D16 Nepheton 2 is coming

[stash98]

Sounds and looks awesome. This one is gonna be great.

I'm curious. How are you guys using these drum machines in your setups? Do you sequence externally from the plugin or program the beats into the plugin and trigger changes externally?

I have a template with all my hardware routed in, and the D16 909 and 808 loaded in init mode with all the audio already routed out separately. Internal sequencer set to off. I group each machine to keep the session looking simple.

I bought these because they are the closest I have found to the analog sound of triggering a raw 909 into the mixer. Drumazon is just incredibly easy to process and mix, it sounds so good. Compared to the Roland emulations, I think D16s is a little warmer. When I tighten the decay on the sounds, they respond in a more organic manner to me.

Nepheton is impressing me too. It's not a dead on 808, but it's kick tightens up so well, and I love the snare. I don't have a huge problem with the hats either. The cowbell is great, I always check that sound for authenticity. Plus you can run out every sound at once, which gives an advantage over the real machine.

The combo of both of these drums is enough to do about anything I need. The only sounds I look for outside of these are tweakable blips and blops like from a Syncussion, and that's come in via hardware so I can easily tweak the sounds.

Fantastic combo, imo. It really gives me that hardware setup, where I'm firing up the classic Rolands and getting to work right away, and not dealing with tons of processing..eqing..etc to get it how I want.

[Teksonik]

Sorry to necro this thread but is my memory failing or wasn't Nepheton 2 supposed to publish it's note names to the DAW? Like:

Note Names.png

[pekbro]

So heavy on the cpu this thing, another pass on the upgrade for me. Even for cheap.

[robindrieghe]

Sorry to necro this thread but is my memory failing or wasn't Nepheton 2 supposed to publish it's note names to the DAW? Like:


Note Names.png

same in drumazon ...VERY inconvenient.

[Echoes in the Attic]

Sorry to necro this thread but is my memory failing or wasn't Nepheton 2 supposed to publish it's note names to the DAW? Like:

Note Names.png

There was a time when I saw the drum names in Bitwig with V1 and then they disappeared. I don't know if something changed in Bitwig or these plugins but I did see them long ago.

Do all hosts support note names? Does Ableton? Haven't even tried.

[Teksonik]

There was a time when I saw the drum names in Bitwig with V1 and then they disappeared. I don't know if something changed in Bitwig or these plugins but I did see them long ago.
Do all hosts support note names? Does Ableton? Haven't even tried.

That must be it, my memory is of V1 but I could swear there was talk about this being added or fixed in V2 but I guess not. Sucks being old.

I know that FL Studio and Waveform Pro do support note names and both show the names on the notes themselves. I don't own Ableton and have pretty much given up on all the other DAWs I own.

Note Names 2.png

[Daru925]

In ableton, you can name chains with drumrack.
So the trick is to create a preset where drumrack will feed the midi notes to drumazon nepheton etc.
If you just want midi trough drumrack, put samples or external instruments in each pad you need BUT then delete said instrument.
The drumpad is now called a chain and you can trigger it, rename it and send midi through it.
Iirc, it can be used to trigger fx too, but the process slightly differs.
After that, disable the sequencer in drumazon/nepheton, then in ableton set the channel in IN mode and set it to receive the midi from drumrack.
Don't know if its a hack but it works.

[Randall P. McMurphy]

You can also do this all in one instrument in Ableton if you make the drum rack ^^^ with the blank slots that have names (just put a utility or something on each cell and then name it correctly, kick, tom, etc), then group that drum rack into an instrument rack and put the Nepheton plugin as a second instrument in the rack. When you go to write midi the note names will still be labelled because of the drum rack but the midi flows to both the empty rack and the plugin. No need for separate tracks or midi routing.

[tumface]

Here are my pre-made racks which do exactly that. One for Drumazon 2, and one for Nepheton 2. I've also put the MIDI mappings in a sensible note order.

Nepheton and Drumazon racks.zip

Screen Shot 2025-06-18 at 22.47.54.png

[Teksonik]

Or the developer could just make the plugin publish its note names to the DAW. Even the €99 Speedrum 2 publishes its note names.

Eliminates the need for the end user to find workarounds.

What surprises me is that even Battery 4 which has been out for what seems like a hundred years does not publish its note names.

Oh well, some developers get it, some don't.

[Teksonik]

Ok I just found this from Feb 2009 when I first brought up the issue and Sebastian's response was:

"I wanted let You know, we've just included that functionality into core of our drum machines and it'll be available within the next update. In host mode piano roll shows pattern' names and in external mode names of instruments".

https://d16.pl/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1608

I just checked and the original version of Nepheton does indeed send note names or pattern names depending on what mode is selected.

However it appears this function was removed in Nepheton 2 or at least I don't see a way to turn it on in the options menu. Perhaps they removed it for some technical issue.

I just posted a request on the D-16 forums for this feature to be added again or instructions on how to get it working in Nepheton 2 if the feature still exists so we'll see how it goes....