Overview
Kepra is a rhythm instrument developed through detailed analysis of an original Japanese vintage programmable rhythm machine. Rather than relying on sampled sounds, Kepra recreates each instrument by studying the original analog circuits, measuring waveforms, and analyzing spectral content, reproducing their behavior in software.
The objective was not simply to imitate the sound of the original machine, but to understand how it worked — and to rebuild that experience as a modern instrument. Call it "Hardware Archaeology": instead of replaying recordings, Kepra reconstructs the behavior behind the sound itself.
Features
- Hardware-analysis-based drum synthesis
- 12 drum voices
- 16-step sequencer
- NOTE / FLAM / ACC layers
- 8 pattern banks
- Stereo mixer
- Drive & Character section
- Internal, host, and external MIDI clock
- macOS: AUv2 and VST3 / Windows: VST3
The Missing Instrument
One voice in Kepra, the "Shaker," did not exist on the original hardware. Rather than adding a modern sample-based shaker, it was developed by asking a simple question: "If the original designers had decided to include a shaker, how might they have built it using the same technology?" It's a speculative reconstruction, faithful to the design philosophy of the original machine.
Not an Emulator
Kepra is not a museum piece. It's a modern rhythm instrument built from careful hardware analysis, extending the ideas of a classic Japanese drum machine into new creative territory.
System Requirements
- macOS (AUv2 / VST3, Universal) or Windows (VST3, x64)
- A DAW that supports VST3 or Audio Unit v2