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AudioPort Universal
Audio Impressions Audio Port Universal is Audio Impressions
proprietary system for enabling samplers or computers dedicated to
digital audio plug-ins to send multichannel digital audio over gigabit
Ethernet. AudioPorts receiving end is cross-platform, so it doesnt
matter whether youre sending audio from one or more Windows PC
sample players to a Macintosh or to a Windows-based sequencer or
DAW.
AudioPort is comprised of two parts, the Host and the plug-in. You
install AudioPort host on one or more Windows PC computers, and you
instantiate whatever VST based virtual instruments or effects plugins you wish inside that host. You then install one or more AudioPort
plug-ins on your Macintosh or Windows sequencer or DAW. Digital
audio flows from Host to plug-in via standard Gigabit Ethernet so no
expensive cabling or audio I/O cards/converters are necessary.
Note: AudioPort Host has no audio input so any audio it sends out must
be generated by the VST plug-ins within this host. Therefore its useful for
sampler and synth plug-ins but not for general signal processing plug-ins
that take audio from elsewhere.
Each host can send out up to 32 channels of digital audio at up to
192 kHz/32 bit depth, and you instantiate one AudioPort plug-in for
each pair of channels being received in the sequencer or DAW. APU
works with MusicLabs MIDIoverLAN CP for communication with
synths and samplers instantiated in AudioPort Host. AudioPort also
supports direct-connected MIDI keyboards and hardware devices that
have Windows drivers or native Windows support.
4. Versions of the VST AudioPort plug-in (not the Host) can run
on a Macintosh or a PC; please use the proper installer for the
operating system and do not swap a Mac-installed VST plug-in
onto a Windows machine or vice-versa. The AU version of the
AudioPort plug-in is intended only for use on a Macintosh.
Getting Started
6. APUniversal_Manual_Rxxx.pdf
This PDF file contains this manual (this manual is also available
from our websites support>downloads folder). The xxx will be
the current revision of the manual.
7. AudioPort Universal Readme.txt
This is a brief text ReadMe file with very brief installation and
use instructions for AudioPort.
8. AudioPort_Host_Universal_1.0_PC.msi
This is an installer file to place AudioPort Host on a Windows
VST Sampler/Effects hosting computer. Download this and
copy it onto each of the hosting Windows XP, Vista or Windows
7 computers (you can use up to four per AudioPort Universal
license).*
9. AudioPort_Plug-in_Setup_MAC_2.0.1.zip
This is an archive containing an AudioPort plug-in installer
(.mpkg) file. Download it to (or copy it to) the Macintosh
sequencer or DAW computer. It will install both the AU and VST
versions of the AudioPort plug-in.
AudioPort Universal relies upon a fast LAN (local area network) to send
digital audio from PCs to a Mac or PC. All these computers must be
interconnected by Gigabit Ethernet.
Gigabit speed is sometimes called 1000 base-T.
*If youre using APU Host in a 64-bit Windows system we recommend that you
purchase jBridge (about 15 Euros or roughly $22 USD) in order to take full
advantage of the RAM a 64-bit operating system can address. Go to this link:
http://jstuff.wordpress.com/jbridge/
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e. Click the Support tab in that window, and write down the IP address
which will be something like 192.168.10.21; this is the LAN or network or IP address of this port on this computer. You dont need to
write down the second line, which is typically 255.255.255.0.
3. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for each of the Windows host computers.
a. Click the START Menu and drag/release on Control Panel for the list
of control panels.
b. Double-click on the one labeled Network Connection.
c. Right-click on whatever is your active High-Speed LAN adaptor.
d. Drag and release on Status.
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Figure 6. Using the Macs Finder to locate where the AudioPort Universal installer places the VST and AU plug-ins
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On a Macintosh, the AudioPort plug-ins are installed in the main plugins folder so when you launch the sequencer it should automatically
scan and find the newly installed AU and VST versions of AudioPort
plug-in.
