The hardware required to run our plugins is similar to any digital recording setup. Namely, you will need:. Mac or Windows. Laptop or Desktop. We do not currently support mobile operating systems. This is how you get your signal into your computer. M

<h3 id="what-do-you-need">What do you need?</h3>The hardware required to run our plugins is similar to any digital recording setup. Namely, you will need:<h4 id="computer">Computer:</h4>Mac or Windows. Laptop or Desktop. We do not currently support mobile operating systems.<h4 id="audio-interface">Audio Interface:</h4>This is how you get your signal into your computer. Most standard audio devices are supported.A few brands recommended by our users: Focusrite, Audient, Universal Audio, RME<h4 id="monitoring">Monitoring:</h4>Some way to listen back to your audio device. This will typically be studio monitors hooked up to your interface, or headphones plugged into your interface.<h4 id="guitar">Guitar:</h4>For a guitar plugin, you&apos;ll want something to play. You can plugin in through the hi-z input on your interface, or into a DI box into your interface. <h3 id="supported-operating-systems">Supported Operating Systems?</h3>We currently support the following Mac &amp; Windows versions. We do not support mobile operating systems<h4 id="mac">Mac:</h4>Minimum: Mac OS 10.13 High Sierra&#xA0;Current: Mac OS 15 Sequoia<ul><li style="font-size: 16px;">AmpHub, ControlHub,&#xA0;ToneHub, and Tonality - Josh Middleton can all operate natively on Apple Silicon systems. The rest of our plugins run under Rosetta 2 on Apple Silicon.</li><li style="font-size: 16px;">Apple recently classified macOS Sierra as End-of-Life. Older builds of our plugins may work on Sierra; however, we cannot guarantee compatibility with Sierra moving forward.</li></ul> <h4 id="windows">Windows:</h4><h4 id="minimum-windows-7">Minimum: Windows 7+</h4>Current: Windows 11 <h3 id="formats-available">Formats Available</h3>Our plugins are currently available in the AU, AAX, VST2, and VST3 formats.<h1 id> </h1><h3 id="how-toupdate">How to&#xA0;update?</h3>You can update your plugin by clicking on the update notifier in your plugin, or by heading directly to our <a href="https://www.stltones.com/pages/file-downloads" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">downloads center</a>.&#xA0;To update, simply run the latest installer, which will update your plugin while keeping files such as your presets in place. <h3 id="how-touninstall">How to&#xA0;uninstall?</h3>To uninstall, please delete the plugin data from your system. You can find file locations <a href="https://stltones.gorgias.help/en-US/170255-1970db4e1df64b46838856272d7600f8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a> For our amp plugins, you will additionally want to delete the standalone apps from your applications folder.

System Requirements

If you're using a version of your plugin from before June 2025, please follow the activation steps below

