Tony, I feel you. Also, anybody who has that much reverence for Bob Katz ... well ... you know where I'm going with that.
Here's my initial thoughts:
First off, tape has better transient response. No pre-ringing. That's always the first thing I notice when I record to tape. It sounds more 3D. As soon as you put that through converters, you lose that. This is why if I'm going to record to tape, I leave it there.
Now, where this and CLASP come into play is using tape as a flavorizer. Why would you want to do that? Well, simply put, compared to analog, digital can sound a little boring. This is why I use the Phoenix on certain things like OHs, vocals, or other stuff that needs s little fuzz on it.
Now, would I ever think to myself that this plug-in makes my machine obsolete? No way. But, I can certainly see how this will make my ITB mixes more pleasing to my ears, and will make my life easier as far as getting the sound I'm after.
That's aways been the thing for me ITB. I can get it to sound pretty goddamn good, but it takes more steps than a console mix. It's like CISC v. RISC. If this makes it easier, then I'm all for it.
And trust me, I prefer to my OTB, but the reality of today's clients is expectations of endless recalls and tweaks, and for that fact alone, until I'm getting $5,000 and a point per mix, I'm going to learn to do outstanding mixes ITB.