On a Windows PC, you can either add the directory of your PC based
sequencer to the VST plug-ins search path or copy AudioPort.dll into
a VST directory that is already set up. The actual plug-in file is named
AudioPort.dll and installed in C:\Program Files\Audio Impressions\
AudioPort.
For each Audio port plug-in:
3. Be sure the track is Input Enabled (or activate the monitor input
icon button, depending on the nature of your sequencer).
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Note: There is a known issue with some versions of Ableton Live and
Cubase that makes it impossible to simply type the IP address into the
AudioPort plug-in. If you encounter this difficulty, there is a simple (albeit
inconvenient) work-around. Open a word processor, text edit, notepad,
or any program that will let you type and then copy numbers. Enter
one number group at a time (e.g., 192), then copy it, click the cursor in
the corresponding box of the AudioPort plug-in GUI in the sequencer,
and paste that number group. Repeat this to copy/paste all four groups
of numbers (e.g., 192, then 168, then 10, then 21). You should only
need to do this once per targeted computer; after you Connect to that
computer, its IP address will show up in the Recent Servers box of all
the AudioPort plug-ins. You may then use that feature to grab the desired
address for subsequent AudioPort plug-ins.
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Now you can unzip and install the jBridge program. Locate the installer
(Figure 16) and right-click it.
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The 7-zip software now gives you some choices. (See Fig. 17.)
Figure 17. Use this pop-out menu item to extract the jBridge installer
Using Extract Here places the installer right on the desktop, whereas
Open archive creates a temporary window from which you can run the
installer and you may or may not extract it first. This makes it easy to
copy (to a USB thumb drive or over a network) so you can install it on
a second sampler (if youre using one) or for backup should you ever
need to reinstall it. Double-click this file to begin installing jBridge.
(See Fig. 18.)
The installer window will then open and prompt you for a password.
This is the password that should have been e-mailed to you when you
purchased jBridge. The password is not case sensitive. In Figure 19, the
password is jbridge.
Read and agree to the license terms, and youll get a screen with a
default file location. Accept the default by clicking the Install button
unless you have an important reason to do otherwise. (Refer to Fig. 20.)
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Youll get a screen indicating the installation is complete. You can read
the notes or not, and close that window. Now it s time to actually run
jBridge so it can make some bridge files in order to allow Kontakt
Player to run in 64 bit mode within the AudioPort Universal Host.
Run jBridge to prepare APU and your VST(s) for 64-bit Operation
Well assume you are logged in to your sampler as the computers
administrator (or else you wouldnt have been able to get this far with
various software installations) but if for some reason youre not, nows
the time to log off and log back in as the administrator.
1. Click the Windows START menu, drag up to the jBridge folder,
then onto jBridger, and in the pop-out menu select Run as
administrator. (See Fig. 21.)
Figure 22. Select the x32 (32bit) host option (per red arrow here)
3. The next window to appear gives you some options. Check the
first two, then click the Create necessary files inside a directory
Ill specify button. (See Fig. 23.)
Figure 23. Check the first two boxes and click as shown by arrow here
Figure 21. Launch jBridger using the Run as Administrator option
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7. jBridge will now give you a report which indicates its done with
its setup. Click the OK box. (See Fig. 26)
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Note: It is possible for the Plug-in GUI to show theres a connection to the
Host, yet the connection may not take. If you look at the PC targeted
by that Plug-in, and AudioPort Host is not connected, then typically you
either have an incorrect IP address or the plug-ins Audio Track in your
sequencer is not input enabled, or theres a network problem.
7. In AudioPort Host Drag and drop any VST instrument or effect
(.dll file) onto the AudioPort Host window. See Fig. 28.
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Figure 28. Firewall warning may appear at initial launch of AudioPort Host
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10. Its a good idea to also save the sequencer session in order to
preserve the AudioPort plug-in instantiations and their IP address
assignments. So long as the target computer(s) on which the
AudioPort Host is launched retain the same IP address, loading the
original session (as a template) will immediately prepare the plugins for connection to the host(s). See Fig. 30.
