ACIDQUENCH is an effect plugin that applies a powerful filter to external audio, allowing you to draw cutoff movements across 16 steps.

1. Quick Start

1. Insert on a track in your DAW
2. Start playback
3. Drag across the large lane at the bottom to draw the cutoff shape
4. Adjust DEPTH to control how strongly it takes effect

2. Screen Layout

Header

• Features the product logo and version on the left, preset selection in the center, and the BYPASS switch on the right.

InfoBar

• Displays explanations for the knob or button currently hovered over with the mouse.

FILTER

• Contains CUTOFF, RESO, and DRIVE knobs, along with 4 buttons to select the filter type (LP24 / LP12 / BP / HP).

ENVELOPE

• Contains ENV MOD, DECAY, ACCENT, and SENS knobs, plus the FOLLOW switch.
• The TRIGGER indicator in the lower left shows what triggers the filter to open. SEQ STEP triggers on each step (when SEQ ON is active), and INPUT HITS triggers on each transient hit in the incoming audio (when FOLLOW is on). If both are lit, both trigger the envelope.

LFO

• Contains RATE (modulation speed) and AMOUNT (how much it modulates the cutoff) knobs.

DIST

• Contains 4 buttons to select the distortion type (OFF / DRIVE / HARD / FUZZ) and an AMOUNT knob for intensity.

LEVEL

• Contains IN, OUT, TILT, and MIX knobs.

STEP LANE

• Features the SEQ ON switch, RATE and LENGTH selectors, and SWING and DEPTH knobs on the left. The large area on the right is the step lane.
• Drag up or down to draw values for each step. Drag sideways to draw continuously across steps.
• Above the center line (orange) raises the cutoff; below the center line (blue) lowers it.
• Double-click or right-click a step to reset it to 0.
• Click the thin row at the bottom to toggle an accent (making that step hit harder). Drag to paint multiple accents continuously.
• During playback, the currently active step lights up.
• Reducing LENGTH dims out the steps outside the active loop range.

3. Parameter Details

IN

Adjusts the input level sent into the plugin.

• Default: 0.0

CUTOFF

Sets the base cutoff frequency of the filter.

• Default: 1000.0

RESO

Adjusts the resonance intensity of the filter peak.

• Default: 0.5

MODE

Selects the filter type.

• Default: LP24

DRIVE

Drives the audio inside the filter to add saturation and thickness.

• Default: 0.2

ENV MOD

Adjusts the amount of cutoff modulation applied by the envelope.

• Default: 0.5

DECAY

Sets the decay time for the envelope to close.

• Default: 250.0

ACCENT

Adjusts how much the cutoff opens and how much the volume increases on accented steps.

• Default: 0.4

FOLLOW

Toggles whether the filter envelope follows the incoming audio level.

• Default: Off

SENS

Adjusts the sensitivity to input transients when FOLLOW is on.

• Default: 0.5

SEQ ON

Toggles cutoff modulation driven by the step lane.

• Default: On

RATE

Sets the step lane playback rate synchronized to the DAW tempo.

• Default: 1/16

LENGTH

Sets the loop length (number of steps) of the step lane.

• Default: 16.0

DEPTH

Determines how strongly the step lane shape affects the cutoff.

• Default: 0.5

SWING

Delays alternating steps to create a swing or shuffled rhythm.

• Default: 0.0

LFO RATE (RATE in LFO panel)

Adjusts the modulation speed of the LFO.

• Default: 1.0

LFO AMT (AMOUNT in LFO panel)

Adjusts how much the LFO modulates the cutoff.

• Default: 0.0

DIST

Selects the distortion type before the output stage.

• Default: OFF

AMOUNT (DIST panel)

Adjusts the intensity of the selected distortion.

• Default: 0.0

TILT

Adjusts the overall tonal tilt. Turning right makes the sound brighter, and turning left makes it darker.

• Default: 0.0

MIX

Adjusts the balance between the dry sound and processed effect sound. Turned fully counter-clockwise, the original audio passes through untouched.

• Default: 1.0

OUT

Adjusts the final output volume level.

• Default: 0.0

BYPASS

When turned on, the incoming audio passes straight through unprocessed. Regardless of IN, OUT, or MIX settings, the sound passes cleanly without switching noise.

• Default: Off
• A switch is located in the upper right (header) of the window. It is linked to the host DAW's plugin bypass button, so toggling either one keeps them in sync. Automation is also supported.

