Hehehe ... my pet-topic! ;-) Thanks.
In VST-land, I still use Steinberg's old "Magneto", or SoundToys "Decapitator" (which I don't own myself, though). And of course there's the simple, but highly efficient "FAT"-mode in Vienna Suite's Compressor. :-)
In TDM / RTAS-land, my first call is CraneSong's "Phoenix" tape-simulation plugin. Works literally on everything. There's also McDSP's "Analog Channel" series.
Sometimes a bit of real distortion is indeed your friend, especially on drums / percussions. I don't know why, but I think Pro Tools' almost pre-historic "LoFi" can do wonders in this respect.
/Dietz - Vienna Symphonic Library