⬇ Download the latest GrainBrain macOS build
Open the newest successful workflow run and scroll to Artifacts. Download GrainBrain-macOS (ZIP), unzip it, then open GrainBrain-macOS.dmg or use the included bundles. GitHub may require you to sign in to download workflow artifacts. These are CI test builds, not signed releases.
To install manually, copy GrainBrain.vst3 to ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/, GrainBrain.component to ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/, and GrainBrain.app to /Applications/. You may need to approve the unsigned app in macOS Privacy & Security.
Experimental granular sample synthesizer for macOS (JUCE 8, C++17). See lab.md for build notes and security.
- MIDI-triggered grain clouds (16-note pool / 256 overlapping grains)
- Drag-and-drop WAV/AIFF sample loading or built-in harmonic drone
- Grain size, density, position, spray, pitch, pitch randomization, reverse probability, stereo spread and gain
- Sine position LFO with rate and depth
- Five parameter presets: Nebula, Frozen Cloud, Glitch Storm, Deep Space, Tight Pulses
- AU, VST3 and standalone macOS targets
| Default patch | Joystick links, vowel filter and glitch steps |
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Screenshots are rendered from the real editor with tools/screenshots (see the comment at the top of its CMakeLists.txt).
Requires Xcode, CMake 3.22+ and an internet connection (JUCE is fetched at configure time).
cmake -S . -B build -G Xcode -DCMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=12.0
cmake --build build --config Release --parallel 3The GitHub Actions workflow builds on macos-15 and uploads a DMG plus the plugin bundles. In the Actions tab, open macOS Builds and run the workflow, or push to main.
How we built GrainBrain (our first VST), the security review, and the rules for keeping it safe: lab.md.
This is an experimental MVP, not yet production-ready. User-loaded samples are not embedded in DAW session state; reload them when reopening a session. No Apple Developer signing/notarization is configured, so macOS Gatekeeper may warn. Build status must be verified in GitHub Actions.