4. Recommended Settings

This product includes 50 factory presets. In addition to cycling through them with the left and right arrows on the preset bar at the top of the window, you can click the preset name to select from the list. Here are 3 of them:

Acid Staircase

CUTOFF: 300.0, RESO: 0.72, DRIVE: 0.35, ENV MOD: 0.35, DECAY: 180.0, ACCENT: 0.6, DEPTH: 0.8

Quench Pulse

CUTOFF: 800.0, RESO: 0.55, DRIVE: 0.25, ENV MOD: 0.25, DECAY: 120.0, DEPTH: 0.9

Half Wet

MIX: 0.5, CUTOFF: 400.0, RESO: 0.7, DRIVE: 0.3, DEPTH: 0.7, DIST: DRIVE, AMOUNT: 0.25

5. Requirements

Item	Details
OS	Windows 10 / 11 (64bit) macOS 11 or later (Apple Silicon / Intel)
Plugin formats	Windows: VST3 / Mac: VST3, AU
Supported DAWs	DAWs supporting VST3 or AU
Audio I/O	Stereo / Mono
Sample rates	44.1 kHz - 192 kHz
Window size	1100 × 632 px (fixed)
Screen language	Japanese / English (follows the OS display language)
Latency	Present (automatically reported to DAW so recording alignment is preserved)

6. Installation & Uninstallation

Installation (Windows)

1. Extract the downloaded ZIP file.
2. Copy the ACIDQUENCH.vst3 folder to the following location:
   C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
3. Launch your DAW and perform a plugin rescan.

Installation (Mac)

1. Extract the downloaded ZIP file.
2. Copy ACIDQUENCH.vst3 to ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/, and copy ACIDQUENCH.component to ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/ (where ~ represents your home folder. In Finder, open the "Go" menu, choose "Go to Folder...", paste the path, and press Return. If the folder does not exist, create it).
3. Open Terminal (Applications → Utilities → Terminal), paste the following 3 lines one by one, and press Return for each:

   cd ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins
   xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine VST3/ACIDQUENCH.vst3
   xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine Components/ACIDQUENCH.component

   If nothing is displayed in Terminal, the command succeeded. If you do not run this, macOS will show a message such as "is damaged and cannot be opened" or "cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified", preventing the DAW from loading the plugin. These commands only remove the quarantine attribute that macOS attaches to downloaded files (you must run these commands again if you reinstall or update the plugin).
4. Launch your DAW and perform a plugin rescan (if AU does not appear in Logic Pro or other DAWs, restart your Mac).

Uninstallation

Windows: Delete the copied ACIDQUENCH.vst3 folder.
To also remove user presets, delete %APPDATA%\Tonecraft Tokyo\ACIDQUENCH\.

Mac: Delete the copied ACIDQUENCH.vst3 and ACIDQUENCH.component files.
To also remove user presets, delete ~/Library/Tonecraft Tokyo/ACIDQUENCH/.

7. Troubleshooting

• No effect heard when inserted
  • Check the DEPTH and SEQ settings. If SEQ is off or DEPTH is set to 0, the step lane movement will not be applied.
• Small change when drawing in the lane
  • Adjust the CUTOFF position and increase DEPTH.
• Plugin does not appear in DAW
  • Rescan plugins in your DAW's plugin manager. On Mac, if a message such as "is damaged and cannot be opened" or "cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified" appears, run the commands in Step 3 of Installation (Mac).
• SmartScreen warning appears on first launch
  • Click "More info" and then select "Run anyway" to proceed.

8. Notes

• This product is distributed free of charge (freeware) "AS IS", without support.
• The source code is proprietary and not public.
• All copyrights to this product belong to Tonecraft Tokyo.
• Modification, reverse engineering, redistribution, and resale of this product are strictly prohibited (please download from the Tonecraft Tokyo official website).
• Free for both commercial and non-commercial use.
• This product uses JUCE.
• Noto Sans JP / JetBrains Mono — SIL Open Font License 1.1

9. Disclaimer

• This product is provided "AS IS", without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement of third-party rights.
• Tonecraft Tokyo is not liable for any damages arising from the use of, or inability to use, this product, including but not limited to loss or corruption of project files or audio data, equipment malfunction, lost working time, or lost profits.
• Operation is not guaranteed for every combination of DAW, operating system, and hardware.
• Specifications may change, and the product may be discontinued, without notice.
• Use this product at your own risk. Back up your projects before important work.