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Tip: After you assign MIDI to the instantiated plug-ins within AudioPort
Host, its a good idea to again click the File/Save menu (assuming youve
already saved the basic session setup). This will capture the actual MIDI
assignments so that the next time you launch AudioPort Host, once youve
made a connection from an AudioPort plug-in, all you have to do is load
this previously saved .apf session file and youll be ready to go.
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Referring to Fig. 32A, you will see that the first two items, Open and
Open recent file, are grayed out, indicating they may not be selected. The
reason is also suggest by the phrase, Please connect to a remote host. The
other term for that remote host is none other than your sequencer, and
in particular at least one AudioPort Plug-in that you have set up in that
sequencer.
Hint: We suggest you make copies of your actual VST plug-ins (the .dll
files) and place those copied plug-ins in AudioPorts VST plug-ins folder.
Then drag them from that folder onto AudioPort Host to launch them the
first time. This ensures all your plug-ins will be easy to find. This folder is
located here: C:\Program Files\Audio Impressions|Audio Port\VST Plugins.
Figure 32. Available options in the File menu expand when connected
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Plug-ins
Options
This menu lets you either add another instantiation of a plug-in youve
already placed in AudioPort Host (using the Create plug-in pop-out
menu) or you can Delete all instantiated plug-ins to clear the slate for a
new session. Refer to Fig. 33.
The Options menu offers two choices, About and Priority. Fig. 34 shows
the About screen, typical of what youd expect.
If you want to clear the plug-ins menu list, dont use the Delete all plugins item; that simply removes plug-ins from the open AudioPort Host
window, not from the menu. Instead, do the following:
1. Quit (close) AudioPort Host.
When you select the Priority option you see a window showing the
currently set priorities for Process and Audio Connections. This window
was created primarily by and for use by our developers, and under
most circumstances should be left at the default values per Fig. 35.
However, we did provide you the ability to make some changes in the
rare instance that they might improve performance of either AudioPort
or of another application youre running on the same computer.
Continued on page 18
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These instructions tell you how to (a) plug in the cables and the
external devices that link these cables, known as Ethernet switches
(hubs) and Routers, and (b) how to set up the computers to
communicate properly over the LAN. There are a few options, and its
important to somewhat understand what these are and how to use
them. See Fig. 38 for an overview of the LAN setup.
Note: If the following paragraphs are like reading Greek, and you dont
know Greek, have a qualified technician help you with the network setup,
please!
Almost all computers these days come with whats called a built-in NIC...
a network interface card, or an equivalent motherboard function that
handles the job, and you see the evidence of this as an 8-pin modular
connector on the side or back of the computer. This LAN connector is
called an RJ-45 female, and it looks like the LAN chassis jack shown in
Fig. 22. The cables you plug in to these have mating male RJ-45s and
are typically classified (originally by the telephone company, or Telco)
as Category 5, 5e (enhanced) or 6 to designate increasing capability
(higher bandwidth).
Figure 38. Overview of a typical LAN setup for use with AudioPort Universal
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In order to get the highest rated speed, all the components must be
built or rated to deliver that speed: the NIC on each computer must be
Gigabit speed, as must the Ethernet Switch, and the cables must be high
quality Cat 5e or Cat 6 (without being pinched or damaged).
You can purchase a new 8-port Gigabit Ethernet Switch for around $50
retail, or refurbished as low as $20. This gives you enough ports for four
sampler/host computers, a sequencer/DAW computer, and an uplink to
the internet with two spare ports. If you are linking only 3 computers,
you can sometimes find 4 or 5 port switches for even less. Fig. 40 shows
a typical such switch, the D-Link DGS-2205, a 5-port model (typical
street price $38).
Its OK to use automatic (DHCP) addressing for use with AudioPort. Just
set up your PC Host computers as shown for automatic addressing on
this page (Fig. 41), then set up your Mac as shown on page 24, Fig. 50
for DHCP.
However, you should know that there are a few benefits to setting fixed
(static) addresses manually instead of DHCP:
1. Fixed IP addresses moves the packets of data faster from one
computer to the other because the router doesnt have to
intercept, read the addresses, and then forward them.