Downloading your PluginThe easiest way to get started is to download your plugin from our <a href="https://www.stltones.com/pages/file-downloads" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Downloads Center</a>, which hosts all of the installers for our plugins.To keep things simple, all expansion pack installers are included in the core plugin. You only need to download the core installer.&#xA0; <h3 id="installing-your-plugin">Installing your Plugin</h3>To install, extract the .exe or .pkg from the download file (if you system doesn&apos;t automatically). Next, run the installer, clicking through the steps. Be sure to grant any permissions your system prompts you for, such as access to your microphone (this allows the plugin to input audio to your system).If the install fails, please contact our support team. <h3 id="activating-your-plugin">Activating Your Plugin</h3>STL plugins no longer require iLok, with the exception of Libra. The activation now happens directly inside your plugin. The process is similar for trials and full licenses, and is explained below.Note:&#xA0;If you are trying to activate Libra with an iLok activation code, please see the help article <a href="https://stltones.gorgias.help/en-US/170254-3081c4533dfe42ee8228bee769c322b9" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">for iLok activations.</a> <h2 id="activating-amphub-tonehub--controlhub">Activating AmpHub, ToneHub, &amp; ControlHub</h2><h3 style=" text-decoration: none;" id="your-login">Your Login</h3>You will login inside the plugin with the same email and password as your STL Tones website account. When logging in to a plugin for the first time, you will be sent a 6 digit verification code. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive it.&#xA0;&#xA0; &#xA0; &#xA0; &#xA0; <img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025061819-97f24252-6e35-457b-a069-4b583dea34c3-screenshot%202025-06-18%20at%202.24.06%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii">&#xA0; &#xA0; &#xA0; &#xA0; &#xA0;Login to the plugin<img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025061819-6d747712-3b42-45c3-885b-86decedb0b64-screenshot%202025-06-17%20at%205.17.26%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Enter your verification code<h3 id> </h3><h3 id="subscription-activation">Subscription Activation</h3>To activate a free trial, monthly subscription, or annual subscription, click &quot;Activate now&quot;. If you have a current trial or subscription(s), the activation server will recognize your license, and you can select your subscription for activation.&#xA0;<h2 style="text-align: center;" id="-1"><img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025062420-a34ff569-0a51-47b4-a82a-26d52442c4cc-screenshot%202025-06-24%20at%203.42.26%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></h2>Select &quot;Activate Now&quot;<h2 style="text-align: center;" id="-2"><img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025062421-3e19c1eb-29e9-4006-a3c2-37df9ac78f7e-screenshot%202025-06-18%20at%203.12.35%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></h2>Select your subscription for activation<img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025062421-c23e8810-4eda-4261-8937-3e505955c475-sub%20activated.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Your subscription is activated! If your license is expired, you will receive this prompt:&#xA0;<h2 style="text-align: center;" id="-3"><img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025062420-b6b0dcfb-cae1-4aa8-9a58-39b8fece7f00-screenshot%202025-06-24%20at%203.50.27%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></h2>Renew your expired subscription To continue using the plugin, select &quot;Renew Subscription&quot; and you will be redirected to the STL Tones website to choose your subscription plan. Once you&apos;ve completed renewing your subscription on the website, you can click on the link that appears in the prompt to resume activation:<h2 style="text-align: center;" id="-4"><img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025062420-b3bb3ff4-6207-4f53-93f7-2142a870abdc-screenshot%202025-06-18%20at%203.03.58%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></h2>Click link to continue activation If you do not wish to renew your subscription, and instead would like to activate your perpetual license, select &quot;Cancel&quot; and it will direct you to the activation screen for an Own Outright license.&#xA0; <h3 id="own-outright-activation">Own Outright Activation&#xA0;</h3>To activate your perpetual license, select &quot;Activate Now&quot; and enter your license code for the core plugin.