quietformat CERNION Wavetable Synth: Full MPE, Two Arps
CERNION is quietformat's wavetable synth with full MPE, GILLA and CLASSIC arps, 11 effects, CERNION FX and 498 presets. $99.99 intro until 9 Dec, from $179.99.
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quietformat released CERNION on 9 November 2026, a wavetable synthesizer for macOS and Windows that pairs a deep modulation system with two very different arpeggiators and full MPE. It ships with a companion effects plug-in, CERNION FX, and 498 presets, including four artist packs. The introductory price is $99.99 until 9 December 2026, down from $179.99, and a Subscribe to Own plan runs at $6.99 a month.
At a glance: two main wavetable oscillators plus SUB and NOISE; waveform drawing, harmonic editing and custom wavetables up to 256 frames; 4 custom LFOs, 4 envelopes, 8 macros and an XY pad; GILLA ARP and a 32-step CLASSIC ARP; full MPE with ±48-semitone per-note pitch; 11 reorderable effects in serial or parallel lanes; AU and VST3 on macOS 11+, VST3 on Windows 10+. $99.99 intro until 9 Dec, $179.99 regular, 14-day trial. A wavetable synth built for movement and playing, not just patch-browsing.
What is CERNION?
The wavetable field is crowded. Serum 2 is the default for bass music, Vital gives most of the same workflow away, and Phase Plant goes fully modular. A newcomer needs a reason to exist, and CERNION's is performance. Its two arpeggiators turn held chords into evolving patterns, its modulation system lets a single gesture move several parameters in different ways, and full MPE lets each note in a chord bend, slide and swell on its own. The sound design depth is there too, but the pitch is a synth that rewards playing it.
The engine is a classic layout: two main oscillators, a SUB oscillator and a NOISE source feeding filters, modulation and an effects rack. CERNION FX puts the same 11 effects, with LFOs, macros, XY control and routing, on drums, vocals and other instruments. One licence covers both, and activating either plug-in authorises both on that computer.
CERNION's features, explained
Oscillators and custom wavetables
Each main oscillator can load built-in waveforms in six families: Analog, Pulse, Partials, Vowel, Edge and Complex, including waveforms derived from hardware synth recordings. Six sample sounds, GILLA ARP 1 to 6, sit in the same oscillator browser. For your own material, CERNION lets you draw waveforms, edit harmonics directly and extract a single cycle from a single-note WAV recording, then build custom wavetables of up to 256 frames. That last feature is the quick way to turn a recorded instrument or vocal note into a scannable wavetable without leaving the synth.
Modulation that responds differently per target
Modulation is drag and drop: pick up a source and drop it on a control. The detail is in what happens next. Every assignment has its own depth, polarity and remap curve, with unipolar and bipolar options, and VIA lets a second source control the amount. One LFO can therefore drive a wide filter sweep and a subtle effect change at the same time, each with its own response shape. You get four custom LFOs with drawable curves, four envelopes that can repeat, eight macros, an XY pad and a modulation matrix to keep big patches readable. Semitone Step quantises coarse pitch modulation to semitones, handy for melodic LFO sequences.
GILLA ARP and CLASSIC ARP
The two arpeggiators work in opposite ways. GILLA ARP generates evolving, harmonically connected patterns from the chord you hold, with rate, density, gate, octave, scatter and velocity controls that move it from sparse phrases to dense, interlocking rhythms. CLASSIC ARP is a programmable 32-step sequencer with adjustable velocity and step length per step, plus Latch so a phrase keeps running while you tweak the sound. Pair GILLA ARP with macro movement and a pad becomes a part.
Full MPE
CERNION supports MPE with independent Pitch, Slide and Press per note. Pitch bends reach ±48 semitones, four octaves either way, and Slide and Press can be assigned to anything that shapes the sound. On an MPE controller you can move one voice inside a chord, brighten it and lean into it without the other notes following. If you are new to that style of playing, our Expressive E Osmose MPE controller feature explains why it matters.
11 effects in serial or parallel
The effects rack takes 11 effect types, which can be reordered and used more than once. Run them as a serial chain, or split the signal into two parallel lanes of up to eight effects each, 16 in total, and blend the results. The standout is MICRO GRAIN, which rebuilds the sound from short fragments with eleven algorithms and four variations each, from hard-cut rhythmic repeats to continuously layered textures.
498 presets
The library holds 417 factory presets covering basses, leads, vintage keys, pads, arpeggios, sequences, textures and effects, plus 81 presets in four included artist packs by GILLA, TAJO HWARANG, heejae and SLGGR. quietformat plans more artist packs in future updates.
