License and activation
> Outboard-EQ requires a one-time license activation. After that the plugin runs offline, and your license carries across machine reinstalls.
Outboard-EQ requires a one-time license activation. After that the plugin runs offline, and your license carries across machine reinstalls.
Activating
When you have a license key, open the activation panel — during the trial it sits behind the Trial pill (or the platter logo in the header); once the trial has ended it greets you on load. Enter the license key you received with your purchase and click Activate.
The activation makes a single online call to verify the key, then writes a small license file to your user folder:
- Windows:
%APPDATA%\EQUILIBRIUM\license.dat - macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/EQUILIBRIUM/license.dat
After activation, the plugin works offline. You can disconnect from the internet and Outboard-EQ will continue to load and process audio.
Reactivating on a new machine
Each license allows activation on a small number of machines simultaneously (the exact count is shown in your account dashboard). To move a license to a different machine:
- Deactivate on the old machine: open Outboard-EQ → License panel → Deactivate. This frees up the seat.
- Activate on the new machine using the same key.
If you can't reach the old machine (sold, broken, OS-reinstalled), open your account dashboard and free the seat from there.
Free 14-day trial
You don't need to buy first. Grab the free trial from outboard.audio and it runs as a full 14-day trial:
- Every stage, every format, fully unlocked. No watermark, no feature limits.
- A small Trial pill shows the days remaining; click it any time to buy or enter a key.
- Sessions are identical to the licensed plugin, so nothing is lost when you buy.
The trial starts the first time you load the plugin and is tracked per machine. When the 14 days are up, Outboard-EQ keeps loading but its output is muted for a couple of seconds at regular intervals until you enter a valid license key.
Educational and bundle discounts
Educational licensing and bundle discounts are available — see the website for current offers, or contact support directly.
Losing the license file
If license.dat is deleted (e.g. by a system reinstall), you can re-activate using your original key without using up another seat — the deactivated machine's seat is still bound until you reactivate. Reactivation refreshes the license file.
Tips
- Save the license email somewhere safe — the key in it is your single source of activation.
- Activation is per OS user (the license file lives in the user's app data folder), so multiple OS users on the same machine each need their own activation.