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Tattoo You: User Manual ​

Version 1.0.0 · Virtual Amplifier Simulation & Vintage FX Suite

Tattoo You Plugin GUI

Built by Stones Fans, for Guitarists:
Tattoo You was born from studying every nuance, session tape, and live track of the Rolling Stones' guitar sound in obsessive detail. Created by dedicated Stones fans and seasoned guitarists, it is designed so that you can simply plug in your guitar, turn up, and immediately be immersed in the legendary 1978–1981 tone — with all the touch sensitivity, punch, and swagger of the original records.

1. Design Philosophy: The 1978–1981 Golden Tube & FX Era ​

Tattoo You captures the definitive late '70s and early '80s studio and stage guitar sound of Keith Richards and the Rolling Stones. This era marked a historic sonic transition: moving from raw vintage tweed breakup to the high-headroom, cascaded-gain architecture of 100W 6L6 Mesa/Boogie tube heads paired with 1x12 Electro-Voice EVM-12L speakers and front-loaded analog modulation.

The Historic Timeline: 1978–1981 ​

  1. The Paris Sessions (1978 · Some Girls / Beast of Burden):
    At Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris, Keith introduced the iconic combination of compressed tube cleans, the liquid optical sweep of the Phase '78 (MXR Phase 100 style), and warm analog slapback tape echo — immortalized in the signature guitar textures of "Beast of Burden", "Miss You", and "Shattered".

  2. The Tropical Overdrive Era (1979–1980 · Emotional Rescue):
    Continuing between Paris and Compass Point Studios (Nassau), the rig evolved to handle tight funk-rock dynamics ("Emotional Rescue", "Dance Part 1"), biting reggae-rock skanks, and crunchy blues leads with unprecedented pick sensitivity and headroom.

  3. The Masterpiece Riff Power (1981 · Tattoo You):
    Assembled between Paris and Atlantic Studios (NYC), Tattoo You represents the zenith of this rig. The unforgettable rhythm crunch on "Start Me Up", the driving punch of "Little T&A", the greasy groove of "Slave", and the roaring aggression of "Hang Fire" and "Neighbours" stand as benchmark references for rock guitar tone.

👉 Read the full story: How the Stones Acquired the Mesa/Boogie Rigs (1978–1981) →

2. 3-Channel Neural Amplifier Architecture ​

Tattoo You features a 3-way channel selector covering the entire tonal spectrum of the vintage 100W 6L6 tube circuit:

Channel ModeTone CharacterIdeal Applications
CLEANPristine clean tone with natural tube compression, wide dynamic headroom and smooth, chimey highs.Rhythm chord balance ("Beast of Burden", "Tops"), funk chops, and soul ballads.
CRUNCHOrganic edge-of-breakup with a solid low-end body, punchy mids and immediate tactile response to pick attack.Iconic classic rock riffs ("Start Me Up", "Little T&A", "Hang Fire"), chord crunch, and blues rhythms.
LEADSearing high-gain tube saturation with rich harmonic sustain, liquid soloing feel and focused low end.Singing lead lines, heavy rock riffs, slide guitar ("Slave", "Neighbours"), and sustained soloing.

3. Signal Flow & Complete Control Guide ​

text
[ GUITAR INPUT ]
       │
       ▼
 [ ADAPTIVE NOISE GATE (-58 dB) ]
       │
       ▼
 [ PHASE '78 ]  ───►  [ SLAPBACK DELAY ]
       │
       ▼
 [ INPUT GAIN DRIVE ]
       │
       ▼
 [ ANALOG WAVESHAPER / LIMITER (-0.1 dBFS) ]
       │
       ▼
 [ 100W 6L6 NEURAL PREAMP (Clean / Crunch / Lead) ]
       │
       ▼
 [ 5-BAND GRAPHIC EQ ]  ───►  [ EVM-12L CABINET SIMULATION ]
       │
       ▼
 [ MASTER OUTPUT ]  ───►  [ STEREO OUT ]

1. Input Stage & Dynamic Protection ​

  • ADAPTIVE NOISE GATE: Situated at the very start of the pure instrument chain, automatically eliminating background noise, 50/60 Hz electromagnetic hum, and high-gain hiss without clipping long musical sustain (Ultra-fast 1.5ms attack, 35ms hold, 140ms natural release).
  • ANALOG WAVESHAPER / SOFT CLIPPER (-0.1 dBFS): Smooth hyperbolic tangent saturation placed directly before the NAM neural engine. Guarantees 100% linear transparency for normal playing while musical soft-limiting safeguards against digital overs and neural extrapolation artifacts.

2. Main Amplifier Controls ​

  • GAIN (Volume / Drive): Sets input signal drive into the amplifier (1.0 = -9 dB, 7.0 = 0 dB Unity Gain, 10.0 = +4.5 dB boost).
  • MASTER: Clean analog output volume (1.0 = -36 dB bedroom volume, 7.0 = 0 dB Unity Gain, 10.0 = +18 dB boost).
  • CHANNEL SELECTOR: 3-position rotary selector switching between CLEAN, CRUNCH, and LEAD.
  • STANDBY: Instant mute toggle for guitar changes and silent pauses.

2. 5-Band Graphic Equalizer ​

An authentic recreation of the classic Mesa active slider EQ with an independent EQ IN toggle and status LED:

  • 80 Hz (±12 dB): Deep sub-bass thump and cab resonance.
  • 240 Hz (±12 dB): Low-mid boxiness control. Cutting clears mud.
  • 750 Hz (±12 dB): Midrange punch and vocal bark.
  • 2200 Hz / 2.2 kHz (±12 dB): The attack frequency! Delivers pick snap and chord bite.
  • 6600 Hz / 6.6 kHz (±12 dB): Smooth air and chime characteristic of the EVM-12L speaker.