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3. When you use DHCP (automatic) addressing and you shut off
the computers or the router (even if theres a brief power glitch),
its possible that one or more computers will acquire a different
IP address. Should that occur, youll have to manually re-enter
the addresses in the AudioPort plug-ins. The prospect of doing
this, alone, is reason enough to use fixed (static) IP addressing.
Then the computer addresses ALWAYS stay the same, regardless
of power cycling. You can still have the router connected for
internet access if you wish.
1. Find the LAN setup by going to the START menu (typically lower
left of the screen) and using the pop-out menus, dragging to select:
Control Panels > Network Connections. Then release the mouse.
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3. Right click this LAN icon or name, and select its Properties, then
scroll to the Internet Protocol TCP/IP item (Fig. 41 C) and click
the Properties button.
4. Set the LAN to Automatic Addressing, (Fig. 41D) and click OK.
6. Click the Support tab (Fig. 41F) to discover what TCP/IP address
has been assigned. Write this down.
Figure 42. Another way to see the automatic IP address assigned to a LAN port
Continued on page 25
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If you are using two LANs, then each one should use a different
numbering scheme to avoid confusion and technical difficulties. So
for example if the LAN used for the internet begins with 192.168, you
can use this as your secondary LAN and make the primary LAN (for
AudioPort) use a 172.16 or 10.0 address.
The gateway (or router) address refers to the address that the
network router uses for the LAN, and is almost always using the
number 1 in the y slot (the last number to the right). Even in our
primary LAN where there is no router, things will run faster if theres
no router (gateway) address entered. However, if your computers
operating system requires that a gateway/router address be entered,
use the same address series (e.g., 10.0.0.y in these examples) and fill
in the number 1 at the end, as shown in Fig. 43.
A second group of numbers called the subnet mask is also part of the
IP address. If your router filled one in for the secondary network,
dont change it to something else unless you know networks and
understand the implications.
Generally, the subnet masks for each of the three legal private network
addressing schemes are as follows:
IP address
192.168.x.y
172.16.x.y
10.0.x.y
Subnet Mask
255.255.255.0
255.240.0.0
255.0.0.0
Figure 44. Legal fixed (manually set) IP addresses for your LAN
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2. Select the Internet Protocol TCP/IP item and click the Properties
button, (Fig. 43B).
3. Click the Use the Following IP Address button (Fig. 43C) and then
enter an address. It can be something like 192.168.10.21 (with
a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0), or 10.0.0.21 (with a subnet
mask of 255.0.0.0). These numbers are not entirely arbitrary as
explained on page 21. Each computers corresponding primary
LAN address will now begin with 192.168.10 or 10.0.0 and must
end in a different number between 2 and 255), and each must
have the same subnet mask as the others on this LAN. If you
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4. The Network window authenticates (D) and you can make the
changes to your Ethernet connection as described below.
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Note: An alternative to steps 1 and 2 above is to click the Status dropdown bar (it reads Network Status), drag down, and select the primary
Ethernet connection... same as clicking that connection and then
Configure.
3. The window that now appears (Fig. 47) will allow you to set
up the Built-in Ethernet [in this example the older G5 used has
only one port. If you have a MacPro, you would see dual builtin Ethernet ports and could use either for a given LAN]. If the
window doesnt look something like the illustration in Fig. 48,
then pull down the Configure ipV4 drop-down menu per Fig.
47 and select Manually.
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5. Once you have set the fixed IP address, click the Apply Now
button to complete the LAN addressing operation. Click the red
Close button.
Figure 49. The Mac Network Preference pane set for DHCP
2. Then click the Apply Now button at the lower right of this
preference pane. The actual DHCP address may not immediately
appear as shown in Fig. 49, but you can always close and then
reopen the window to verify the value if you wish (a good idea,
actually).
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3. You can probably fix this by clicking the small padlock at the
lower left of this preference window (if its locked) and then
entering the administrative name and password to unlock it.
(See Fig. 50 where the computer is named My Sequencer
without the quotes and the padlock is unlocked).
