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Installing on macOS

Takes about a minute · one-time setup

LOWRaudio is a brand-new independent developer. While we work toward Apple notarization, macOS may warn that LOWR Synth Bass "can't be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software." This is normal for new indie plugins and your download is safe — it just takes one extra step the first time. Here's how to get up and running.

Heads-up: these steps are only needed once, on first install. Updates install the same way.

1. Download the installer

Download the macOS installer (.pkg)

The installer puts everything in the right place automatically: the VST3 (Ableton, FL Studio, Cubase, Studio One, Reaper…), the AU (Logic Pro, GarageBand, MainStage), and the standalone app. The plugin stays silent until you activate it with the license key from your purchase email.

2. Open the installer (the one extra step)

Double-click the downloaded LOWR-Synth-Bass-macOS-Installer.pkg. macOS will likely block it with the "Apple could not verify…" message — that's the warning we're talking about. Here's the official way through it:

  • Close the warning dialog (click Done, not "Move to Trash").
  • Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the bottom — you'll see "LOWR-Synth-Bass-macOS-Installer.pkg" was blocked.
  • Click Open Anyway, confirm, and enter your Mac password.

On macOS 14 (Sonoma) and earlier there's a shortcut: right-click (or Control-click) the .pkg → Open → Open. On macOS 15 (Sequoia) and newer, Apple removed that shortcut — use the System Settings route above.

From there the installer walks you through normally. Because macOS's own Installer does the copying, the plugin files themselves come out trusted — no Terminal commands needed.

3. Open it

  • In a DAW: rescan your plugins (most DAWs do this on restart) and LOWR Synth Bass will appear under instruments. In Logic/GarageBand it's under AU Instruments → LOWRaudio.
  • Standalone app: find LOWR Synth Bass in Applications (needs a MIDI controller to play).
  • Click the plugin window, enter the license key from your purchase email, and you're in business.

Prefer to install manually?

Grab the individual zips instead: VST3 · AU · Standalone

Unzip, then in Finder use Go → Go to Folder… (⇧⌘G) and drag each file into its folder:

  • LOWR Synth Bass.vst3 → ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3
  • LOWR Synth Bass.component → ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components
  • LOWR Synth Bass.app → /Applications

Files you unzip yourself keep Apple's "quarantine" flag, so also run this one line in the Terminal app (Applications → Utilities), then press Return:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/"LOWR Synth Bass.vst3" ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/"LOWR Synth Bass.component" /Applications/"LOWR Synth Bass.app"

It won't print anything if it works — that's normal. (This simply tells macOS you trust the files you just downloaded. If you used the .pkg installer, you never need this.)

New computer? Lost your files or license key?

You can retrieve your downloads and license key anytime: go to your order portal, enter the email you purchased with, and you'll get a sign-in link — no password needed. Your license covers up to 3 of your own machines.

Still stuck?

Email lowraudio@gmail.com with your DAW and macOS version and we'll help you get set up.

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