The 2hp Tape Stop is a compact, clock-syncable tape slow-down effect. On paper it looks simple, but in a modular patch it can become a rhythmic pitch-drop generator, transient mangler, pseudo-glitch sequencer, and atmospheric smear tool.
From the manual:
This means the core modulation targets are:
Tape Stop is not just an effect; it is basically a temporary, nonlinear pitch and time collapse. Every trigger creates a falling-speed event. The sound you get depends on:
Send clocks, gates, Euclidean patterns, ratchets, burst generators, or probabilistic triggers into TRIG IN.
Result: - repeated tape drags - pitched-down attacks - rhythmic stutters - stop-start motion synced to groove
The Lag CV input is the real secret. Modulating it with: - stepped random - envelopes - synced LFOs - sequencers - burst CV - sample and hold
lets every tape stop have a different duration and character.
Result: - unpredictable fills - bass phrases that “bend” differently on every note - pads that feel unstable and ghostly
Patch a master clock to CLOCK so the Lag positions become musically related note values.
Result: - cleaner rhythmic performance - repeatable drops - tempo-locked tape movement for dubstep/drum and bass grooves
Try Tape Stop: - after distortion - before distortion - before a filter - after a VCA - inside a feedback loop - on a send/return - parallel with dry signal
This changes whether the pitch-drop feels: - smooth - violent - metallic - smeared - broken - huge
Booting into 50/50 mode makes Tape Stop much more flexible for: - layered basses - pads - punchy drums that still keep their attack - pseudo-flanging/comb-like interactions between dry and slowing signal
For sound design, I’d strongly recommend trying this first.
For the most interesting results, feed Lag CV from:
Even if not specifically from 2hp, Tape Stop loves: - distortion / wavefolder / bitcrusher - filter with resonance - VCA - envelope follower - clock divider / multiplier - sequential switch - delay / reverb - sampler / looper - parallel mixer
Tape Stop can turn percussion into crushed, dragging, broken impacts. The trick is to use it not just as a full stop, but as a micro-pitch-envelope destroyer.
Each trigger makes the drum pitch and tail sag downward, like: - tape machine braking - overdriven speaker collapse - digital buffer malfunction
Instead of a normal flam, the second transient gets “reeled down” in pitch/time, producing: - metallic crunches - falling snare tails - broken vinyl-stop fills
Run a resonant bandpass filter after Tape Stop and sweep it slightly. This emphasizes different parts of the slowed noise and can sound like: - industrial hits - tortured cymbal bends - biomechanical percussion
You get hats that seem to: - inhale - buckle - pitch dive - smear into gritty reverse-like wisps
This is excellent for: - neurofunk tops - broken beat textures - post-drop fills
Instead of processing individual drums, route: - kick + snare + hats submix → Tape Stop
Then trigger Tape Stop from: - a sparse trigger pattern - a burst generator at transition points - manual button presses during performance
Whole drum loops buckle together, which sounds more like: - DJ brake - broken reel-to-reel - brutal transition fill
Use latching mode so one press starts the stop and another releases it. Great for live “oh no the mix is dying” moments.
This is where Tape Stop gets especially good. Because it imposes a downward pitch-time effect on already aggressive material, it can create bass movement that sounds impossible to get from oscillators alone.
Feed Tape Stop with harmonically rich material: - wavetable bass - FM bass - reese bass - distorted sine/saw - sample playback - filtered noise layer mixed with bass
Then use short, rhythmic triggers and modulated Lag.
Instead of classic filter wobble, the bass line gets: - sudden downward dips - braked note endings - staggered “falling speaker cone” movement
This gives a very modern: - dubstep stutter-drop - halftime bass choke - drum and bass phrase punctuation
Modulate Lag CV from a sequencer row so each note has a different brake length.
For example: - step 1 = instant - step 2 = 32nd - step 3 = 8th - step 4 = quarter
That gives bass phrasing that feels animated and vocal.
The reese suddenly droops and tears downward in pitch, causing moving phase relationships to collapse in an ugly, beautiful way.
This can create: - neurofunk-like tearing - huge drop transitions - sick “engine braking” bass gestures
Put chorus/phaser before Tape Stop, then distortion after Tape Stop.
The modulation gets frozen and bent during the slowdown, making the reese feel alive and unstable.
Even if pitch stays mostly constant at the oscillator, each Tape Stop event creates a different downward contour. So the bassline feels sequenced even when the note content is simple.
Because dry and wet overlap, the slowing signal rubs against the unchanged original, creating: - phasey grind - comb-like tearing - dual-pitch growl - spectral choking
This is one of the best tricks in the whole module for bass design.
Mult the source: - one copy dry to mixer - one copy through Tape Stop - pan or EQ them differently
Then automate Tape Stop only on the wet chain.
The bass repeatedly brakes and re-grabs, creating frantic: - machine-gun tape dives - collapsing phrase endings - DJ-stop fills - glitch stammers
Very effective before returning to a straight groove.
