• Formats: Audio Unit, VST3 (effect)
• Plug-ins included: Lemon (stereo output) and Lemon Zest (last insert on each track, mono or stereo)
• Architecture: Universal binary, native on Apple Silicon and Intel
• Operating system: macOS 12 Monterey or later
• Audio: stereo in / stereo out (Lemon), mono or stereo (Lemon Zest)
• Audio Unit hosts: Logic Pro, GarageBand, MainStage, Ableton Live, Studio One, Reaper, Digital Performer
• VST3 hosts: Cubase, Nuendo, Bitwig Studio, Ableton Live, Studio One, Reaper, FL Studio
• Not available for: Pro Tools (AAX), Windows, Linux, iOS/iPadOS.

Mac with Apple Silicon or 64-bit Intel processor

macOS 12 Monterey or later

• RAM: 4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended
• Disk space: 36 MB with both formats (each plug-in about 9 MB per format)
• Display: 1280 × 800 or higher (Lemon window 1180 × 742, Lemon Zest window 1000 × 520)

No internet connection, account or activation required

CPU load per instance, percentage of one core (Apple M3, 512-sample buffer):

Configuration                    48 kHz    96 kHz
Init (EQ + Maximizer)            0.5 %     0.9 %
EQ, 7 bands                      0.5 %     1.1 %
Dynamics, Multiband              0.7 %     1.3 %
Dynamics, Intelligent            0.7 %     1.3 %
Low End                          0.6 %     1.3 %
Exciter (4× oversampling)        1.6 %     3.1 %
Imager with Stereoize            0.6 %     1.2 %
All modules and dither           2.1 %     4.4 %

• Lemon Zest, full pre-mix: 0.15 % per track at 48 kHz, 0.29 % at 96 kHz

A 40-track session with Lemon Zest on every track: about 6 % of one core

• Latency: 141 samples at 48 kHz (2.9 ms), 135 at 44.1 kHz, 213 at 96 kHz, reported to the host
• Memory: under 1 MB per Lemon instance, plus 15 MB with the editor open; 2.2 MB per Lemon Zest instance

• Sample rates: 44.1 to 96 kHz
• Processing: 64-bit filters, 4× oversampling on the Exciter, 4× true-peak detection on the Maximizer and meters
• Signal chain: Input > EQ > Dynamics > Low End > Exciter > Imager > Maximizer > Dither

Modules:

• EQ: 7 bands (low cut, shelves, bells, high cut), each in Stereo, Mid or Side
• Dynamics: Multiband (3 bands, Linkwitz-Riley 24 dB/oct crossovers) or Intelligent (nine octave bands that self-adjust, with Amount, Tilt, Speed, Hard/Soft and Auto Gain)
• Low End: Punchy or Smooth contrast between 20 and 500 Hz, Stereo / Mid / Side
• Exciter: 3 bands, Warm, Tube or Tape harmonics
• Imager: 4 bands, width 0-200 %, Stereoize for mono sources
• Maximizer: brickwall limiter, 1.5 ms lookahead, true-peak ceiling, loudness target with automatic input headroom
• Dither: TPDF to 16 or 24 bit, optional noise shaping

• Metering: LUFS momentary, short-term and integrated (ITU-R BS.1770), true peak, correlation, gain reduction
• Learn: listens to the track and sets EQ, Dynamics, Low End, Exciter and Imager; the Maximizer follows a LUFS target
• Bypass: latency-compensated, with optional loudness-matched comparison

Lemon Zest analyses each track and holds its pre-mix: gain, 12 dB/oct low cut, three narrow resonance cuts, single-band compressor

• Learn on the Mix page: role detection from track name and audio (10 roles), level balance with 4 profiles, mix peaks set to the chosen headroom (default -6 dBFS)

Learns add up across song sections, with no length limit; track timeline up to 3 hours

• Link: local connection on 127.0.0.1 only, works with plug-ins in separate processes; no network traffic leaves the Mac

Logic faders and third-party plug-ins are never changed

• Automation: 95 automatable parameters in Lemon, 19 in Lemon Zest, full state recall with the project
• Sounds: 11 chain presets and 54 module presets, user presets for the full chain and for each module

Track name and position read from the host for role detection and the track timeline

Free.

Audio Units, Logic Pro, GarageBand, MainStage and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. VST is a trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. All other product names are trademarks of their respective owners.