&#xA0;<img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025062421-a3fa8688-0f86-4d6b-85a1-a29c966bb22d-screenshot%202025-06-24%20at%204.21.31%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Enter your Own Outright activation code You&apos;ll activate your expansion packs from within the plugin. Click on the lock icon in the pack, and it will prompt you to &quot;Redeem Activation Code&quot;, where you can enter the expansion&apos;s unique license code. If you do not own the pack yet, you also have the option to select &quot;Free Trial&quot; to check out the pack for 5 days.&#xA0;<img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025062421-b8b2e7b4-a33f-4280-b6df-b8d05b15e3cd-screenshot%202025-06-24%20at%204.26.49%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 200px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Click on lock icon to unlock your expansion pack<img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025062421-730c3758-4ef5-4fa1-84de-2541ac84cabd-screenshot%202025-06-24%20at%204.38.07%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Select &quot;Redeem Activation Code&quot; to enter your license code, or &quot;Free Trial&quot; to start trial period <h3 id="saved-codes">Saved Codes:</h3>Once activated, your licenses for that plugin will be saved to your account within the plugin. If you need to find an activation code, select the settings icon at the top right of the activation window. There you will find a drop down menu with &quot;My Activation Codes&quot;, which will show your Activation Code Summary. <h3 id="deactivation">Deactivation:&#xA0;</h3>You get three concurrent activations with your license or subscription. If you&apos;ve used all three of your activations, and need to deactivate an old machine, you can do so in the &quot;My Devices&quot; menu. Select the computer you wish to deactivate, and it will remove the licenses from that machine.&#xA0;Please note: this is meant to be a permanent action and will prevent you from using the plugin on the deactivated machine.&#xA0;If you need any assistance locating your activation codes or deactivating a machine, please reach out to <a href="mailto:support@stltones.com">support@stltones.com</a>.&#xA0; <img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025062421-225d275b-bef2-42f2-9a0c-efb16b12893f-screenshot%202025-06-24%20at%203.38.10%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii">This menu allows you to see your license information and devices<h2 id="-5"> </h2><h3 id="tonality-activation">Tonality Activation&#xA0;</h3>You will login inside the plugins with the same email and password as your STL Tones website account. When logging in to a plugin for the first time, you will be sent a 6 digit verification code. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive it.&#xA0; <img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025062421-6a77183f-073e-4554-be41-8cdf1d3fd12a-screenshot%202025-06-24%20at%204.52.46%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Login with your STL Tones account Select &quot;Redeem Activation Code&quot; and enter your license.<img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025062421-e4bd96d3-ac4b-452c-ba25-e1c6f71c5cd6-screenshot%202025-06-24%20at%204.53.07%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Redeem Activation Code<img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025062421-c756b98e-490b-4c16-9338-ed3f25817200-screenshot%202025-06-24%20at%204.53.19%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Enter your 48 digit license code If you own the Chris Lord-Alge Trilogy Preset Pack for Tonality Howard Benson, you will unlock the pack from within the plugin. Navigate to the presets menu, where you will see the locked pack. Click on the lock icon, and it will prompt you to redeem your activation code.&#xA0;<img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025062422-0b14b9b2-ba3f-4b94-aa4a-06afcb5ef214-screenshot%202025-06-24%20at%204.54.14%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Click on the lock icon to activate your CLA expansion pack If you do not yet own the Tonality plugin suite that you&apos;ve downloaded, you can select &quot;Free Trial&quot; to activate 10 days for free.<img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/hc/0l9dY2VB302rZkLp/2025062422-0f534beb-eb15-429f-b61c-cc7b8736312b-screenshot%202025-06-24%20at%204.54.52%E2%80%AFpm.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Activate your 10 day free trial <h3 id="my-activation-screen-doesnt-look-like-this-what-should-i-do">My activation screen doesn&apos;t look like this, what should I do?&#xA0;</h3>If you have not updated your plugin in some time, the activation screen may look different. We recommend updating your plugin to the latest version.&#xA0;To activate your subscription in older versions, you&apos;ll select &quot;Subscription or Free Trial&quot;.&#xA0;To activate a perpetual license, you&apos;ll click &quot;Own Outright&quot; and enter your code.&#xA0;

