d16 Group Nepheton 2, more TR-808 for the popular drum machine plugin

d16 Group Nepheton 2 is a major upgrade for its popular TR-808 drum machine plugin with new features, more sounds, and more.

Almost a month ago I reported on the announcement of the new Nepheton 2 plugin, the further development of the popular TR-808 emulation from d16 Group. They kept their promise. The plugin is available now, just before the end of the year.

It’s not an upgrade that makes it ground-breaking new, but d16 Group has leveled up his emulation with many new features and more, making it more powerful and versatile than v1.

d16 Group Nepheton 2

When you start the plugin, you immediately see the first big, positive news. The v1 interface, which was very cryptic to use, is history. d16 Group has redesigned the user interface to make it more easy to use. You get clear channel strips, a better usable sequencer, and more.

Also, part of the new UI is a better workflow, including a new organization of the 17 drum voices. They are now available in six categories: Kick, Snare/Hand Clap, Conga, Toms, Cymbals, and Percussive.

Then, you get new individual channel strips for each sound with built-in compression and EQ to shape and craft your drum sounds. A neat improvement compared to version 1.

Another new feature of the v2 upgrade is the two 5-slot multi-FX buses that are fully rearrangeable. So you can reorder the effects as you prefer. They include bit crusher, chorus, delay, and reverb effects.

There is also a solid upgrade for the master section. It now offers a multiband compressor and a limiter with a soft clip feature. This allows you to add the final touch to them.

Further, the step also got a level up. Besides its new interface, it comes with new creative features like flam, substep articulations, tap, and randomizer functions. You can also drag and drop MIDI patterns from the sequencer straight into your DAW. That’s a clever addition.

Lastly, the sequencer now has presets, allowing you to save your favorite patterns.

First Impression

A great update for the popular 808 emulation from d16 Group. The new features make sense and make Nepheton 2 more flexible. It’s a big plus for the new interface that improves the workflow, turning the plugin into a more pleasing experience.

D16 Group Nepeheton 2 is available now for an introductory price of 69€ instead of 119€. Also available at Plugin Boutique with a free plugin on top during December 2023. Existing customers of Nepeheton 1 can upgrade for 29€ to Nepeheton 2. Check your account for the coupon.

Available at my partner

Plugin B.

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Article From November 10, 2023

There have been many reasons to write about D16 over the last few months. First, they released a big upgrade for its Roland SH-101 emulation on steroids, the LuSH-101. This in form of a new version called LuSH-2.

Then, at the end of summer (September), Drumazon 2 came out, a complete overhaul of its beloved TR-909 emulation plugin. Lots of d16 Group news. The Black Friday sale and the year is over. Well, not. they will also publish a major upgrade for its TR-808 plugin Nepheton this year.

Teaser

The 808 day is already over, but that doesn’t stop the developers from releasing the Nepheton 2 plugin. According to d16 Group, they will release it in Q4 2023, so November or December.

The developers have not yet published the list of new features. However, they have released two teaser videos on social media that give a brief insight into the new version, including some sounds.

d16 Group says Nepeton 2 will have new features, vast factory content, and more. Little information, but the videos show some of the new features.

You can see that the plugin gets a new, modern interface. Well, logical as the old one was difficult to use. There is also the pumped-up sequencer that has already found a home in the new Drumazon 2 plugin.

Nepethon 2 will also have a better sound routing system. This includes a bus-based multi-effects processor you can check out in the video. It has five slots and different algorithms: chorus, reverb, dynamics, bit-crusher, EQ, and more.

I’m looking forward to all the new features. So far it looks very good.