A vacuum-tube amplifier modelling plug-in for Windows
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Tube Simulator is a Windows audio plug-in that models the dynamic behaviour of a vacuum-tube amplifier. It is available as both a foobar2000 v2.x 64-bit DSP component and a 64-bit VST3 plug-in. Both versions use the same realtime processing engine and configuration interface.
- Features
- Signal path
- Screenshots
- Requirements
- Installation
- Getting started
- Download and verification
- Documentation
- Feedback and bug reports
- More from moenium
- Supporting Tube Simulator
- License
- Four Character models. Standard, Dynamic PSU, OPT Magnetic, and Full Reference.
- Tube-style drive and output control. Input Drive and Output are provided independently.
- Gain and comparison controls. Input Drive, Output, Auto Gain, and Level Match, plus COMPARE for comparing processed audio with a reference signal.
- Internal oversampling. Auto, 1x, 2x, and 4x.
- Selectable Resampler profiles. Linear / Minimum phase with High, Standard, and Light quality settings.
- Host-aware latency. The public PDC values are 302, 263, 218, or 28 samples depending on the selected profile.
- Useful diagnostics. Input/output meters, holds, Diagnostics, About, and Factory Preset controls are included in the same window.
- Two plug-in formats. Use the foobar2000 DSP component or load the VST3 plug-in in a 64-bit VST3 host.
The central Signal Path view represents the modelled amplifier stages. The two Character controls select the Dynamic PSU and OPT Magnetic branches:
| Dynamic PSU | OPT Magnetic | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Off | Off | Standard |
| On | Off | Dynamic PSU |
| Off | On | OPT Magnetic |
| On | On | Full Reference |
Input Drive and Character define the voicing. Output, Auto Gain, Level Match, COMPARE, Oversampling, and Resampler are separate controls and can be adjusted without changing the selected voicing.
| Main window | Diagnostics |
|---|---|
|
 |
| OS | Windows |
| Host | foobar2000 v2.x, 64-bit only, or a 64-bit VST3 host |
| CPU | x86-64 (Intel / AMD) |
| Output | Any audio device the host can open |
| Additional runtime | None |
The 32-bit version of foobar2000 and 32-bit VST hosts are not supported. Higher sample rates, oversampling factors, and higher-quality Resampler profiles use more CPU.
- Close foobar2000.
- Double-click
foo_dsp_tube_simulator.fb2k-component, or open File → Preferences → Components and choose Install…. - Select Apply to complete the installation.
- Open File → Preferences → Playback → DSP Manager.
- Move Tube Simulator into Active DSPs.
- Select Configure selected to open the configuration window.
Installing the component alone does not add it to the playback chain.
Copy VST3/TubeSimulator.vst3 to a VST3 plug-in folder scanned by the host,
then rescan plug-ins in the host.
For foobar2000, remove Tube Simulator from Active DSPs, then remove
Tube Simulator DSP from Preferences → Components and select Apply.
For VST3, remove TubeSimulator.vst3 from the host's VST3 plug-in folder and
rescan.
For detailed guidance, see the English manual.
Turn your monitoring level down before changing Drive, Output, Character, or Oversampling. These controls can change peak and perceived level.
Adjust Input Drive and Output slowly. Use Level Match when making a closer loudness comparison, and use COMPARE to audition the reference path. Auto Gain and Level Match are different tools.
The Diagnostics screenshot shows the host rate, active processing state, Character, Oversampling, and latency information available while checking a setup.
The latest release is available from GitHub Releases. Each release page should list the distributed file name, SHA-256/SHA-512 checksums, and any release-specific notes.
On Windows PowerShell, calculate SHA-256 with:
Get-FileHash .\TubeSimulator_*.zip -Algorithm SHA256A matching checksum confirms that the downloaded archive is identical to the file identified on the release page.
- Online manual
- Changelog
- Bundled README (English)
- Bundled README (Japanese)
- EULA (English)
- EULA (Japanese)
- Third-party notices
Bug reports, host compatibility reports, and other feedback are welcome.
When reporting a problem, please include the Tube Simulator version, host and host version, sample rate, Character, Oversampling, Resampler profile, and reproduction steps. Diagnostics output is also useful.
If you are looking for a broader multi-stage DSP for foobar2000, see Alauda.
Alauda and Tube Simulator are separate products.
Tube Simulator is free, and it will stay free. If it has earned a place in your listening chain and you would like to help it keep going, there is a Ko-fi page.
Tube Simulator is proprietary freeware. It may be used free of charge for personal, professional, and commercial purposes.
Redistribution, modification, reverse engineering, and other conditions are governed by the bundled EULA_en.txt / EULA_jp.txt. The Japanese EULA is authoritative.
This README is a summary only and does not modify or supersede the EULA.
- JUCE 9.0.1 (JUCE 9 Starter licence), Raw Material Software Limited. JUCE is used for the configuration interface and VST3 implementation and is governed by its own licence terms.
- Steinberg VST 3 SDK, subject to its own SDK licence and trademark terms.
- foobar2000 SDK, subject to the foobar2000 project's own terms. foobar2000 itself is not part of Tube Simulator and is not distributed with it.
See third-party-notices.txt and the JUCE licence documents for details.
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