Cymatics QUAKE for Mac

Version 1.0.0 arrives as a single, focused instrument: 64-bit only, running natively on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs from macOS 10.14 onward. It loads as a VST or Audio Unit inside any compatible host, which keeps the routing straightforward — one track, one window, no external sample folders to manage.

Formats and hosts: what to expect

• Available as VST3 and Audio Unit (AU).
• Tested in Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio and similar DAWs that support 64-bit plug-ins.
• No standalone application; it requires a host to produce sound.
• M1, M2 and Intel processors are supported without Rosetta translation.

The sound: one window for bass and 808 shaping

Quake is a bass engine built around a preset library that spans over thirteen genres. The core starts with Shape, which alters tone and envelope together — pulling a patch from round and sustained to sharp and percussive in a single move. Three saturation stages then colour the result: Metal introduces a hard, clipped edge; Heat adds warmer drive; Push brings a forward, compressed distortion. An analogue noise control layers hiss and texture beneath the fundamental, useful for adding grit without crowding the low end. Everything stays inside one compact interface, so adjusting the body of an 808 or dialling back the attack on a sub line never requires switching to a mixer channel or an external processor.

Blank Logic Pro window: running native Apple Silicon unlocks the interface

A few friction points tend to surface during the first sessions. The most frequent is a blank interface after loading the plug-in: Logic Pro users on Apple Silicon sometimes see an empty window. Running the host in native mode, not under Rosetta, and performing a full rescan of the Audio Unit cache usually resolves it. If the DAW still draws a grey rectangle, removing the component file from ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/, restarting and reinstalling the plug-in clears the stale registration.

The preset browser scrolls in a single vertical column; on smaller laptop screens it can feel cramped. Collapsing the noise and distortion sections temporarily using the disclosure triangles frees enough room to scan the list comfortably. Another quirk: the Noise control introduces a subtle but audible hiss even at its lowest non-zero setting. Producers working on sparse arrangements find that inserting a gate after Quake, keyed to the bass itself, keeps the texture present during notes and silent in the gaps.

A few hosts, particularly older builds of Ableton Live, report the plug-in as “VST3 (x86)” on ARM machines. The label is cosmetic: the process still runs natively. Checking the Activity Monitor confirms it operates under the Apple architecture. If the DAW refuses to load it entirely, enabling “Open using Rosetta” for that specific host, launching once, then switching back to native often forces a proper registration.

Beta drift tamed: Shape and envelope now stay locked together

Version 1.0.0 is the initial public release, so the changes are measured against the preview builds that circulated in beta. The final build tightened the relationship between Shape and the internal envelope: earlier betas let the two drift apart on certain R&B presets, where a patch labelled “smooth” would still deliver a sharp transient. The release locks the mapping more predictably — dragging Shape to the left now consistently rounds the body, while a clockwise turn reliably pushes the attack forward.

CPU usage dropped noticeably on Apple Silicon compared to the beta. A single instance of Quake in Logic Pro now consumes roughly the same real-time processing budget as a channel-strip EQ plus a stock compressor, which makes stacking three or four instances for layered bass parts practical without freezing tracks. The Metal stage also received a gain- staging revision: earlier builds could clip the output when Metal and Push were engaged together. The release build attenuates the combined signal, keeping peaks within a workable range for most presets.

A bass design task: from blank session to finished part

Suppose the brief is a Drill-style 808 with a hard transient, a narrow stereo field and enough midrange presence to register on phone speakers. Start with an empty instrument track in Logic Pro, load Quake as an AU and open the preset browser. Filter the list by the Drill category and audition “Concrete Sub.” The raw preset already carries the right envelope, but the stereo width is too broad for a centred low end.

First move: pull the Width control down to roughly 9 o’clock. The sub energy snaps to the centre immediately, leaving only a faint stereo residue from the noise layer. Next, open the Filter section and engage the low-pass with a cutoff around 400 Hz — just enough to remove the airy fizz at the top without dulling the knock. The Shape control sits at 12 o’clock on this patch; nudging it to 2 o’clock tightens the transient into a short, percussive click that cuts through a dense hi-hat pattern.

Distortion comes in stages. Bring Metal up to 10 o’clock for a brittle, clipped attack that mimics hardware clipping. Follow with Heat at 9 o’clock to warm the body without softening the transient. Push stays at zero — the part already has enough forward presence. Finally, raise the Noise control just above its minimum to introduce a whisper of analogue texture, then place a noise gate on the next insert slot with a fast attack and a threshold set to catch the tail. The result is a tight, centred 808 with a hard leading edge and a textured sustain that breathes between notes.

Preset player or full synth: the middle ground between 303 and deep design

Quake occupies a middle ground between a preset player and a full synthesiser. Next to Roland Cloud TB-303, the difference is philosophical: the 303 is a circuit-modelled acid machine with a specific, squelchy character that suits classic house and techno, whereas Quake is genre-agnostic and leans on saturation stages rather than filter resonance for its aggression. The 303 rewards parameter automation over long phrases; Quake works faster for static bass parts that need a finished tone in a few moves.

Waves Submarine targets the subharmonic generation space, adding low-end weight to existing signals. Quake is a sound source, not a processor: it generates the fundamental and the harmonics together, while Submarine synthesises new frequencies below an incoming track. Producers who already have a kick or a bass line they like might reach for Submarine to reinforce it; those building a bass from scratch will find Quake a more self-contained option.

Compared to Xfer Serum, the gap is in depth versus speed. Serum exposes wavetables, dual filters and an extensive modulation matrix — it can produce anything Quake can, but the journey from an initialised patch to a finished 808 takes considerably longer. Quake trades that flexibility for immediacy: the preset library and six macro-style controls mean a workable bass sound often arrives within thirty seconds, which suits rapid sketching sessions and deadline-driven production work. It does not replace a full wavetable synth, but it removes friction from the one task it was built to handle.

• macOS 10.14 or later
• Intel or Apple Silicon processor
• 64-bit VST3 or AU host