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
The first time you open Outboard-EQ, an activation panel appears. 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.
Demo mode
If no license is found, Outboard-EQ runs in demo mode:
- Full functionality of every stage.
- A short silence drop-in is inserted into the output every ~30 seconds as a watermark.
- No project-state loss — demo mode and licensed mode share the same session format.
The demo mode is intended for evaluation. Buy a license to remove the watermark.
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.