Support
Install, activate, get help
Most questions are answered below. If yours isn’t, write to us and a person will reply.
This page covers both CNTRLLD plug-ins, SPECTRA and ClearVox. They install, license and activate the same way; where they differ, it says so.
Installation
macOS
- Download the installer: SPECTRA from the download page, ClearVox from its page. That is always the latest build, for the trial and after buying alike.
- Open the installer, tick what you want — VST3, Audio Unit or both — and follow the steps. It is signed and notarised by Apple, so it opens without warnings; macOS asks for your password once, because it installs for everyone on the Mac.
- Restart your DAW, or let it rescan its plug-ins. The plug-in appears under CNTRLLD.
The plug-ins go to /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/ and /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/, where every DAW looks. Your settings, presets and licence live in your own home folder and are left alone, so installing a new version never costs you anything you set up.
Windows
Windows versions (VST3) are being prepared. They are not available yet — leave your address and we will write to you the day they are.
Trial, licence and activation
Each plug-in is the full version for 30 days, with nothing held back. The days left show at the bottom of its window, next to a Buy link. When the trial runs out, the plug-in stops passing audio and opens its licence window; your settings and sessions stay as they are.
After buying, your licence arrives by e-mail: a short piece of text with your name and e-mail address in it, also attached as a file. Click the licence line in the plug-in — in SPECTRA at the bottom of the window, in ClearVox at the bottom right — and paste the text, or open the attached file (SPECTRA-licence.txt or ClearVox-licence.txt).
The first time you paste it, the plug-in activates that computer, once. After that it checks the licence on your own machine, so it keeps working on a studio computer that stays offline. A licence is for one plug-in: a SPECTRA licence does not open ClearVox, and the other way round.
Licences are kept in ~/Library/Application Support/CNTRLLD/, in a folder per plug-in.
Frequently asked
The Audio Unit doesn’t show up in Logic.
Log out of macOS once and back in (Apple menu → Log Out). macOS keeps its list of Audio Units per user and doesn’t always notice a new one while you are logged in. After logging back in, Logic rescans and the plug-in appears under CNTRLLD. The VST3 never needs this.
On how many computers can I use my licence?
Up to three computers that you use yourself — a studio machine, a laptop and a spare, for instance. The licence carries your name; it is for one person. Moving to another computer? Press Deactivate this computer in the plug-in’s licence window, or free it in your account, as often as you like, and activate it on the new one.
I lost my licence.
Sign in at your account with the address you bought it with, and download it again or have it e-mailed to you.
Can I get a refund?
The 30-day trial is there so you can be sure before you buy. If something is technically broken and we cannot fix it, you get your money back — see the refund policy.
SPECTRA isn’t doing anything.
That’s how it starts: everything that shapes the sound starts at zero. Turn up Shape for tonal balance or Compress for resonances. The analyser tells you when both are at zero. The manual covers every control.
Why does my DAW show latency with SPECTRA?
Live has none, Standard 4 ms and Master 100 ms; the limiter adds 1.35 ms while it’s on. SPECTRA reports this to the host, which compensates automatically. For recording, use Live.
Does SPECTRA make things louder?
With Auto gain on, SPECTRA matches the level so you hear the change in tone, not in loudness. The amount of makeup is shown in dB.
Where are my SPECTRA presets?
In ~/Library/Audio/Presets/CNTRLLD/SPECTRA. Use Show presets folder in the preset menu to open it.
Which ClearVox mode should I use?
Live (0 ms) for the stage and the monitor mix; Live+ (5 ms) when a few milliseconds are fine and you want a little more removed; Studio for post-production, where it looks ahead and your DAW compensates the delay — not for live use.
ClearVox cuts into the gaps between phrases too much, or too little.
That is the Gate: on, it also turns down what is left between phrases, which helps on a loud stage; off, nothing closes between sentences, which is right for speech. Clean sets how much of the room is taken away; 100 % is the tuned setting.
Contact
Write to support@cntrlld.com, in English or Dutch. Include which plug-in and its version (shown at the bottom of its window), your operating system, and your DAW and its version. We answer as quickly as we can, usually within a couple of working days.