Tugrulakyuz TugPhonon is a new free tape delay plugin inspired by the legendary Phonogène by Pierre Schaeffer and Jacques Poullin.
TugPhonon is a lovely free experimental tape delay based on the Phonogène by Pierre Schaeffer and Jacques Poullin. Version 1.3 is out now with numerous new features.
After updating the plugin, you’ll notice the redesigned user interface. It now has a dark neon theme, and each tab features its own accent color. Looks better to me.
TugPhonon 1.3
Update 1.3 adds an independent EQ section to each head for precise tone shaping. A new offset feature of the LFO allows you to offset the LFO phase between heads to unlock wider spatial and rhythmic possibilities.
The pivot and skew of the heads have also been improved. Pivot now uses a physical string model, and the range of the Skew parameter has been increased to allow exponential and continuous movement.
Also, the L and R offsets are improved and are now independent per head, offering full stereo-width control.
Tugrulakyuz also added in TugPhonon 1.3 new MIDI distribution modes, allowing you to choose how MIDI notes are assigned across 8 heads (round-robin, pitch-sorted, and polyphonic).
The new update also brings support for ODDSound MTS-ESP and smoother modulation, including waveform crossfades, smooth random waveforms, and more.
Great: the UI window is now fully resizable, and the UI layout scales accordingly. Both the spectrum analyzer and oscilloscope are now visible in the interface, which is also handy. Plus other additions and changes:
- PANIC Button: Clears stuck notes, resets resonators and ring mod, and silences runaway feedback.
- Loop Feedback Control: Feedback is now an explicit, dedicated control.
- Presets: Preset browser now includes categories, with an identical structure on macOS and Windows.
A great update for the free transformative tape delay plugin.
The new tugrulakyuz TugPhonon 1.3 update is available as a free download. It runs as a VST3 and AU plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel), Linux Ubuntu, and Windows.
More information here: tugrulakyuz
Article from April 20, 2026
Pierre Schaeffer is one of the great pioneers of electronic music. He began manipulating sounds in new ways as early as the 1950s. Together with Jacques Poullin from Canada, he developed the first multi-headed tape instrument. 60 years after this, Make Noise has paid tribute with the eponymous Eurorack module.
Tugrulakyuz, who has already given us some very experimental plugins, has now developed TugPhonon, a free tape delay plugin that also pays tribute to the concept of this legendary tape instrument.
tugrulakyuz TugPhonon
TugPhonon is a modern software recreation of the legendary rotating magnetic disk delay machines pioneered by Jacques Poullin and Pierre Schaeffer at GRM Paris in 1951. Tugrulakyuz describes it as a sound transformation instrument rather than a simple delay.
Like the original hardware, it consists of eight independent playback heads/virtual magnetic disks that spin continuously, each reading from a different point in time. Each playhead has its own delay, volume, pan, and feedback settings.
TugPhonon not only replicates the concept of the Phongène but also extends it. It features eight distinct types of physical modeling resonators per head: Karplus-Strong, Comb, Bell, Pipe, Marimba, Beam, and Membrane.
They are based on real acoustic physics, such as Bessel functions, Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, and measured bell partial ratios.
More FXs
Alongside these, you have an FX tap with adjustable tremolo and ring modulation per head as well as an LFO with multiple waveforms. The latter can be applied to the individual head positions.
Part of the FX tab is also a bandpass filter with classic controls and a built-in tape saturation to add character and crunch to your tapes.
Once you have configured your head settings, you can set the tape loop length and choose between free-running and synced loops. Plus, you can add a spread to control how far apart the eight heads are on the disk, giving you different results.
For example, at 0, all heads read the same position, creating an unison or phase effect. The results are more unique when dialing in values in between the 0 and 1 limit, giving you all kinds of comb-filtering and echo results.
You can save all these parameters as patches in the preset system of tugrulakyuz TugPhonon. According to the developer, you create a wide range of tape delays but also heavy transformative effects, including granular-like textures or spectral manglings.
First Impression
A very exciting free plugin that Tug offers to all those who have a Mac and Windows system. Compared to the other dozens of free delays, this one certainly stands out due to its unusual and experimental sound design possibilities.
tugrulakyuz TugPhonon is available now as a free download. It runs as a VST3 and AU plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel), and Windows.
More information here: tugrulakyuz
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