REPLICANT TR-8S // 1:1 TR-8S Rhythm Performer Clone (v3.00 Firmware)

1:1 Hardware & Firmware-Driven Clone of the TR-8S Rhythm Performer (v3.00) with Per-Channel Reverb & Delay and 150 Anti-Saturation Mixer
Audio Plugin: VST3 • AU • Standalone for Windows, Linux, and macOS

▶ Watch the 1080p promo — Hard Techno // Rhythm Performer (English).

📘 Download Official User Manual & Usability Guide (PDF — English & Español)

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🎛️ Overview

ReplicantTR8S is a 1:1 virtual recreation of the TR-8S Rhythm Performer, built directly from the unpacked v3.00 System Firmware (tr8s_sys_v300/TR8S_UP.bin).

By decompressing the internal rpg42_init_param.bin LZSS parameter database inside TR8S_UP.bin, ReplicantTR8S embeds the exact factory tables from the hardware:

• All 128 Factory Kits (001: TR-808, 002: TR-909, 003: TR-707, 004: TR-727, 005: TR-606, 006: TR-626, 085: CR-78, 087: FM-Groover, ..., 127: CR-78S) with their exact per-channel Tone IDs, Tune, Decay, Level, Ctrl, Pan, Reverb Send, and Delay Send.
• All 128 Factory Patterns (1-01 Gam Groover through 8-16 626 Variation 2, including 808 Variation 1–7, 909 Variation 1–4, Straight 909, CR-78 LATIN/DISCO/ROCK/Triplets, Berlin Flyover, Detroit Love, Warehouse, etc.) across all 8 Variations (A–H) and 11 Instrument Channels + Accent.
• All 522 Factory Tones across ACB (Analog Circuit Behavior), 2-Operator FM Drum Synthesis, and Preset PCM/Synth/Chord models.
• Per-Channel Custom Sample Loader: Load your own .wav, .aiff, .flac, .mp3, or .ogg samples into any of the 11 channels (BD, SD, LT, MT, HT, RS, HC, CH, OH, CC, RC) via the [SMP] button on each channel strip, the [LOAD SMP] button on the LCD screen, or by Dragging & Dropping audio files directly onto any channel strip or the LCD display.

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💾 Firmware Binary Requirement (tr8s_sys_v300.zip / TR8S_UP.bin)

Clean-Room Legal Compliance (Bring Your Own Firmware)

For copyright and intellectual property compliance, ReplicantTR8S does not distribute or embed any proprietary firmware binaries or extracted ROM tables in this repository or in pre-built releases.

Instead, ReplicantTR8S includes a native C++ Runtime Firmware Loader (Source/Firmware/TR8SFirmwareLoader.cpp):

1. First Launch Prompt: When you launch the Standalone app or load the VST3 / AU plugin for the first time, a startup screen prompts you to provide your own copy of tr8s_sys_v300.zip or TR8S_UP.bin (System Program v3.00).
2. Click or Drag & Drop: Click [SELECT FIRMWARE FILE (tr8s_sys_v300.zip / TR8S_UP.bin)] or Drag & Drop the .zip / .bin file directly onto the plugin window.
3. In-Memory Decompression: The plugin parses the POSIX TAR container (TR8S_UP.bin) in memory, locates ./_tmp/rpg42_init_param.bin, decompresses the Haruhiko Okumura LZSS stream (3,407,824 bytes), and populates all 128 Factory Kits, 128 Factory Patterns, and 522 Factory Tones dynamically at runtime.
4. Automatic Path Persistence: Once loaded, the path to your firmware file is saved automatically in your user application data directory (~/.config/ReplicantTr8s/firmware_location.txt on Linux, ~/Library/Application Support/ReplicantTr8s/ on macOS, or %APPDATA%\ReplicantTr8s\ on Windows) so subsequent sessions start immediately. You can also reload or switch the firmware file at any time via the [FW v3.00: READY (CHANGE)] button in the top header bar.

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✨ Key Features

🖥️ Interactive Backlit LCD Screen & 7-Segment Tempo Display

• Top Status Ribbon: Displays current Pattern (PTN 7-08 Straight 909), current Kit (KIT 001 TR-808 / KIT 002 TR-909), active Variation (VAR A–H), live Step counter (01/16), and Firmware version (FW 3.00).
• Channel & Tone Inspector: Shows the currently selected channel (CH 01 [BD] - BASS DRUM), engine type (ACB CIRCUIT, FM 2-OP, PCM SYNTH, or USER SAMPLE), tone/sample name, and real-time bar graphs for TUNE, DECAY, CTRL, LEVEL, and PAN.
• Real-Time Waveform & Oscilloscope Visualizer: Renders the synthesized or user-loaded sample waveform with live decay envelope shaping alongside a real-time stereo master oscilloscope.
• Instant Parameter Popup Overlay: Turning any knob or moving any fader pops up an authentic high-contrast readout on the LCD screen.
• 1-Click Classic Kit Bank Buttons: Instant switching between 808, 909, 707, 727, 606, CR-78, and FM kits, plus full dropdown selectors for all 128 Kits, 128 Patterns, and 522 Tones.

