Download your desired plugin from soniccascade.com/downloads and install it. There's no separate demo build and nothing to sign up for - the download you get is the full plugin, running as a 7-day trial.

When you're ready to keep it, you buy a serial code and type it into the plugin. Same install, same plugin, unlocked, no headaches.

Nope. Install it and open it. There's no account system and nothing to sign up for - and activation works the same way: no login, no iLok or dongle, no machine registration.

The only email that matters is your receipt email - that's where your serial code lives, so keep it safe.

1. Download the .zip and unzip it - there's an installer .exe inside.
2. Run the installer and choose which formats you want (VST3, and AAX if you use Pro Tools).
3. It'll suggest the standard VST3 folder. If your DAW scans a different one, point it there instead.

Download the .pkg and double-click it. Choose your formats and it puts everything in the standard locations:

• VST3 → /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/
• Audio Unit → /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/
• AAX → /Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/

This is macOS Gatekeeper doing its job - it's not a sign that anything is wrong with the file. If the system simply asks you to confirm an installer downloaded from the internet, choose Open and continue.

If macOS blocks the installer outright:

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security.
2. Scroll to the Security section. You'll see a message saying the file was blocked.
3. Click "Open Anyway" and confirm when prompted.

Alternatively, right-click (or Control-click) the installer and choose Open from the menu, then click Open again in the dialog.

No. Click More info → Run anyway. Windows shows that warning for installers from small developers until they've built up download history with Microsoft. The installer is exactly what it says it is.

Yes. Updates are free, and your serial code keeps working - there's nothing to reactivate.

Download the latest installer and run it. It installs over the top of your current version rather than adding a second copy, so your sessions, presets, and activation all carry straight over.

Delete the plugin's files from the standard plugin folders, whichever formats you installed:

• Mac: the .component in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/, the .vst3 in /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/, and the .aaxplugin in /Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/
• Windows: the .vst3 in C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\ and the .aaxplugin in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\

On Windows you can also use Add or Remove Programs if an uninstaller was included with your version.

No. Every knob, every preset, every format - the trial is the finished plugin. No noise bursts, no periodic silence, no disabled controls, no saving restrictions. Same plugin, just seven days.

The clock starts the first time you actually open the plugin's window - not when you install it. Your DAW scanning its plugin folder doesn't start it either, so you can install today and start the trial whenever you sit down to work.

The trial runs once per computer. And no, reinstalling the plugin does not reset it.

Nothing breaks. The plugin stays loaded in every session that uses it, and audio keeps passing through it dry - the plugin's own delay compensation stays in place, so nothing in your project shifts out of time. A panel appears with a field to enter a serial code to activate it.

The moment you activate, every one of those sessions has its settings back, exactly as you left them. There's nothing to swap out and nothing to re-insert.

1. Open any of our paid plugins on a track in your DAW (Logic, Cubase, etc.).
2. Click the DAYS LEFT badge in the bottom-right corner, next to the version number. (If your trial has already ended, the activation panel is already on screen.)
3. Paste your serial code into the field.
4. Click ACTIVATE.

You'll get a YOU'RE ALL SET! confirmation, and the trial badge disappears for good. That's the whole process - it takes about five seconds.

No. The trial you already installed is the full plugin. Entering the serial unlocks the copy that's already on your computer.

If you bought a plugin before trying it, download the installer from soniccascade.com/downloads and enter your serial there.

Yes, with all your settings intact. The trial and the licensed version are literally the same plugin - activating doesn't change how your DAW identifies it, so nothing needs relinking or re-inserting.

Up to three of your own computers.

Yes. One serial code works on both platforms.

Install the plugin and enter the same serial code again. Keep the code somewhere you can find it (your receipt email, a password manager) - it's yours permanently.

Search your email for the receipt from your purchase - the code is in it. If you can't find it, contact us at soniccascade.com/support with the name and email address you used for the original purchase and we'll look it up.

Each plugin keeps its license file here:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Sonic Cascade\[plugin name]\
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Sonic Cascade/[plugin name]/

Yes - in anything that loads VST3, Audio Units, or AAX: Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Cubase, Nuendo, Studio One, Reaper, FL Studio, Digital Performer, and others.

If your DAW loads 64-bit AU, VST3, or AAX plugins, you're covered.

• Windows: Windows 10 or later, 64-bit - VST3, AAX
• macOS: macOS 10.13 or later, Intel and Apple Silicon (universal) - VST3, Audio Unit, AAX

There's no 32-bit version and no VST2 version.

This is the most common post-install issue. Work through these steps in order:

1. Quit and relaunch your DAW. Plugins installed while your DAW is open won't appear until you restart it - Logic Pro, for example, re-validates AU plugins on startup.
2. Confirm the right format was selected during install. If you only ticked VST3 but your DAW needs AU or AAX, re-run the installer and select the format your DAW uses.
3. Force a plugin rescan. In most DAWs this is under Preferences → Plugins. Look for “Scan,” “Rescan,” or “Refresh.” In Ableton Live, also make sure "Use VST3 Plug-In System Folders" is On.
4. Check the plugin folder. Confirm the plugin is in the correct standard location - the install questions under Download & Installation list them.
5. Check for a blacklist/blocklist. Some DAWs quarantine plugins that previously failed to load. Find the blocked plugin list in your DAW's plugin settings and remove the plugin if it's there.

Our paid plugins ship with custom-tailored factory presets. Your own presets are saved with your DAW - most every DAW can save custom user presets.

Open the plugin window first - an expired trial is almost always the reason. When the trial ends, the activation panel appears and audio passes through dry, completely untouched, until you enter a serial code.

If you're activated and still hear no effect:

1. Check the mix / wet control - at 0% you're hearing only dry signal.
2. If the plugin is on a send/return track, make sure the send level from your source track is turned up.
3. Make sure the plugin isn't bypassed - check for a bypass toggle in your DAW's plugin slot.

Still hearing nothing? Reach us at soniccascade.com/support and tell us your operating system, your DAW, and what you're seeing.

1. Reinstall the plugin. Download a fresh installer from soniccascade.com/downloads and run it over the existing install. Corrupted installs can cause instability.
2. Raise your buffer size. Try 512 or 1024 samples to rule out CPU overload.
3. Test in isolation. Create a blank project with only this plugin loaded to see if the issue is the plugin alone or a conflict with another plugin.
4. Check your DAW's crash log. Most DAWs write logs to ~/Library/Logs (Mac) or the Windows Event Viewer - the error message can help pinpoint the cause.

If none of these resolve it, reach us at soniccascade.com/support with your operating system, your DAW, and a description of when the crash occurs - screenshots help a lot.

Go to soniccascade.com/support. There's a form you can use to contact our support team. Tell us your operating system, your DAW, and what you're seeing - screenshots help a lot. We read everything.