Year/Release Date: June 27, 2026
Version: 1.1.1
Developer: Analog Realism
Developer Website: Analog Realism
Format: VST3
Bit Depth: 64-bit
Tablet: Included
System Requirements: Win 10+
- 12.7 MB
Description
Sphinx 101 processor | Master bus processor. Component-accurate analog modeling using TrueRail technology.
Three main circuits—SLL, Nevy, and Amok—with twelve analog modeling engines tuned to the harmonic
and dynamic characteristics of the modeled console classes. Well-known hardware circuits have been added—Pultey, Nevy, SLL,
Amok, and Maney—for the EQ, filter, and all dynamics modules.
Twelve engines. Always active.
01. Bandwidth-limited summing amplifier
Real amplifiers aren’t perfect. Our simulated summing amplifier operates at extreme frequencies, adding a warmth
that no EQ curve can reproduce because it’s physics, not an EQ.
02. Manufacturing Tolerances for Each Component
In reality, there aren’t two 100nF capacitors. Each component in Sphinx has a randomized tolerance
within the real-world specifications (±1% for resistors, ±5% for caps, ±10% for transistor gain).
The left and right channels operate according to slightly different circuits—natural depth of sound is impossible with mathematically perfect components.
03. Thermal Drift
Three independent, slow oscillations modulate the circuit parameters over time. The sound “breathes”—it’s never static,
like equipment that’s been on for an hour. The modulation of values for each component is subtle, but noticeably active throughout the entire circuit.
04. Power Supply Bus Sag
When a compressor is clamped hard, it draws current from the common power supply. The bus voltage drops,
affecting the headroom of all other stages and the saturation point. This is the “glue” that makes analog bus compressors feel
like a single unit. Each module passes current and reads the bus data to set its own operating point
—a two-way circuit, just like real equipment.
05. Crosstalk in Different Communication Paths
Real equipment has a case, a power supply, and a printed circuit board. Signal leakage between L and R is frequency-dependent and amplified
at low frequencies. Sphinx models this coupling, creating a “wide but cohesive” stereo image that is impossible to achieve
with monophonic processing.
06. Transformer Core Hysteresis
The input transformer uses the Giles-Atherton magnetic model—the same mathematical model used
in electrical engineering to model real cores. The transformer memorizes its magnetization history, resulting in asymmetrical, program-dependent saturation that no static waveformer can reproduce.
The harmonic balance of each core is adjusted according to published electrical measurements of the simulated device.
07. Harmonic Accumulation in a Circuit
Each stage contributes to the formation of the harmonic spectrum. By the time the audio passes through the gain stage,
transformer, compressor, equalizer, and output transformer, these harmonics accumulate and interact with each other in a manner unique to the circuit. Measured: all harmonics from H2 to H7 are present, with coefficients dependent on the circuit.
08. Class A Crossover Nonlinearity
The gain stage models the small crossover distortions characteristic of real amplifier topologies.
The SLL (bipolar transistor) generates pure odd-order harmonics. The Amok (tube) generates rich, even-order harmonics
with an H2/H3 ratio of over 5:1. This is the “warmth” and “presence” that define the character of each stage.
09. Shaping the Frequency Response of Crosstalk
The coupling between the left and right channels is not linear—it is stronger at certain frequencies, which corresponds to the behavior of real circuit boards.
This creates a frequency-dependent stereophonic interaction, which is what gives analog consoles their renowned three-dimensional imaging.
10. Compressor Program Dependence
The compressor’s behavior changes depending on what it’s processing. A Vari-Mu tube compressor that is actively engaged
has a different gain reduction curve than a compressor that is idle. The eighth beat of the drum part in the loop generates
noticeably different compression than the first beat. Measured: up to 82% change depending on the program.
11. Transformer Memory
The core’s saturation curve depends on the signal that was most recently applied to it. A loud bass note changes the operating point of the magnetic field,
affecting how the transformer handles the next transient. This “memory” creates a lively, dynamic sound,
which distinguishes real transformers from static saturation curves.
12. Phase Interaction Between Modules
Each module introduces frequency-dependent phase shifts. These interact with each other throughout the entire chain, creating subtle constructive and destructive interference at the boundaries of modules. This is what gives real analog chains their characteristic “depth”—a sense of extension rarely found in digital processing.
