or share your presets in one click
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Reset to default
Back to a clean start in one step
Performance
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Zero latency
Track and perform through it live
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Light on CPU
About 4 to 6 % of one core
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Mono or stereo
On a mono vocal, a stereo bus or the whole mix
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Audio-reactive face
The spools turn with the tape; the lamp flares with the output
Licence and compatibility
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VST3 and AAX, Windows 7 SP1 or later
Loads in any 64-bit Windows DAW with VST3 or AAX
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VST3, AU and AAX, macOS 10.13 or later
Loads in any Mac DAW with VST3, AU or AAX, Intel or ARM
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5 computers per copy
Studio, laptop and more on one licence
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Email and code unlock
No dongle, no password, no extra app
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Works offline
No internet needed between check-ins
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Check for updates
From the plugin's menu; nothing installs without asking
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Lifetime updates
Every future update included
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Platinum priority support
Questions answered by the people who build it
How Hissbox compares
A whole cassette, and the machine that plays it, in one insert.
| Hissbox | Typical cassette plugins | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting the sound | Two big knobs: AGE and WOBBLE | Many sections, or a second page |
| Worn tape | AGE: band, hiss, wear, flutter and dropouts together | Separate knobs to balance by hand |
| Playback machine | A home deck, a boombox or a pocket recorder | A studio deck only |
| Tape stop | STOP built in, synced to the beat | A separate plugin |
| Level | Held across DRIVE; every preset within 1 LU | Louder or quieter as you push it |
| Latency | 0 ms | Often some |
| Try-and-compare | A/B, A>B, undo and redo | Often missing |
| Hardware control | MIDI Learn on every control | Often host automation only |
| Licence | 5 computers per copy, no dongle, works offline | Often fewer activations, or a dongle |
| Updates | Lifetime updates included | Often paid upgrades |
"Typical" describes what we commonly see in this category; it does not describe any particular product. Hissbox facts are from the plugin and its manual, October 2026.
What you get
Vox Samples
90-day money back · Thank you
Specs and system requirements
- Formats
- VST3 and AAX on Windows; VST3, AU and AAX on macOS
- Operating system
- Windows 7 SP1 or later, 64-bit; macOS 10.13 or later, universal (Intel and ARM)
- Host
- Any 64-bit DAW that loads VST3, AU or AAX plug-ins
- Channels
- Mono or stereo
- Sample rates
- Whatever your session runs at
- Latency
- 0 samples
- Age
- The tape's top end from 14 kHz (0 %) to 5 kHz (100 %), 9.8 kHz at the default; hiss, wear and flutter rise with it; dropouts above 50 %
- Wobble
- Peak wow 2.4 % x WOBBLE squared at 0.8 Hz, flutter 0.5 % x WOBBLE at 4 to 17 Hz, more on BOOMBOX and POCKET
- Drive
- -9 to +18 dB into the tape, level held by a measured makeup
- Hiss
- -80 to -30 dB at AGE 0; muted while the host's transport is stopped
- Types
- DECK (stereo, the full band), BOOMBOX (narrower band and image, small speakers), POCKET (mono, its own speaker)
- Stop
- Held: a stop over 1 s or 1, 2 or 4 beats at the host tempo; restarts in 125 ms
- Presets
- 17 factory presets; your own as .cassettepreset files
- Tail
- 0.6 s, reported to your DAW
- Window
- 960 x 600 at 100 %, resizable from 75 to 200 %
- MIDI
- MIDI Learn from any controller routed to the track
- Licence
- 5 computers per copy you buy. Unlock with your email and a code we email you. Checks in now and then and works offline in between.
- Internet
- Needed once to unlock, then for the occasional check-in
90Day money-back guarantee
Our guarantee
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90-day money-back guarantee
Not for you? Email contact@voxsamples.com within 90 days for a full refund.
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5 computers per copy
Use it on up to five of your own computers per copy you buy, and move it yourself from the plugin's Licence menu.
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Lifetime updates
Every future update and upgrade of Hissbox, included.
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Platinum priority support
A real person at contact@voxsamples.com, first in line.
Try Hissbox free
The whole plugin, with the same sound as the full version and no time limit. It goes silent for a moment every few seconds; the full version never does.
Windows and macOS installers in one download. Like what you hear? Get the full version on this page, with a 90-day money-back guarantee.
Questions
How do I make a track sound like a cassette?
Insert Hissbox on the track, a bus or the whole mix: Init is already a cassette on a home deck, with the top end softened, a gentle wobble and a faint hiss. Turn AGE up for an older tape and WOBBLE up for more waver.
Can it sound like a cheap boombox or a pocket recorder?
Yes. TYPE plays the tape on a BOOMBOX through its small speakers, or on a mono POCKET recorder through its own little speaker. Boombox / Bedroom Four-Track and Pocket / Built-in Mic are ready-made starting points.
Will it change my levels?
No. DRIVE's makeup holds the level as you push it, each TYPE is level-matched, and every preset sits within 1 LU of the dry signal.
Can it do a tape stop?
Yes. Hold STOP and the tape slows to a halt; let go and it starts again. STOP SYNC makes the stop last 1, 2 or 4 beats at your tempo, and STOP can be automated.
Why does the hiss stop when I stop playback?
On purpose: the hiss is muted while your host's transport is stopped, so a session left open stays quiet. It returns as soon as you press play.
Can I use it live?
Yes. It adds no latency, so you can play and sing through it in real time.
Does it work in my DAW?
Any 64-bit DAW that loads VST3, AU or AAX plug-ins, on Windows 7 SP1 or later or macOS 10.13 or later. There is no standalone app.
How many computers can I use it on?
Up to five of your own for each copy you buy. To move it, deactivate it in the plugin on the old computer and unlock it on the new one.
Does it need the internet?
Once, to unlock it with the code we email you. After that it checks in now and then and works offline in between.
Is there a manual?
Yes. The full manual explains every control, every preset and the menus, with tips. It opens from the help key (?) in the plugin's top bar, and lives at https://voxsamples.com/hissbox-cassette-effect-manual.
What if it's not for me?
Request a refund from your account within 90 days.
Founder's Story
"When COVID hit, I finally had time to dive into music production—only to discover I was missing the right tools. The plugins I tried were clunky, overloaded with unnecessary features, and killed my vibe with endless tweaking. I knew there had to be a better way.
So, with my engineering background, I started making free and simple audio plugins for my producer friends. They loved them! That’s when I set out on a mission to create plugins that save you time, streamline your workflow, and keep your creativity flowing."
- Ryan Svensson (Founder & CEO)
Every cassette sound you've heard. One insert.
Fresh or worn tape, steady or warped, a deck, a boombox or a pocket recorder, and a tape stop on the beat, at zero latency.
$42.55 AUDRegular price $141.86 AUD70% off
- 90-day money back
- Five computers
- Lifetime updates
Pairs with
Hissbox Cassette Effect
$42.55 AUDRegular price $141.86 AUD70% off