STAIRWELL — Free Tape Delay Plugin (VST3, Windows)
STAIRWELL is a free tape delay plugin for Windows 10/11 (64-bit), delivered as a VST3 and a standalone app. It behaves like a tape machine rather than an equation: time changes glide, repeats darken and saturate as they recirculate, and a DUST control adds wow, flutter and crackle to the loop. It has tempo sync, true ping-pong, ducking and self-oscillation past 100 percent feedback. It is part of BSMT.DSP, the free suite by Dr.dawgOG from Anand, Gujarat.
What STAIRWELL does
A digital delay repeats a sound perfectly. A tape delay degrades it a little every pass, and that decay is what makes tape echo sound musical under vocals and dusty under drums. STAIRWELL models the behavior, not just the tone. Change the delay time while it plays and the pitch of the repeats glides the way tape speeding up or slowing down would. Each repeat comes back darker and slightly more saturated than the last, so long feedback settings sink into the mix instead of piling up.
DUST adds the mechanical flaws: wow and flutter wobble the pitch of the loop and crackle sits in the repeats. True ping-pong alternates repeats hard left and right even when the source is mono, with a SEP control to set how wide the bounce goes. Tempo sync locks the time to your grid, ducking keeps the repeats out of the way while the source is playing, and past 100 percent feedback STAIRWELL self-oscillates for dub-style runaway echoes.
Tape delay on rap vocals and beats
The classic vocal move is a dotted-eighth or quarter-note delay with feedback around 30 percent and ducking engaged: the words stay clean and the echoes fill the space between lines. For ad-libs and hook ends, push the feedback and ride the time control so the repeats glide up into a scream, then let SLINGSHOT do it with one pad if you want it on demand.
On beats, STAIRWELL is a texture tool. A short slap delay with heavy DUST on a sampled horn or vocal chop gives it that old-record wobble; a ping-pong eighth note on a hi-hat pattern widens a mono loop without a chorus. It runs in FL Studio, Ableton Live, Reaper, Studio One, Cubase and Bitwig on Windows as a VST3.
How to use STAIRWELL
- Insert STAIRWELL on a send or directly on the track and sync the time to a musical division, such as a dotted eighth.
- Raise feedback until the repeats sit where you want them; they will darken naturally as they recirculate.
- Turn on ducking for vocals so the echoes only bloom in the gaps, and set SEP if you want the ping-pong wide.
- Add DUST for wow, flutter and crackle, and automate the time control for tape-style pitch glides.
STAIRWELL features
- Tape-style glide when delay time changes
- Repeats that darken and saturate cumulatively with feedback
- DUST control for wow, flutter and crackle
- True ping-pong on mono sources with a SEP width control
- Tempo sync, ducking and self-oscillation past 100 percent feedback
- VST3 and standalone for Windows 10/11 64-bit, free with no signup
STAIRWELL vs the alternatives
How STAIRWELL compares with the free and paid tape delay plugins producers usually shortlist. The row for STAIRWELL is highlighted.
| Plugin | Price | Windows formats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| STAIRWELL (BSMT.DSP) | Free, no signup | VST3, standalone | Tape glide, cumulative darkening, DUST, true ping-pong, ducking, self-oscillation |
| TapeDSP Tape Echo | Free | VST3 | Straightforward free tape echo model |
| Valhalla Supermassive | Free | VST2, VST3, AAX | Massive modulated delays and reverbs; not a tape model |
| Soundtoys EchoBoy | Paid (around USD 199 list) | VST2, VST3, AAX | Paid anchor for tape and analog echo styles |
Prices are vendor list prices as seen in August 2026. Formats listed for Windows only.
STAIRWELL specs
| Plugin | STAIRWELL (tape delay) |
| Category | TIME & SPACE |
| Price | Free. No account, no email, no trial, no watermark. |
| Formats | VST3 (64-bit) and a standalone app |
| Operating system | Windows 10 / Windows 11, 64-bit. macOS build in progress (the download button switches when it ships). |
| Works in | FL Studio, Ableton Live, Reaper, Studio One, Cubase, Bitwig and any other VST3 host on Windows |
| Installer | One BSMT.DSP installer for all 27 plugins; tick the ones you want. It detects and updates older versions in place. |
| Version | Shown on the download button, fetched live from the releases repository. |
| Developer | Dr.dawgOG (BSMT.DSP), Anand, Gujarat, India |
| Support the project | buymeacoffee.com/dawgog (optional) |
STAIRWELL FAQ
What is the difference between a tape delay and a digital delay?
A digital delay repeats the signal exactly. A tape delay loses a little high end and gains a little saturation on every repeat, and its pitch wobbles with the transport. STAIRWELL models those behaviors, including pitch glides when you change the time, so the echoes sound like a machine rather than a copy-paste.
How do I set up a vocal delay throw?
Put STAIRWELL on a send, sync it to a quarter or dotted eighth, raise feedback and turn on ducking. Automate the send level up on the last word of a line so it echoes into the gap. For a one-pad version of the same move, use SLINGSHOT, the free ad-lib throw plugin in the same suite.
Can STAIRWELL self-oscillate?
Yes. Push feedback past 100 percent and the loop keeps building on its own until you pull it back, which is how dub echo runaways and transition risers are made.
Is STAIRWELL free with no signup?
Correct. STAIRWELL is fully free and comes in the BSMT.DSP installer from GitHub Releases. There is no account, no email gate and no trial.
Does STAIRWELL work in FL Studio and Ableton Live?
Yes. It is a 64-bit VST3 for Windows 10/11 and loads in FL Studio, Ableton Live, Reaper, Studio One, Cubase, Bitwig and any other VST3 host, with a standalone app installed too.
Install, SmartScreen and Mac questions are answered on the BSMT.DSP suite FAQ.
More from BSMT.DSP
See all 27 free BSMT.DSP plugins, the guide to mixing rap vocals with free plugins, and the list of free alternatives to paid vocal plugins. Need the vocal mixed by the person who built these? Mixing and mastering is open.