WatKat
Key Features
- Authentic emulation of the Wem Watkins Custom Copicat tape echo with all its lo-fi quirks and imperfections
- Three independent playback heads offering different delay times that can be combined for complex echo patterns
- Realistic tape degradation including incomplete erasure, motor flutter, head grime, and increasing background hum
- Swell and Sustain controls for shaping repeat volume and feedback behavior
- Separate left and right channel gain controls for stereo input balancing
- MIDI Learn functionality for mapping parameters to external hardware controllers
- Extremely lightweight on CPU and memory resources
Description
WatKat by GSi is a digital emulation of the legendary Wem Watkins "Custom" Copicat, one of the most iconic tape echo machines in British music history. Created as a tribute to Charlie Watkins, the inventor who shaped the sound of countless 1960s and 70s recordings, this plugin faithfully reproduces every quirk and imperfection of the original hardware.
The Copicat was famous for its lo-fi, unpredictable character, and WatKat captures that beautifully. The tape never fully erases, the capstan motor flutters and worsens when bumped, and the playback heads accumulate grime that colors the repeats with gritty texture.
Three selectable playback heads provide different delay times, and each can be switched on independently or combined for complex rhythmic patterns. The Swell control adjusts repeat volume while Sustain sets the feedback amount, and separate Gain knobs for left and right channels allow stereo input balancing.
Users praise WatKat for its authentic vintage grit, describing it as unpredictable and wonderfully dirty. The background hum increases over time just like the real unit, and leaving the virtual tape loaded causes periodic pitch drops near the capstan, adding organic movement to every echo trail.
The plugin runs with minimal CPU and memory overhead and includes a MIDI Learn feature for hands-on control. It is available as a VST plugin for Windows and as both VST and Audio Unit for macOS.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does WatKat produce background noise and hum?
The noise and hum are intentional and replicate the behavior of the original Wem Watkins Copicat hardware. The real unit generated increasing hum as it heated up, and the tape was never fully erased between passes. There is no built-in noise reduction control, so WatKat is best suited for productions that embrace lo-fi character.
What are the three playback heads and how do they affect the sound?
Each of the three heads (Head 1, Head 2, Head 3) reads the tape at a different position, producing a different delay time. You can enable any combination of heads simultaneously to create multi-tap echo patterns with varying rhythmic complexity.
Does WatKat work in 64-bit DAWs?
The Windows version is a 32-bit VST plugin, so it requires a 32-bit bridge or wrapper to run in 64-bit DAW hosts. The macOS version includes both VST and Audio Unit formats and supports Universal Binary for broader compatibility.
How does WatKat compare to GSi's newer VariSpeed plugin?
Both are Copicat emulations from GSi, but they model different hardware units. WatKat emulates the older Custom Copicat with its dirtier, more lo-fi character, while VariSpeed models the later IC-400 Belt Drive model with variable speed control and a somewhat cleaner tone.