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Figure 50. Naming the Macintosh Computer (in the Sharing Preference Pane)
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Troubleshooting
Were presenting this in the form of a question-answer session. If you
dont see your precise question, go to the Tech Support section that
follows and contact us.
HD), find the Library folder (not the User/Library folder). In it find
the Audio folder. In it, find the Plug-ins folder. In it find two folders
and remove one plug-in from each as follows:
i. From the Components folder, drag the file AiNetAudioUnit.
component into the trash.
ii. From the VST folder, drag the file AiNet.vst into the trash.
Q. I know you state jBridge lets AudioPort Host work with 64-bit
Windows computers. Will jBridge also let AudioPort plug-ins work
on my 64-bit Windows-based sequencer computer?
A. No, unfortunately AudioPort Universal doesnt work with a 64-bit
Windows sequencer and theres no work-around currently other
than using a different program altogether (Vienna Ensemble Pro.)
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A. There may be nothing wrong with AudioPort, and instead this may
be a network issue... or it may be that an adjustment of AudioPorts
priorities would help.
a. Are you certain you have a completely Gigabit-capable LAN for the
AudioPort connections? If so
b. If you are using a single LAN to link more than one AudioPort Host to
your sequencer you may be running into interference on the LAN: try
not to have the same LAN being used for file transfers and internet
activity while AudioPort is conveying digital audio over that network.
c. There are other possible causes for glitches, some of which may be
addressed by changing the priorities settings in AudioPort Host.
Please see the discussion of the Options menu on page 17 of this
manual.
Q. I hear pops and glitches in the audio or sometimes I get stuck notes
or the sequencer crashes when Im using AudioPort. What can I do?
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Specifications
AudioPort Host
Computing Platforms Supported: Windows XP Home/Pro, Service Pack
2 or 3, Windows Vista or Windows 7. AudioPort runs in a 32-bit OS; it will
run in 32-bit mode within a 64-bit OS or you can patch it with jBridge to
get 64-bit memory addressability in the AudioPort Host. The AudioPort
plug-in does not work in a 64-bit version of Windows. The Host computer
should be Pentium IV 3.0 GHz or faster.
Plug-ins Accepted:
Most 32-bit VST or VSTi samplers, virtual instruments, synths and effects
(so long as the effect doesnt require an audio input from something external to its VST host). 64-bit versions if jBridge is used along with a 64-bit
version of Windows.
Input:
Does not accept digital audio input. Plug-ins within AudioPort Host can accept MIDI communication from locally connected MIDI hardware devices
(such as keyboards) or from Midi over LAN ports (via Ethernet) or local
(same computer) connections.
Output:
32 channels of digital audio, up to 192 kHz 24 bits per channel, sent via
TCP/IP protocol via Gigabit Ethernet. While the license permits four simultaneously run AudioPort Hosts, only one AudioPort Host (and hence max
32 channels) may be running on a any given host computer.
Compatibility:
Works with Tascam GigaStudio plug-in (or with Standalone if it is wrapped
in the FX-pansion VST adaptor), Kontakt 3 or 4, Spectrasonics STylus
RMX (not Atmosphere or Trilogy, though), East-West Play VST.
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AudioPort Plug-ins
Computing Platforms Supported:
Same as AudioPort Host plus Apple Macintosh OS 10.4 or 10.5 on G4, G5
or Intel cpu. Has not been tested on notebook models. One license permits
instantiation of as many plug-ins as you wish on a single PC or Mac.
Plug-in Formats:
VST for PC. VST and AU for Mac.
Plug-in Function:
Each plug-in accepts up to 2 channels of digital audio from one AudioPort
Host. Plug-ins are associated with each Host by means of IP addressing.
Plug-ins must be instantiated on input-enabled stereo audio tracks.
Input:
Plug-ins are able to receive that audio via the same LAN on which the AudioPort Hosts send out the digital audio. The first two channels from each
AudioPort host also convey sync data between Host and Plug-in.
