waveTracing SP950 effect plugin: SP1200 & S950 combination
by waveTracing   29th April 2020

Features:

• Faithful SP sound emulation
• Combined RPM/detune slider.
• Akai* S950 filter emulation.
• Multiple LCD color schemes.
• HiDPI / Retina compatible.
• Free updates.
• VST3 / AU for Mac and PC
• Easy serial registration.

Detune

If you are familiar with the E-mu SP-1200* workflow, you know the way the device is typically used is with a pitched-up source such as a turntable playing a LP record at 45RPM or 78RPM, and a detune after sampling in the SP-1200* to get back to the original pitch and duration. This was initially done to save sampling time, but the resulting artifacts soon became the signature of the device, and of whole musical trend.

This is exactly what the SP950 effect plugin intends to reproduce in a single slider: the RPM/detune slider combines the pitch of the source (markings on the left side, in RPM relative to 33 and in factors) with the detune of the SP (semitons value on the LCD) to compensate each other. The result is a constant duration and pitch output, with varying detune aliasing and bandwidth artifacts.

Filter

Another well-known workflow is the combination of the SP and an Akai* S950 low-pass filter to isolate a bass line. The digitally-controlled analog 6th-order Butterworth low-pass filter of the Akai* S950 is reproduced here for that purpose, as well as the possibility to mitigate some high-frequency detune artifacts.
The filter can be set from 0 to 99 like in the original S950. The filter is defeated when set to 99 (bypass).

Interface

The minimalist interface is fully compatible with HiDPI/Retina displays for crisp rendering. The LCD color scheme can be chosen among 6 presets using the small button on the right of the LCD. Beside aesthetic considerations, this serves as a visual clue to differentiate multiple plugin instances inside a project.

Bought.

20 bucks? More than worth a shot! Great features, let's check the sound.

First one to complain about aliasing loses!

Demo download ?

Hows it sound? Anyone compared to Inophonik RX950?

https://www.inphonik.com/products/rx...-da-converter/

I have RX950, but never really used it cause it made everything harsh.
This one destroys it. Way way better.

Looks nice but you can't transpose right? I mean in a dirty S950 way
Might get it though for the lofi crunch and filter.
A.

I got both (now) and actually combining both sounds cool!
the sp950 is great, wave tracing should license this to Akai for their mpc's

Use TAL Sampler for that.

im a sucker for this stuff. buying

oh yeah, you need an igram vid with the classic showbiz & ag song 'next level' 'all i see is blinking lights, track boards & fat mics, 950s, sp12s and mpc 60s' -- prob cut the mpc 60s out tho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bosr3eOfYFE

Might but this and do a vid comparing to my sp12 and s900

modulating the TUNE a little bid with an ENV FOLLOWER for example can also be nice

Bought it, sounds awesome.

Will check, thanks!
A.

This sounds excellent.
I've been following attempts to get this golden era sound for years. Finally, this is the one that nails it.
Bought.

Any plan for AAX ?

Got it, some of them sound really spot on, but some are so harsh and way off. Like going -1 creates crazy distortion for me, not the gentle aliasing it should. x2 and -5 are the only ones that sound like my SP. Hope that gets fixed. Also, any chance these will get an option to actually pitch down in a future release? That'd be great.

The S950 filter is incredible and worth the purchase alone but could there be a way to bypass the SP section if you just want to use that? Even at 33 and the filter at 99, it's still a bit dullened by the plug in being on, which isn't a bad sound, but if you just want that filter, it's making it harder to use on some things.

And, not that it's needed with that wonderful filter, but have you thought about having an output filter emulation that copies the filters on outputs 1, 2, 3, 4 etc on the SP? Just an idea.

Thanks for this, loving it & have already used it in a job.

Not in the immediate future I am afraid.
In the meantime you can check the controls and sound on the youtube demo video, and also try on your own samples with the online web app: https://wavetracing.com/products/sp950web
(use the speed-up functionality together with the tune slider in order to get the same behavior as the real time plugin, eg x1.3 and -5 semitons, or x2 and -12 semitons)

The SP950 simulates the ADC+detune+DAC of the SP together with the analog filter of the S900/S950. It does not simulate the preamplifier+ADC+DAC of the S900/S950 so the two plugins are different in their scope.

Yes, but that will take some time.

Please let me know when that's available.

Thanks for the detailed feedback

The aliasing artifacts should be the same as the original SP.

The way the detune is done can generate very audible aliasing artifacts with irrational factors, when the spectral content of the sample triggers them. Some tune positions are easier on aliases, eg -12 semitons (x2) which only implies doubling samples, as well as -5 semitons (45 RPM) which is close to a rational factor (4/3).
-1 semitons is pretty far from any rational factor, so it generates a complicated pattern of artifacts.

In fact this drop sample tune algorithm used in the SP is similar to a crude "closest neighbor" image resizing algorithm for which you often get the worst artifacts with factors very close to 1.

What I could probably do is add a specific step mode on the slider that only uses rational factors and minimizes harsh effects. I will look into that, this is interesting
Can I contact you in PM to discuss this?


Regarding pitch down, this would require pitch shifting as speed can of course not be changed in a realtime effect plugin. That is something I am considering for a future update, but there are also good solutions available to be chained with the SP950, like the free ReaPitch plugin by Cockos.


Regarding filtered outputs, that is indeed something I could consider in the future.

Thanks for walking through the reply.

One thing I’m still wondering about is the possibility of bypassing the SP just to use the 950 filter, is that possible?

That is definitely possible, but then you would only have the equivalent of the analog filter, so nothing like a real S900/950.

I want to keep the interface as clean and minimalist as possible, so I need to gather all the requests and ideas (output gain, clip indicator, specific tune steps, etc.) and see how everything can fit.

I use the 950 but this to me is better. The filter is off the chain and you can do more with the sound. Really good timing as I was about to mix with a track with r950s all over it.

did you also try combining both?

Yeah I have a few where Im bitcrushing with the rx950 and filtering and pitching with the sp950.

I had the impression, also punch wise they fit nicely