Scope

Name: Scope
Author: UnplugRed

by UnplugRed · Utility · Oscilloscope

Not rated yet

Scope is a free, open-source oscilloscope from UnplugRed styled after vintage electron-beam scopes.

It has a stable sync algorithm, waveform and stereo XY modes, and adjustable colours.

Best for: Mix Bus, Mastering, Sound Design. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: free, open source, sound design, bus processing, mix bus, vintage, wide, full mix, classic, freemium, inspired by, mastering, skeuomorphic, smooth, standalone app, utility.

What it does

Scope is UnplugRed's free oscilloscope plugin, with a skeuomorphic look "inspired by the electron-beam scopes of the past". It does one job: showing what a signal's waveform and stereo image look like, in a display that is easy to read and pleasant to keep open.

Vintage display: the screen is styled after an analog electron-beam oscilloscope rather than a flat, modern meter.
Waveform sync: an advanced sync algorithm stabilises the display automatically, so a repeating waveform stands still instead of scrolling past.
Waveform mode: the classic scope view of the signal's shape over time, useful for checking oscillators, clipping and wavefolding.
Stereo XY mode: a panorama view that plots left against right, showing how wide or mono a sound is.
Custom colours: the colours and look of the display can be adjusted.
Standalone app: it also runs on its own outside a DAW, alongside the plugin formats.

Version 1.0 was released in December 2024. It is free and open source (GPL 3); the free version shows a small banner, which a Patreon membership removes.

Source: UnplugRed product page

When to use it

Scope is the pick when you only want a good-looking, stable oscilloscope and stereo XY display, for free. Compared with Insight 2 or SPAN, it has no spectrum analyser, loudness or peak meters; in exchange it is simpler and focused on the waveform itself. Unlike Youlean Loudness Meter 2, it tells you nothing about LUFS targets, but it shows the shape of a sound in a way those meters don't. Its auto-sync makes it more useful for synth sound design than a basic free scope that scrolls constantly.

Best for: watching oscillator and distortion shapes while sound designing, and quick stereo-width checks on a mix bus.
Genres: any; most useful for synth and electronic production.
Look elsewhere if: you need spectrum analysis (SPAN), loudness metering for delivery (Youlean Loudness Meter 2) or a full metering suite (Insight 2).

What producers say

The handful of users who have rated it love both the look and how well it works.

KVR users rate it 5 out of 5 from 2 reviews; one (2026) called it "the best oscilloscope in my collection", "smooth, pleasant to look at, and highly functional".
KVR users (2024) praised it as a "cool, natural looking oscilloscope" with a nice colour scheme.
KVR news thread commenters singled out the auto-stabilising sync as particularly useful; one reported it working fine in Reason 13.

Where to buy

UnplugRed: Free

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