But it certainly does something quite pleasant to the sound. You can't actually choose the deck, tape, or bias settings, but you can choose the tape speed and eq curve. And you can adjust the input and record levels to get exactly the saturation effects you're after. You can also dial in extra warmth, and if you're so inclined, some of that tape hiss that is hardly missed. Tape Simulator is very effective on material you want to compress ever so slightly.
Thin guitars get an instant bulking up.
Harsh digital sounds can be rounded out and made generally more pleasant. I love it. But it's a reverb with some neat tricks up its sleeve. Audio FX 3 lets you design the room being created from the ground up. You set the size, shape, and ceiling height.