Downloads & Activations

When first using your plugin, these are the recommend settings for getting up and running. You can access these settings by clicking into the Audio IO menu in the standalone plugin. Feedback Loop:. Uncheck this box once you are setup to unmute the pl

<h3 id="recommended-settings-for-standalone">Recommended Settings for Standalone</h3>When first using your plugin, these are the recommend settings for getting up and running. You can access these settings by clicking into the Audio IO menu in the standalone plugin.Feedback Loop:Uncheck this box once you are setup to unmute the plugin.Audio Device Type (Windows only):This must be set to ASIO for low-latency, high-fidelity audio.Input / Output:Set your input and output to your desired device, typically your audio interface.Active Output Channels:Enable outputs to match your device settings. Typically, this will be Output 1 &amp; 2 for stereo L/R output.Active Input Channels:Enable the input that your guitar is plugged into.Sample Rate:Set to either 44100 or 48000 HZAudio Buffer Size:Setting at 128 samples should lower latency while still providing good CPU performance. <h3 id="settings-for-daw">Settings for DAW</h3>The plugins settings when using in a DAW will be dictated by the project&apos;s settings. Please see your DAW&apos;s documentation for changing project settings to your preferences.

Recommended Starting Settings

Each subscription or outright license can be used on up to 3 different machines at once. The associated email will always be the one entered during your first activation. If you try to activate the same code on a 2nd machine with a separate email, th

<h3 id="license-information">License Information&#xA0;</h3> <h4 id="multiple-machines">Multiple machines</h4>Each subscription or outright license can be used on up to 3 different machines at once. The associated email will always be the one entered during your first activation. If you try to activate the same code on a 2nd machine with a separate email, the activation will fail. <h4 id="isPasted">Deactivating a license</h4>If you have used all 3 of your activations and would like to remove an old machine, you can do so within the plugin. Select the &quot;more settings&quot; icon at the top right of the activation window. There you will find a drop down menu with &quot;My Devices&quot; where you can select the machine you wish to deactivate. This is meant to be a permanent action to remove a machine you are no longer using.&#xA0;Note:&#xA0;This feature is not yet available on the Tonality plugins. If you need help managing your Tonality license, please reach out to <a href="mailto:support@stltones.com">support@stltones.com</a>.&#xA0; <h4 id="trial-limitations">Trial limitations</h4>Only one trial can be requested per account or machine. <h2 id> </h2><h1 id="-1"> </h1>

Licenses & Multiple Machines

Your plugins are installed to the following locations by default:. VST: C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VSTPlugins. VST3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3. AAX: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-ins. VST: Macintosh HD/ Library/ Audio/ Plug-I

<h3 id="default-plugin-locations">Default Plugin Locations</h3>Your plugins are installed to the following locations by default:<h4 id="windows">Windows</h4>VST: C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VSTPluginsVST3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3AAX: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-ins <h4 id="mac">Mac</h4>VST: Macintosh HD/ Library/ Audio/ Plug-Ins/ VSTVST3: Macintosh HD/ Library/ Audio/ Plug-Ins/ VST3AU: Macintosh HD/ Library/ Audio/ Plug-Ins/ ComponentsAAX: Macintosh HD/ Library/ Application Support/ Avid/ Audio/ Plug-Ins <h3 id="isPasted">Presets, Traces, Manual, Changelog</h3>The contents of your plugin will be installed to your documents folder:Documents/ STL/Do not remove the Preset Banks or Trace files from this folder, or offload this folder onto cloud storage, or else your plugin may not function normally.&#xA0;To share a preset bank between computers, you can copy the .bank files into the Banks folder on the second system.

File Locations

AmpHub. ControlHub. ToneHub. All Tonality plugins. Libra. Emissary / NadIR

<h4 id="isPasted">Plugins that run Apple Silicon Native</h4>AmpHubControlHubToneHubAll Tonality plugins <h4 id="plugins-that-run-using-rosetta-2">Plugins that run using Rosetta 2</h4>LibraEmissary / NadIR

Apple Silicon Support

AmpHub LE is free for all customers who purchase Focusrite, and Novation registered hardware units. Your activation code for AmpHub LE will be available within your Focusrite account. If you haven't received an activation code yet, please reach out t

<h3 id="isPasted">Activating AmpHub LE for Focusrite and Novation users</h3>AmpHub LE is free for all customers who purchase Focusrite, and Novation registered hardware units.&#xA0;Your activation code for AmpHub LE will be available within your Focusrite account. If you haven&apos;t received an activation code yet, please reach out to Focusrite customer support, as they&apos;re distributing the codes.Once you&apos;ve received your code, please make sure to use the installer specifically for AmpHub LE. The installer (step 3) and activation instructions can be found <a href="https://www.stltones.com/products/amphub-le" target="_self">here</a>.&#xA0;This offer is only available until 12th July 2025

AmpHub LE

As of October 2024, we officially completed our transition to our proprietary licensing system, and iLok is no longer required with the exception of Libra. Please note: We will not be able to offer support or guarantee compatibility for any iLok-lice

