How to make a track sound vintage

[ls1xxx]

I am working on an 80s track and would like to know the production technique of making a track sound old and have a bit more warmth to it. I'm using all software synths and would like to know if there are other ones that accomplish this sound.

I would like to go from sounding like this:
https://youtu.be/RW8IUXZwSEA

To sounding like this!:
https://youtu.be/wK9i01ICm9I

[deastman]

First off, write a song in an authentic 80s style. I don’t hear many modern songs that pull that off, or maybe they don’t really want to. I hear a lot of songs which borrow stylistic and sonic hallmarks of the 80s, but at the same time remain too heavily informed by modern influences.

Beyond that, use instruments, sounds, and gear which are of the period. Mix your songs with an 80s aesthetic. Record it using 80s technology and techniques.

Point being, it isn’t simply a tape simulation effect throw on at the end of your mastering chain which will give your song that patina of authenticity. Every choice along the way contributes to the end result.

[BlackOctopus_Slade]

Everything the post says above me. And also just be certain you use creative saturation with modern tools that get you the sound of the yesteryears. I wrote an article on some great Saturation plugins actually for SonicScoop and Reverb.com you can read it below. But overall its going to be about using the same tools from around then. The question though is why would you want EXACTLY the exact retro sound? Why not use the VIBE from then but with a modern production angle? This is what I do with most projects as I produce and engineer many 80s artists that are current doing the sounds of the yesteryears, whether its Synthwave, Coldwave, Darkwave, Goth, Synthpop etc. - how I achieve this is using modern synths (such as Arturia) or even hardware synths used in the 80s, but then once in the DAW I process with more modern FX and mixing techniques to bring it a bit more current while retaining the 80s aesthetics - this is also good for the saturation use. Tape as mentioned above or Transformers are a must. This along with using Console plugins (such as SSL channels from Brainxworx) will get you that vibe and approach. Then mix to taste and the 80s were very bright in the master too. I actually never cared for that part of the 80s but keep that in mind when mixing and mastering.

Here is the saturation articles - one I did for Reverb.com and one for Sonic Scoop
Reverb article
https://reverb.com/news/how-to-use-satu ... your-mixes

SonicScoop
https://sonicscoop.com/2018/03/21/top-5 ... aturators/

[funky lime]

The second video just sounds like low quality cassette playback, with the frequency roll off, wow and flutter, reduced dynamics, etc. There are some good responses on this page about that.

... But really, in my dumb opinion, a lot of the work to getting a "vintage" sound is in the performance and arrangement. It's entirely possible to use all that same equipment and not sound very "80s" as we know it. In other words, if you don't write like Lionel Richie, no amount of plugins or period-accurate equipment will get you his sound.

[phoenixdenim45]

If you like your current mix, but just want that vibe you should just record it out to a cassette deck and bring it back into your DAW. Find an old boom box (that won't eat your tapes!). You could also dump individual tracks to a cassette 4 or 8-track and bring those back in to your DAW individually or even mix on the 4-track itself. I have a yamaha mt8x I've used for this process in the past. Since the tape speed is unreliable, depending on how you do it, your tracks can get out of sync. You can fix most of this in your DAW after you have them rerecorded, or that wonkiness may be exactly what you want! If your tape deck has varispeed you can tweak this while you are dumping your tracks back in to deliberately mess with the pitch/speed too.