Output:
Digital audio in the same format generated at the Host end from flows
through the audio track of the sequencer or DAW program in which the
plug-in has been instantiated.
Compatibility:
Tested and verified with Logic, Ableton and Digital Performer on the Mac;
Cubase, Nuendo, and Ableton on the PC. Not compatible with ProTools, even
if wrapped.
Latency:
As low as 4.6 mSec on Intel Core2Quad 3.6 GHz CPU with 2 channels
& dedicated LAN. More channels, more traffic, or slower computers will
increase latency.
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circumvent any method or means adopted or implemented by Audio Impressions, Inc. to protect against or
discourage the unlicensed use or copying of the enclosed product.
7. Suitability. Licensor will not be responsible if the software do not fit the particular purpose
intended by the Licensee. The software is licensed as is without warranties of any kind. Neither Audio
Impressions, Inc. or its authorized sales representatives can be held responsible for any direct, indirect,
or consequential loss arising from the use of the software licensed from Audio Impressions in any form,
or consequential loss arising from a delayed or lost shipment or download of any product purchased from
Audio Impressions, or from a failure of the software to perform any particular function.
8. Supported Platforms. Licensee agrees to use the software in compliance with the supported interfaces
and system requirements published the product at the time of its purchase. Audio Impressions accepts
no responsibility or obligation for technical support of Licensors who install the software on systems not
meeting our minimum specifications.
9. Third-Party Software. Licensor shall not be responsible for provision or correct function of thirdparty software components that may be necessary to create a usable overall digital audio transfer over
Ethernet system, such as for example provide sample playing software, sequencing software, computer
operating systems, and so forth. In any case, you will be governed by the terms of the third-party
developers licenses and you are responsible for correct registration and for the purchase of licensing for
any third-party software you use for which a license was not explicitly designated as having been sold to
you with your Audio Impressions package.
10. Citations. Your software license grants you permission to cite Audio Impressions, and AudioPort
Universal by name or logo on any project you create using our software, provided you correctly attribute
these logos and include their pertinent trademark or registered trademark symbols. You may not state,
imply or otherwise suggest you are using Audio Impressions sample libraries unless you actually are using
them under a separate license from this one for AudioPort Universal. If you wish, you may contact us for
high quality logo art, which well promptly provide at no charge for this purpose; some such logos are
already available on our website.
11. Returns and Refunds. As a general rule, no refunds will be given for downloaded software, nor for
subsequently licensed (additionally unlocked) software. Defective or corrupted purchased downloads will
be remedied by provision of an equivalent download; there may be an additional fee if you request physical
media in lieu of the download. If the Licensee can legitimately explain why our software fails to perform
as advertised by us, or fails to perform as stated on our website, sales literature or instruction manuals, then
we will refund the purchase price or provide replacement software at the purchasers request.
12. International Customers. Customers located outside the U.S.A. agree to be responsible for any
import duties or taxes. All payments must be tendered in US dollars (USD) except that for products with
prices also listed in Euros and which are shipped to destinations within the European Union, payment may
be tendered in Euros or US dollars at the purchasers discretion.
13. Acceptance of Terms. Downloading Audio Impressions software is an acceptance of all of the above
terms and conditions of this License Agreement. If you do not accept all of the terms and conditions of this
License Agreement, please do not purchase or download the software.
5. Multiple Installations. The Licensee may not allow friends, colleagues or others to use the licensed
software unless these people are using it on the Licensees computer hardware system as part of the same
project which the Licensee is working on. The software may also be installed on one or more backup
computer systems provided that they are designated for the licensees uninterrupted operations should
the primary computer(s) become unusable; this does not authorize use for simultaneous audio transfer
over a network separate from the primary computer on which the same software has been installed. The
number of Host (sampler/effects) computers attached (via local area network) to the host sequencer/DAW
computer restricted to four per license, and such Host computers must be in the same physical facility and
interconnected on the same LAN associated with the purchased Ai license.
6. Protection. You agree to take all reasonable steps to protect this product and any accompanying
documentation from unauthorized copying or use. You agree not to modify the enclosed product to
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