<h3 id="activating-with-ilok">Activating with iLok</h3>As of October 2024, we officially completed our transition to our proprietary licensing system, and iLok is no longer required with the exception of Libra.&#xA0;Please note: We will not be able to offer support or guarantee compatibility for any iLok-licensed plugin instances in any session/project after October 1, 2024.&#xA0;More information about this change can be found&#xA0;<a href="https://www.stltones.com/pages/blog">here.</a> For activating via the STL Tones Licensing system, please refer to <a href="https://stltones.gorgias.help/en-US/183638-87200f22331e4a9e8f97300fa486825a" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this article.</a> <h4 id="to-activate-libra">To Activate Libra:</h4>You do not need an iLok dongle; simply a free iLok account, and the iLok License Manager software, where all of your licenses are managed.<img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/uploads.gorgias.io/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/Screenshot_2023-01-04_at_1.36.30_PM-52448039-8179-45a6-b028-01dafea2c641.png" style="width: 692px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> <h4 id="full-licenses">Full Licenses</h4>You will need to manually redeem your activation code in License Manager and activate the license. You can find your activation code in a separate email we send after your purchase from our SendOwl service.With your code in hand, login to License Manager, and click the &quot;Redeem an Activation Code&quot; button at the top right of the app (the icon with 2 dots)<img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/uploads.gorgias.io/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/Screenshot_2023-01-04_at_1.39.19_PM-da8b613a-e909-416d-b2b6-13283044d1b8.png" style="width: 276px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">This will open up a window for you to type your activation code into.<img src="https://attachments.gorgias.help/uploads.gorgias.io/3RBN0xMmz1x49GJP/Screenshot_2023-01-04_at_1.40.13_PM-57976070-902a-4585-b637-ddbfc7238442.png" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Enter your activation code here and click next. iLok will then prompt you for a location to activate the license too. We recommend activating to your computer or an iLok dongle.If you encounter any activation issues, make sure that you are running the most up-to-date version of iLok License Manager. <h3 id="multiple-computers">Multiple Computers</h3>Each license comes with 3 concurrent activations, which can be managed in iLok License Manager.To use a plugin on a different computer, you need to download and install the plugin, then sign into iLok License Manager and activate the license from your &quot;Available&quot; tab.

Legacy iLok Activations

<h3 id="if-you-are-using-a-version-of-the-plugin-prior-to-june-2025-please-follow-the-activation-instructions-below">If you are using a version of the plugin prior to June 2025, please follow the activation instructions below</h3><h3 id="installing-your-plugin">Installing your Plugin</h3>To install, extract the .exe or .pkg from the download file (if you system doesn&apos;t automatically). Next, run the installer, clicking through the steps. Be sure to grant any permissions your system prompts you for, such as access to your microphone (this allows the plugin to input audio to your system).If the install fails, please contact our support team.<h1 id> </h1><h3 id="activating-your-plugin">Activating Your Plugin</h3>STL plugins no longer require iLok, with the exception of Libra. The activation now happens directly inside your plugin. The process is similar for trials and full licenses, and is explained below.Note:&#xA0;If you are trying to activate Libra with an iLok activation code, please see the help article <a href="https://stltones.gorgias.help/en-US/170254-3081c4533dfe42ee8228bee769c322b9" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">for iLok activations.</a> <h3 id="your-login">Your Login</h3>You will login inside the plugins with the same email and password as your STL Tones website account. When logging in to a plugin for the first time, you will be sent a verification code. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive it. <h3 id="own-outright">Own Outright</h3>To activate your perpetual license, select &quot;Activate Now&quot; and enter your license code for the core plugin. To activate any expansion packs you&apos;ve purchased, click on the lock icon next to the pack and it will prompt you to enter the expansion&apos;s unique license code.&#xA0;Note:&#xA0;Once activated, your licenses for that plugin will be saved to your account within the plugin. If you need to find an activation code, select the &quot;more settings&quot; icon at the top right of the activation window. There you will find a drop down menu with &quot;My Activation Codes&quot;, which will show your Activation Code Summary. <h3 id="subscription">Subscription&#xA0;</h3>To activate a free trial, monthly subscription, or annual subscription, click &quot;Activate Now&quot;, then select the subscription you wish to activate.&#xA0;<h2 id="-1"> </h2><h2 id="isPasted">AmpHub, ToneHub, &amp; ControlHub</h2>Please follow the activation steps in the video below.<iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Lei3rFTPKvU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen class="fr-draggable">&#xA0;</iframe> <h2 id="isPasted">Tonality Plugins</h2>Please follow the activation steps in the video below.<iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OZzYH1hZZh4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen class="fr-draggable">&#xA0;</iframe> <h3 id="my-activation-screen-doesnt-look-like-this-what-should-i-do">My activation screen doesn&apos;t look like this, what should I do?&#xA0;</h3>If you have not updated your plugin in some time, the activation screen may look different. To activate your subscription you&apos;ll select &quot;Subscription or Free Trial&quot;. To activate a perpetual license, you&apos;ll click &quot;Own Outright&quot;.

PLUGIN ACTIVATION & ASSISTANCE