CERNION specifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Wavetable synthesizer, plus CERNION FX effects plug-in |
| Sources | 2 main oscillators, SUB, NOISE |
| Waveforms | Analog, Pulse, Partials, Vowel, Edge, Complex; hardware-derived waveforms; GILLA ARP 1 to 6 samples |
| Wavetable editing | Waveform drawing, harmonic editing, single-cycle extraction from WAV, up to 256 frames |
| Modulation | 4 custom LFOs, 4 envelopes, 8 macros, XY pad, modulation matrix; per-assignment depth, polarity, remap curve, VIA |
| Arpeggiators | GILLA ARP (rate, density, gate, octave, scatter, velocity); CLASSIC ARP (32 steps, Latch) |
| MPE | Full MPE: Pitch (±48 semitones), Slide, Press |
| Effects | 11 types, reorderable and repeatable; serial, or 2 parallel lanes of up to 8 |
| Presets | 498: 417 factory plus 81 in four artist packs |
| macOS | macOS 11 Big Sur or later, Universal (Apple Silicon and Intel), AU and VST3 |
| Windows | Windows 10 or later, VST3 |
| Licence | Perpetual or Subscribe to Own; up to 3 computers; 14-day trial, no card |
CERNION vs Serum 2 vs Vital vs Phase Plant
| CERNION | Serum 2 | Vital | Phase Plant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $99.99 until 9 Dec ($179.99 regular) | $249 | $0 to $80 | $199 |
| Approach | Wavetable synth built around arps, macros and MPE | Five oscillator engines, clip sequencer | Spectral-warping wavetable | Semi-modular, generators and effects |
| Ownership | Perpetual, or $6.99/month to own after 26 payments | Perpetual | Free Basic; paid tiers one-off or $5/month | Perpetual |
| Pick it if | You want generative arps and expressive playing | You want the bass-music standard and its preset world | You want a free wavetable synth | You want modular freedom |
Which to pick: Serum 2 remains the safe choice if you make bass music and want the presets and tutorials everybody else uses; our Serum 2 release coverage explains what that $249 buys. Vital is the obvious free alternative. CERNION is worth a trial if you play keys or an MPE controller, or if you write with arpeggiated movement, because GILLA ARP, per-assignment remap curves and the XY pad are aimed squarely at that. At $99.99 it also undercuts both paid rivals for the intro window. For the wider field, see our best synth VST plugins guide.
Who CERNION is for
Buy it if you write ambient, cinematic, electronica or pop and want pads and arps that move by themselves; if you own an MPE controller and want a synth that uses per-note Pitch, Slide and Press properly; or if you want a wavetable synth whose effects you can also put on drums and vocals through CERNION FX.
Skip it if you need VST2 or AAX, or work on Linux: CERNION is AU and VST3 on macOS and VST3 only on Windows. Skip it too if your genre runs on a shared preset and tutorial ecosystem, where Serum 2 still has no real rival, or if you already own Vital or Phase Plant and mainly design one-shot basses. Activation and trial start need an internet connection, though cached authorisation lets you work offline afterwards.
How much does CERNION cost?
- $99.99 perpetual licence at the introductory price until 9 December 2026, regular price $179.99.
- Subscribe to Own: $6.99 a month. After 26 qualifying monthly payments the licence becomes perpetual and billing stops. Cancel any time; credited months stay on your account if you resubscribe.
- Both options include CERNION FX and authorise up to three computers.
- Free 14-day trial with no card, started from inside either plug-in.
Prices are in USD with tax added at checkout. Buy or start the trial on the quietformat CERNION page.
Price-timing note: the $80 saving ends on 9 December, inside the Black Friday window, so there is no reason to wait for a bigger cut. Run the 14-day trial now and decide before the intro price ends.
FAQ
Is CERNION an MPE synth?
Yes. CERNION has full MPE with independent per-note Pitch (up to ±48 semitones), Slide and Press, each assignable to the parameters that shape the sound.
Is CERNION FX included with CERNION?
Yes. CERNION FX, which brings CERNION's 11 effects, LFOs, macros and XY control to any track, is included with the perpetual licence and with an active Subscribe to Own plan.
CERNION vs Serum 2: which should I buy?
Serum 2 ($249) is the industry-standard wavetable synth with five oscillator engines and the biggest preset ecosystem. CERNION ($99.99 until 9 December) is the better fit for expressive playing and evolving arpeggiated parts, with full MPE and two arpeggiators. Bass-music producers should lean Serum 2; keys players and MPE users should trial CERNION.
What are CERNION's system requirements?
macOS 11 Big Sur or later, Universal for Apple Silicon and Intel, in AU and VST3; or Windows 10 or later in VST3. A 64-bit host is required.
Can I use CERNION offline?
Yes, with a valid cached authorisation. You need internet for the first activation, to start the trial and for periodic authorisation refreshes.
Verdict
CERNION is a confident debut. Instead of chasing Serum 2 feature for feature, quietformat built a wavetable synth around movement and touch: GILLA ARP for evolving patterns, per-assignment remap curves and VIA for gestures that move several things at once, and full MPE for per-note expression. Custom wavetables from your own WAVs, a parallel effects rack with MICRO GRAIN and a bundled CERNION FX plug-in round it out. It lacks VST2, AAX and Linux builds, and it has none of Serum's ecosystem yet. At $99.99 until 9 December, or $6.99 a month towards ownership, it is an easy trial for anyone who plays their synths rather than just programming them. Our CERNION plugin page keeps the price current after the intro offer.
