lowquo get lq-trace

lowquo’s first VST3 + Audio Unit plug-in

lq-trace

memory + space

It remembers what you played, then lets it bloom. A granular memory and reverb effect that catches fragments of your sound and gives them room to linger.

get lq-trace · free see how it works

Version 1.0 · macOS 11+ · Apple silicon · VST3 + Audio Unit

lq-trace 1.0 with Trace, Bloom, Motion, Age and Mix knobs, Series routing, Host Sync and Hold, Scatter and Clear switches
Memory + Space / one screenActual lq-trace 1.0 interface

01 / Memory

What you just played.
Something new.

Memory keeps the last eight seconds of audio passing through lq-trace and plays pieces back as overlapping grains.

Hold onto a rhythm. Let longer fragments drift. Break a sound into sparse little flurries.

  • Loop. Fragments with a recognisable rhythmic identity.
  • Drift. Longer, overlapping pieces with room to wander.
  • Shatter. Sparse flurries of short fragments.

Right-click Trace to choose the Memory character.

The Trace context menu in lq-trace, showing Loop, Drift and Shatter Memory characters
Memory / three ways to remember

02 / Space

A small room.
A much longer goodbye.

Space takes the sound from a short room to a reverb tail of around 30 seconds. Settle behind the original or let it become an atmosphere of its own.

  • Bloom. A lush, generous space.
  • Cloud. Diffuse, moving texture.
  • Void. A darker, more expansive tail.

Right-click Bloom to choose the Space character. Three Memory characters × three Space characters: nine pairings.

The Bloom context menu in lq-trace, showing Bloom, Cloud and Void Space characters
Space / three different atmospheres

03 / Shape + play

Five knobs.
Stay with the sound.

One screen, with the main controls close at hand. A few turns take you from a subtle layer to something much less expected.

01

Trace

How much Memory you hear, from none to dense.

02

Bloom

The size and length of the space.

03

Motion

How much the texture, pitch and pan wander.

04

Age

From clean and bright to dark, damped and worn.

05

Mix

The balance of original and effected sound.

Hold a moment.

Freeze Memory and keep what it caught playing. Stay with a fragment for as long as you like.

Scatter the pieces.

Break the fragments into short, fast pieces while you hold the switch down.

Clear. Start again.

Forget the captured Memory and make room for whatever you play next.

Run freely or sync to the host. Every control is automatable. Fully dry, your signal passes through unchanged, with zero latency.

04 / Link the engines

Choose how
the pieces meet.

The Link lever changes the relationship between Memory and Space. Switch paths without clicks or cutting off the tail.

Series

Fragments feed the reverb. A diffused record of what you played.

Parallel

Fragments and reverb sit side by side, both keeping their identity.

Feedback

Reverb returns to Memory, then gets replayed and reverberated again. This is where it gets strange.

lq-trace with Feedback routing selected, showing the Link lever, five controls and performance switches
Link / a different relationship between Memory and Space

05 / Find a starting point

Eighteen ways in.
Make one your own.

Start with a factory preset, turn a few knobs and follow what happens. Compare ideas with A/B and save your own settings.

The lq-trace factory preset menu open, listing 18 presets including drifting embers, midnight static and afternoon tape
Presets / 18 starting points, plus your own

Resize the interface from 75% to 150% to suit your screen.

The practical details

Your sound.
Your DAW.
A little more space.

Version
1.0
Type
Audio effect plug-in — not an instrument
System
macOS 11 or later
Processors
Apple silicon · M1 or newer
Formats
VST3 + Audio Unit
Host required
A compatible VST3 or Audio Unit host
Tested in
Ableton Live 12
Channels
Stereo or mono-to-stereo
Presets
18 factory presets + save your own
Price
Free / pay what you want

This release does not include Intel Mac or Windows builds.

Is lq-trace an instrument?

No. It’s an audio effect that works on incoming sound. Add the VST3 or Audio Unit to a compatible track in your DAW, then feed it a synth, guitar, voice, loop or another audio source.

Does it work on an Intel Mac?

No. This release is for Apple silicon Macs, M1 or newer, running macOS 11 or later. A Windows version is not included.

What happens when I press Hold?

Hold freezes the captured Memory so its contents can keep playing. That captured audio is not saved with your DAW project. Record or render the output if you want to keep a particular moment.

Can I automate it?

Yes. Every control is automatable. Sync follows the host tempo, or you can switch to free-running timing.

Is it really free?

Yes. lq-trace is free, with an optional pay-what-you-want contribution if you’d like to support the next lowquo release.

lq-trace 1.0 / memory + space

A little of what you played.
Somewhere else to go.

Granular Memory. A very large room.
lowquo’s first VST3 + Audio Unit effect.

Free.

Pay what you want if you’d like to support the next one.

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macOS 11+ · Apple silicon · VST3 + Audio Unit host required

Audio captured by Hold is not saved with your project. VST is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. Audio Units is a trademark of Apple Inc.

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