Cherry Audio - Lowdown

Lowdown is Cherry Audio's emulation of the most famous dual-oscillator bass pedal synth of the 1970s, for room-rattling bass and drones in prog, rock, new wave and cinematic music, now played from a keyboard rather than your feet.

How it works

The original used Hz-per-volt oscillator scaling rather than the usual volt-per-octave. That keeps the beating between its two oscillators constant across the range, so detuned notes stay thick without phasing out, and it's a big part of why the sound is so solid. Mark Barton (MRB) modelled the oscillators and the ladder filter from the original, and Cherry Audio has made it playable from any MIDI controller.

The sound

Enormous. This is the sound heard on Rush, Genesis and The Police records: a low end you feel as much as hear, with a warm ladder filter for slow sweeps. It does one job, and does it very well. With around 40 presets and a simple panel, it's not a general-purpose synth, but as a dedicated low-end and drone machine it's bang for buck.

Features

• Dual constant-beat oscillators with Hz-per-volt scaling
• Modelled ladder filter by Mark Barton (MRB)
• Playable from any keyboard or MIDI controller
• Around 40 presets
• Full MIDI control and DAW automation

System requirements

• Version: 1.4.0
• Mac: macOS 10.13 or later, native on Apple Silicon. AU, VST2, VST3, AAX and standalone (64-bit)
• Windows: Windows 7 or later, including Windows 11. VST2, VST3, AAX and standalone (64-bit)
• Quad-core CPU and 8GB RAM recommended
• Internet connection needed for activation

SOUND7 is an authorised Cherry Audio reseller. Digital delivery: licence activation code sent by email. See How to Activate Your Cherry Audio Plugins.

Demo