⚡ Multi-Engine DSP Core (ACB + FM + User Sampler)

1. TR-808 ACB Models:
   • BD: Bridged-T network resonant oscillator with pitch sweep, click impulse, and sub-bass extension (808 Bass1/2, Long, 808 Chromatic Bs).
   • SD: Dual bridged-T shells (180 Hz & 330 Hz) + high-pass filtered snappy wire noise (CTRL).
   • LT / MT / HT & Congas: Bridged-T resonant oscillators with pitch bend and pink noise transient.
   • RS / Claves: Dual resonant modal bandpass (470 Hz + 1720 Hz) and 2480 Hz pure clave sine.
   • HC / Maracas: 3×11ms sawtooth-modulated noise bursts + reverberant tail through a 1.15 kHz resonant bandpass filter.
   • CH / OH / CC / RC / Cowbell: 6-oscillator non-harmonic metallic square-wave bank (205.3–800 Hz) with authentic Closed/Open Hi-Hat choke group (CH chokes OH).
2. TR-909 ACB Models:
   • BD: Triangle-core VCO with diode sine waveshaper, 2-stage pitch envelope, and aggressive pulse/noise attack click (CTRL).
   • SD: Dual triangle oscillators + dual-envelope snappy noise.
   • LT / MT / HT / RS / HC: Authentic 909 analog synthesis circuits.
   • CH / OH / CC / RC: 6-bit / 32 kHz vintage EPROM metallic hats and crash/ride cymbals with analog VCA envelopes.
3. TR-707, TR-727, TR-606, TR-626, CR-78 & 2-Op FM Models:
   • Complete 12-bit companded PCM drums (707/626), Latin percussion (727 Bongos, Congas, Timbales, Agogo, Whistle, Quijada, Star Chime), 606 transistor drums, CR-78 LC-tank drums (including Guiro, Tambourine, and Metal Beat), and 2-Operator FM synthesis (CTRL = FM Morph).
4. Custom User Sample Engine:
   • Load .wav, .aiff, .flac, .mp3, or .ogg into any of the 11 channels.
   • Supports pitch shifting (TUNE -24..+24 st), amplitude envelope shaping (DECAY), drive/filter shaping (CTRL), reverse playback (REV), and DAW state persistence.
5. Master Effects & SCATTER:
   • Per-channel Reverb & Tempo-Synced Dotted-8th Delay sends, Master DJ Isolator Filter (LPF / HPF), Analog Bus Drive, and 8-Mode SCATTER performance processor (REV, GAT, RP1, RP2, HLF, CHP, BIT, PAN).

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📦 Downloads & Installation

Download pre-built packages for your operating system from Releases.

Plugin Directories

• macOS:
  • VST3: ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/ReplicantTR8S.vst3
  • AU: ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/ReplicantTR8S.component
• Linux:
  • VST3: ~/.vst3/ReplicantTR8S.vst3 (or /usr/lib/vst3/)
• Windows:
  • VST3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\ReplicantTR8S.vst3

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🛠️ Building from Source (Linux, Windows, macOS)

Requires CMake 3.22+ and a C++20 compiler (GCC, Clang, or MSVC). JUCE 8.0.4 is fetched automatically via CMake FetchContent.

# 1. Configure CMake
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release

# 2. Build VST3, Standalone (and AU on macOS)
cmake --build build --config Release --parallel

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🤖 CI/CD (GitHub Actions)

Automated multi-platform builds and releases run via .github/workflows/build.yml on every push and tag:

• macOS Universal Binary (Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3/M4 + Intel x86_64)
• Linux x86_64 (Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, Fedora)
• Windows x64 (Windows 10 / 11)

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☕ Support the Project (Buy Me a Coffee)

If you enjoy using ReplicantTR8S in your studio or live sets and want to support its development, feel free to buy me a coffee via PayPal:

• PayPal Donation Link: https://paypal.me/DanimanX?locale.x=en_US&country.x=CL

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📄 License

Created by DanimanX Studio. Distributed under the MIT License.