Bass → filter → Tape Stop
Bass → Tape Stop → filter
Bass → Tape Stop → distortion
Tape Stop is also excellent for ambient and cinematic work. If you stop thinking of it as a special effect and start thinking of it as a time-bending modulation layer, it becomes a pad haunting machine.
Your drone blooms, then slumps downward into spectral shadow. The reverb catches the slowing harmonics and turns them into: - ghost tails - sinking choirs - decayed tape memory - haunted cassette ambience
Tape Stop before reverb usually sounds more atmospheric than after.
The dry pad stays stable while the wet layer drags and sags underneath it, creating: - detuned shadows - melancholic pitch droop - blurred memory effect - “the tape is dying” texture
This is incredibly effective for dark ambient and cinematic intros.
Huge synchronized sinking motions that feel like the whole harmonic bed is slowly falling away. Great for: - intro sections - breakdowns - dark liquid DnB transitions - soundtrack atmospheres
Instead of one obvious stop, you get lots of tiny temporal pitch dips that smear into a granular-feeling texture: - fluttering shadows - degraded tape chorus - spectral shiver
The slowed material accumulates in the effects tail and feedback path, causing: - sinking harmonic residue - frozen-like decays - eerie unstable resonances
Use caution with feedback, but this can produce very unique haunted environments.
Use: - trigger sequencer - burst generator - clock divider - stepped random to Lag CV - accent envelope to Lag CV
You want short, rhythmic, sharply contrasting stop times.
Use: - sequencer row to Lag CV - offbeat gate pattern to Trig - clock multiplier/divider at CLOCK - manual button for fills - velocity/accent CV into Lag CV
You want repeatable but animated pitch-drop phrases.
Use: - slow random voltages - long LFOs - sparse probabilistic triggers - very slow external clock divisions - manual latching mode
You want irregular, evolving temporal collapse rather than obvious rhythmic effect.
The manual specifies -5V to +5V for Lag CV. If your system allows it, try feeding: - oscillator - fast LFO - chaotic CV
into Lag CV.
You may get unusual, unstable behavior depending on the internal response of the module. It may not track “cleanly,” but that’s often the point.
Potential result: - sputtering tape lengths - unstable glitch edges - bizarre transient warping
Use an envelope follower or comparator on incoming audio to trigger Tape Stop only when the source exceeds a threshold.
This makes Tape Stop react dynamically to: - loud drum hits - bass accents - performance intensity
Result: - responsive, semi-self-playing destruction
Feed multiple different trigger sources into a switch, then route the selected one to Tape Stop TRIG.
Example sources: - straight 8ths - ratchets - random gates - manual gate button
Result: - evolving rhythmic braking styles without changing your main patch
In latching mode, one trigger starts the tape stop and another ends it.
Try: - starting a long stop right before a drop - letting the signal sink into near-failure - releasing it exactly on the 1
This is especially effective on: - drum buses - reese basses - pad swells - transitions
Instead of inserting it inline: - mult source - dry path to mixer - wet path through Tape Stop - optionally through extra distortion/filter/reverb
Then blend manually or with VCAs.
This gives much more control and often sounds bigger than the insert approach.
Sound: collapsing, tearing kick tail with brutal texture.
Sound: vocal, choking, dual-pitch bass phrases.
Sound: tearing reese with sudden engine-brake dive.
Sound: fading memory, unstable harmonic shadow, ghostly ambience.
Sound: whole groove buckles and snaps back dramatically.
The front panel Trig button is a real performance weapon: - tap it for sudden DJ-stop gestures - hold it in momentary mode for manual “slow and release” - use latching mode for big transitions
The Lag knob defines whether the effect is: - a tiny pitch dip - a rhythmic brake - a dramatic collapse - a long ambient sink
Sweeping this in performance is often more musical than static settings.
Tape Stop is very characterful. A few strategically placed events often sound better than constant triggering, especially in bass music.
Best settings: - clocked - short lag - random or accent-based lag CV - distortion before and/or after
Best settings: - clocked - sequenced lag CV - syncopated trig pattern - 50/50 mode - rich harmonic bass input
Best settings: - long lag - sparse triggers - slow random lag CV - reverb after Tape Stop - 50/50 mode or parallel mixing
The 2hp Tape Stop is most interesting when you stop treating it like a one-shot novelty and start using it as a rhythmic pitch-collapse modulator.
If you want: - distorted percussion, use short clocked stops on transient-heavy material and vary Lag per hit - dubstep/DnB basslines, sequence the Lag CV and trigger the module selectively for choked, falling bass phrases - haunting pads, use long sparse triggers with 50/50 mode and huge reverb after the module
The big unlock is this:
Trig creates the event, Lag defines the contour, Clock makes it musical, and signal-chain placement determines whether it sounds smooth, violent, or spectral.