D16 - Nepheton 2

Nepheton 2 is D16's emulation of the Roland TR-808, a drum machine plugin for hip hop, electro, techno, trap and anything else built on that boom. It's a full rebuild of the original Nepheton, with mixer-style channel strips, two effects buses, a proper master section and a far more capable sequencer.

The sound

The 808 flopped when it came out in 1980, and the second-hand units that followed ended up defining electro, Miami bass and most of hip hop. Nepheton 2 recreates all of it: the long, decaying kick that sits under everything, the hissy snare, the claps, the cowbell nobody can resist. Each voice gets extra controls beyond the original, so the kick can be stretched into a sub bass or tightened right up for faster tempos.

Mixer and effects

Every instrument has its own channel strip with EQ, filtering and dynamics, and can be sent to either of two FX bus chains (bitcrusher, distortion, reverb, delay, chorus, dynamics, EQ and filters) or straight to the master. The master section adds a three-band compressor and a limiter with soft clipping, so a pattern can leave the plugin already glued together.

Sequencer

Patterns can be programmed on the grid, tapped in from the screen or a pad controller, or thrown up by the randomiser. Per-step flams and substeps make rolls and ghost notes easy, accent levels are adjustable, and finished patterns drag straight into your DAW as MIDI.

Verdict

If you want an 808 that behaves like an 808 but slots into a modern mix without a pile of extra plugins, this is just the ticket.

Features

• Emulation of all the TR-808 voices, with extra sound controls
• Per-instrument channel strips with EQ, filter and dynamics
• Two FX bus chains: bitcrusher, distortion, reverb, delay, chorus, dynamics, EQ, filters
• Master section with 3-band compressor and soft-clip limiter
• Sequencer with per-step flams and substeps
• Tap recording from screen or MIDI pad controller
• Pattern randomiser
• Drag-and-drop MIDI export
• Pattern triggering by MIDI note, MIDI CC or GUI
• Audible trigger outputs and editable MIDI drum map
• Over 1,200 factory presets and patterns
• Several UI sizes, HiDPI support, MIDI Learn

System requirements

• Version: 2.0.3
• Windows: Windows 7 or newer, Intel or AMD x86. VST2, VST3, AAX (32 or 64-bit host)
• Mac: Mac OS X 10.13 to macOS 26, Intel or Apple Silicon (native). VST2, VST3, AU, AAX (64-bit host only)
• Sample rate: 44.1 kHz or higher
• Plugin only, not a standalone program. A host application is needed

SOUND7 is an authorised D16 Group reseller. Digital delivery: licence activation code sent by email.

Demo