3. Stones '78 Vintage Dual FX Suite ​

Integrated directly before the preamp stage, replicating the exact pedalboard signal flow used on classic records:

Phase '78 (MXR Phase 100 Style Optical Phaser) ​

Recreates the signature optical modulation heard on "Beast of Burden", "Shattered", and "Slave" — providing a thick, hypnotic sweep that cut through the dual-guitar attack of Richards and Ronnie Wood.

  • PHASE '78 Toggle & Amber LED: Activates or bypasses the phaser with 0% CPU consumption.
  • SPEED (0.10 Hz to 8.00 Hz): Controls the LFO modulation rate with live dynamic numerical display.
  • INTENS (0% to 100%): Controls sweep depth and vocal resonance.

Slapback Delay (Analog Tape Echo) ​

Recreates the warm, single-repeat analog tape slapback echo set in the classic 110ms sweet spot.

  • DELAY Toggle & Red LED: Activates or bypasses the tape echo.
  • TIME (20 ms to 300 ms): Sets delay time with dynamic millisecond readout. Default: 110 ms (Keith's classic slapback sweet spot).
  • REPEATS (0% to 65%): Controls tape feedback.
  • MIX (0% to 50%): Controls wet/dry balance.

4. 1x12 EVM-12L Studio Cabinet Simulation ​

The 1x12 ported cabinet loaded with an authentic Electro-Voice EVM-12L 200W speaker delivers immense power handling, uncolored midrange articulation, and tight bass response. The CABINET selector offers 6 phase-coherent studio microphone placements plus a bypass option:

  1. SM57 SweetSpot: Shure SM57 on cap-edge — balanced attack, rich mids and solid punch.
  2. SM57 Warm: Shure SM57 on outer cone — deep lows, smooth highs and warm textures.
  3. SM57 Direct: Shure SM57 on center — razor-sharp articulation and immediate bite.
  4. SM57 BassPort: Shure SM57 on the front port — extended low-end thump (80–100 Hz).
  5. U87 Studio: Neumann U87Ai large diaphragm condenser — high fidelity, wide dynamic range and open 3D air.
  6. U87 Warm: Neumann U87Ai in warm zone — dense harmonic body without top-end harshness.
  7. Bypass IR: Disables internal cabinet simulation for pairing with external third-party IR loaders.

4. Recommended Track Presets & Dial-In Guides ​

Preset 1: "Start Me Up" / "Tattoo You Crunch" (Riff Power) ​

  • Channel: CRUNCH
  • Gain: 7.5 | Master: 7.5
  • 5-Band Graphic EQ: 80Hz: +1.5dB | 240Hz: -3.0dB | 750Hz: +2.5dB | 2.2kHz: +4.0dB | 6.6kHz: +2.0dB
  • Phase '78: OFF
  • Slapback Delay: OFF (or ON with Mix @ 12% for subtle studio room depth)
  • Cabinet: SM57 Warm (or SM57 SweetSpot)

Preset 2: "Beast of Burden" / "Shattered" (The Signature Liquid Phase Clean) ​

  • Channel: CLEAN
  • Gain: 7.0 | Master: 7.0
  • 5-Band Graphic EQ: 80Hz: 0dB | 240Hz: -2.0dB | 750Hz: +2.0dB | 2.2kHz: +3.0dB | 6.6kHz: +1.5dB
  • Phase '78: ON | Speed: 0.80 Hz | Intensity: 60%
  • Slapback Delay: ON | Time: 110 ms | Repeats: 20% | Mix: 25%
  • Cabinet: SM57 SweetSpot (or U87 Studio)

Preset 3: "Emotional Rescue" / "Dance Part 1" (Funk-Rock & Tight Groove) ​

  • Channel: CLEAN
  • Gain: 6.5 | Master: 8.0
  • 5-Band Graphic EQ: 80Hz: -1.0dB | 240Hz: -4.0dB | 750Hz: +1.0dB | 2.2kHz: +3.5dB | 6.6kHz: +3.0dB
  • Phase '78: ON | Speed: 1.20 Hz | Intensity: 40%
  • Slapback Delay: OFF
  • Cabinet: SM57 Direct

Preset 4: "Slave" / "Neighbours" (Singing Tube Lead & Solo) ​

  • Channel: LEAD
  • Gain: 8.0 | Master: 7.0
  • 5-Band Graphic EQ: 80Hz: +2.0dB | 240Hz: -1.5dB | 750Hz: +3.5dB | 2.2kHz: +3.0dB | 6.6kHz: +2.0dB
  • Slapback Delay: ON | Time: 140 ms | Repeats: 30% | Mix: 25%
  • Cabinet: SM57 Direct (or U87 Studio)

5. Technical Specifications & Platform Support ​

  • Plugin Formats: VST3 (64-bit), Standalone Application (.exe).
  • Operating Systems:
    • Windows: Windows 10 / Windows 11 (x64) — Available Now.
    • macOS: Universal Binary (Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3/M4 & Intel x64) / AU, VST3, Standalone — Coming Soon.
    • Linux: Ubuntu / Debian / Arch (VST3, CLAP, Standalone) — Coming Soon.
  • Processing Engine: Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) WaveNet Architecture + DSP Real-time Convolution.
  • Internal Audio Resolution: 64-bit double precision floating point processing.
  • Sample Rates Supported: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz.
  • Latency: Zero latency (0 samples) for live tracking and monitoring.
Questions, Feedback & Mix Sharing

Tattoo You was calibrated by guitarists for guitarists. If you have questions, feedback, or want to share tracks dialed in with Tattoo You, get in touch with us:

mainstaudiolabs@gmail.com