Rob Papen has announced QUAD-2, an updated and expanded version of his QUAD synthesizer, now available as a 64-bit plug-in for Mac and PC in AAX, AU, VST, and VST3 formats. The instrument carries a $49 price tag, with a $25 upgrade path for existing QUAD owners and a free upgrade for anyone who bought QUAD or the Reason Rack Extension version after July 1, 2026.

QUAD-2 centers on two oscillators built around Phase Distortion and Wave Shaper tools, each controlled by X/Y pads. New additions include a Ribbon Controller with 12 assignable slots and its own dedicated modulation matrix, a waveform display, and a U-WAVE section where users can draw custom waveforms or select shapes in Shaper Mode. The filter count has grown to 43 types, FX slots now number 48 across three send positions (up from two), and the arpeggiator has picked up ratcheting and additional sequencing and modulation modes.

The plug-in ships with over 1,200 presets, including all original QUAD presets accessible through the preset manager. Rob Papen notes that the Ribbon Controller adds real-time sound movement to any loaded preset using default modulation amounts that can be adjusted per slot, with an Advanced mode controlling at what point along the controller range the modulation kicks in.

QUAD-2 is also included at no extra cost in the eXplorer-11 bundle. Existing bundle owners can add it by downloading and running the latest installer.