Get onto
the stage.

Mac: Intel and Apple Silicon

1. Quit your DAW. Download from the Free Beta page or your Premium account library. Extract the entire ZIP and read its README.
2. Compare the ZIP’s SHA-256 with the published checksum. In Terminal, type shasum -a 256 , drag the ZIP into the window, and press Return. A checksum checks file integrity; these beta files do not carry Apple-verified publisher identity.
3. Copy the supplied AUv2 bundles to your user Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components folder, and VST3 bundles to Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3. Use Finder → Go → Go to Folder and enter ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/. The optional included installer explains its exact scope before copying and preserves a backup of an older beta bundle.
4. Reopen your DAW and rescan. In Logic, use the AUv2 version and check Settings → Plug-in Manager. The manufacturer is Track 1 Audio. Stage Placement is a separate utility included with either edition.

If macOS blocks the download

If you trust the exact file, Apple documents a per-app exception in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway after attempting to open a blocked installer. This does not guarantee a quarantined Audio Unit will load in every DAW. Read Apple’s current instructions.

The optional installer can remove the download quarantine attribute from only the specific copied Conductor Stage / Stage Placement bundles after you explicitly confirm. It does not disable Gatekeeper, System Integrity Protection, antivirus or any machine-wide setting. Review the script first and use it only for the release you intended to test. Do not override a warning that identifies malware, a revoked signature or a modified/corrupt file.

Security policies on managed computers may prevent unsigned software regardless. If the DAW still refuses the plugin, stop and send the exact validation message instead of weakening system-wide protections. An unsigned beta installation path has not been certified across all macOS versions.

Windows x64

1. Quit your DAW, extract the full Windows ZIP and read its README. Install the supplied .vst3 bundles into C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3. Administrator permission may be required for that folder.
2. Install Microsoft’s current Visual C++ v14 x64 runtime if it is missing.
3. Reopen the DAW, rescan VST3 plugins and test in a spare project. Keep antivirus and machine-wide protection enabled; follow your organization’s software policy on managed computers.

Windows binaries are native x64 builds, not ARM64 Windows or 32-bit plugins. Build/DSP checks passed on a native Windows runner; hands-on DAW and installer testing is still needed.

Premium licenses and private beta access

Sign in to your Track 1 Audio account. Premium purchases and eligible private-code redemptions create individual activation keys in your library. Enter a key in Premium Beta’s Report / Account panel. Never post the key in a bug report or project screenshot.

One key activates one device at a time. Activating it elsewhere replaces the previous device when that device next checks online. The plugin requires a successful online check at least every 30 days. Free Beta and Stage Placement need no activation key.

Discount codes are supplied directly by Track 1 Audio and are not listed on this website. Open the Premium product page, choose one license, continue to Stripe checkout and select “Add promotion code.” Enter your code there and check the total before completing the order. Complimentary beta access is limited to one license per account. Anyone you share a code with may be able to use it; keep it within your invited group.

Send a report from the plugin

1. Open Report / Account in Conductor Stage or Stage Placement.
2. Describe what you expected, what happened and the smallest steps that reproduce the problem. Mention whether it occurs in a source or master instance.
3. Send the report, or save it locally and attach the saved file to support. Optional automatic beta health reports are off unless you enable them.

Reports contain the plugin version, OS/architecture, processing configuration, effect identity/mapping diagnostics and performance counters. They do not include audio, project files, track names, activation keys or full vendor preset state. Your written description is included as typed: leave out private information.

Reports reach Track 1 Audio’s support storage. They do not automatically open a chat with a developer or send an immediate reply. Email support if you need a response, and include the report reference.

Formats and compatibility

Mac deployment target is macOS 11. Native automated tests ran on an Apple Silicon Mac runner and Windows x64 runner; packaged Intel Mac validation also passed. A minimum deployment target is not proof of runtime testing on every older OS.

Compare live Stage with a captured chain

Keep the original source Stage and master connection when testing. To audition the captured result, turn off the source Conductor Stage and enable the copied inserts, including Stage Placement. To hear live placement, turn off the copied inserts and enable the source Conductor Stage. A source’s own power switch controls whether that source participates in shared processing; the other sources retain their own settings.

Build one track at a time, stop playback, keep Logic’s full Mixer open, and leave the controls alone until the result appears. Chain building is experimental and may request Accessibility. It should not require a separate helper app. A current-position capture does not transfer automation.

Back to Conductor Stage · Learn the placement model