My 2 cents, save the hassle and keep using a plugin
I use Slate's VTM on a lot of stuff and I have the plugin set to default to no analog tape noise(assume J37 has a way to do this too). Try that with a real tape deck
. A couple of years ago, a friend found tapes from a band he was in way back when. He had it baked and transferred to digital by an experienced pro(we have a few of these in Nashville
) and brought it to me to remix. The first thing that slapped me in the head was how much tape hiss there was
Its easy to wax nostalgic about analog gear(and I love it as much as anyone), but the most important thing for getting a great mix is you
A great song and a great performance rules the day(the mix mostly needs to not get in the way).