Nembrini Audio has launched the Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere plug-in, an authentic digital emulation of the Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere MkII Rotary Speaker floor pedal.
Developed in the 1930s by American inventor Donald Leslie to partner the Hammond Organ as an alternative to pipe organs in the church, the Leslie Speaker System – employing Doppler pitch shiting through the use of a variable speed rotating horn/rotating drum arrangement – subsequently found favour with jazz and rock Hammond players and also guitarists including The Beatles, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour and Jan Akkerman in the 1960-70s.
In the 1990s Hughes & Kettner created the Tube Rotosphere pedal, an analogue/tube emulation of the Leslie Speaker System.
More than 30 years on, Nembrini’s new plug-in breathes fresh life into this cool sound with the introduction of a digital simulation of the much admired Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere. Celebrated for its rich tube-driven character and highly musical rotary modulation, the original hardware was used keyboardists and guitarists seeking the classic rotary cabinet swirl along with tube saturation.
The Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere looked to plug-in faithfully capture the nuances of its analogue counterpart, offering everything from subtle to dramatic Doppler-infused motion, that could be integrated into any rig.
Today, Nembrini’s modelling technology reckons to capture the warm tube saturation and authentic rotary motion of the original pedal. The key features of the plug-in include true to life emulation of the analogue circuitry and tube preamp behaviour, independent rotor speed simulation with separate LF and HF controls allowing precise adjustment, and a brake switch for realistic ramp-up/down and rotor stop effect.
There is also tube saturation modelling with visual feedback, rotor balance control for controlling the blend of tweeter rotor and woofer drum, and a stereo signal path for wide, immersive modulation.
Key Features:
- Faithful model of the original Hughes & Kettner Tube Rotosphere.
- Tube saturation emulation for rich, warm harmonics.
- Independent low frequency and High frequency rotor speed controls.
- Rotor speeds adjustable in Hz or synchronised to DAW tempo.
- Breaker function to stop rotor motion while retaining tube coloration.
- Guitar and keyboard input modes for tone shaping.
- Full stereo processing for wide rotary effects.
- Intuitive interface with real-time visual feedback.
- Compatible with all major DAWs and plug-in formats.
More: www.nembriniaudio.com