IGNITE - LIBRA AUDIO PLUG-IN USER MANUAL

Version 1.0 For Mac & Windows

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Introduction……………………………………3 Support………………………………………………29

Minimum System Requirements ………….3 Acknowledgements………………………………..30

Installation……………………………………..4

iLok User ID & iLok License Manager…..5/6

ILok License Activation…………..….7/8/9/10

About Impulse Responses and

Convolution…………..…………….…..…11/12

Main Features………………………….……..13

Libra Processing Diagrams………….….…14

Graphic User Interface……………..….……15

Main View Controls……16/17/18/19/20/21/22

Header Controls………………..…23/24/25/26

Footer Controls………………………..…..…27

Tips For Digital Guitarists and Bassists…28

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INTRODUCTION STL Ignite - Libra

Libra is a zero latency, Impulse Response Mixer, designed to be used as a multi cabinet+microphone simulator for
guitar and bass (pre)amplifiers (AAX/AU/VST/VST3 or even hardware).

It has been designed to perform pristine quality convolution in real time, while being light on the CPU and easy to use,
providing advanced built-in filters and delay controls to let guitarists and bassists shape their tone with ease, without
the need to be professional audio engineers.

Libra is meant to be used as a cabinet simulator for live playing and jamming, tracking or mixing inside hosts capable
of AAX, AU, VST or VST3 Plug-Ins support.

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS STL Ignite - Libra

Windows: Mac:
Windows 7/8/10 (32/64 bit) OSX 10.9
Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon XP Intel processor with SSE2 instructions support

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INSTALLATION STL Ignite - Libra

To install the Libra Plug-In, just run the supplied installer and follow the instructions.

For Windows AAX/VST/VST3 format, we provide separate x86 (32 bit) and x64 (64 bit) binaries, so make sure to
choose the right one according to your operating system and plug-in host specifications.
Keep in mind that x64 binaries will not run on 32 bit environments, while x86 binaries will most likely run on 64 bit en-
vironments, although we do not recommend it for performance and stability reasons.
We strongly advise the Windows user against putting both x86 and x64 versions in the host AAX/VST/VST3 folder(s),
as it may cause one of the versions to not be recognized as a plug-in.

Mac plug-ins (AAX/AU/VST/VST3) are compiled in Universal Binary format for Intel processors, containing both 32 bit
and 64 bit code in the same bundle, which means that the user doesn't need to care about choosing x86 or x64 ver-
sion, as the system will handle that automatically.

After that, you should (re)start your favorite AAX/AU/VST/VST3 host, making sure it re-scans your Plug-Ins folder(s)
to recognize the Libra as a new “Effect” Plug-In (please note that some hosts may not re-scan the plug-in folder au-
tomatically at every start-up, so you may need to do it manually. Refer to your host’s manual for instructions).

If everything is right, you should now see the Libra entry into the “Effects” Plug-Ins list of your host.

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iLok User ID & License Manager STL Ignite - Libra

STL Tones User Account -

In your STL Tones User Account, you will have access to your product installers, and latest software updates. To login
to your user account, go to http://www.stltones.com and click the ‘Login’ button in the upper right-hand corner of the
website. If you don't have a user account, please create one by clicking ‘Create Account’ inside the same login win-
dow.

License Location -
• In your STL Tones account you will have
access to your product installers and la-
test updates. By clicking your product
download link, a new window will open
that will show your Activation License

• To login into your user account, go to

http://www.stltones.com and click on the
“Login” button in the upper right- hand
corner. If you don’t have a user account,
create one by clicking “Create Account”
inside the same login window.

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iLok User ID & License Manager STL Ignite - Libra

Please create an iLok account by visi-

ting http://www.ilok.com and download
the latest version of the iLok license
manager application. This will allow you
to register your serial number and de-
posit your license to your computer or
an iLok USB key. NOTE:- You DO NOT
need an iLok USB Dongle in order to
use this plugin. You can simply regi-
ster your iLok license code to your
computer that you intend to use the
plugin.

Install the iLok License Manager,

open the program on your computer,
and log in with the iLok User ID infor-
mation that you created at http://www.i-
lok.com. When logged in, a list of avai-
lable destinations for license placement
will be displayed under your User ID,
such as your computer, or your iLok USB Keys. A list of all currently activated products will be shown in the main right
list window. Inactive licenses will be shown in the “available” tab on the top.

You can drag and drop licenses to deposit them in your computer or iLok USB Keys.

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iLok License Activation STL Ignite - Libra

• Run the provided installer which you will receive via email, follow the on-screen instructions given by the installation
software.

License Activation -
The plugin won't be functional until you authenti-
cate it with a valid iLok license.

Follow these steps to complete the software acti-

vation.

STEP 1 -

After logging in to your iLok Account, click on the

“Activate” button and go through the process to
authorise your software.

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INSTALLATION & License Activation STL Ignite - Libra

STEP 2 - Enter your serial number and if valid, green ticks will ap-

pear, as seen in the image below.

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INSTALLATION & License Activation STL Ignite - Libra

STEP 3 - If you haven’t yet created one, click on the ‘Create new

account’ link, and you will be directed to ilok.com to create an ac-

count, which is free.

STEP 4 - Here you will see all available locations to place your li-

cense. Select either your computer, iCloud, or iLok USB key.

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INSTALLATION & License Activation STL Ignite - Libra

STEP 5 - Successful Activation window will be next, confir-

ming you have registered your product correctly.

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ABOUT IMPULSE RESPONSES AND DECONVOLUTION STL Ignite - Libra

Libra is an “impulse response convolver”, but what does that mean? Let's start with the “impulse response” term.
From Wikipedia:

In signal processing, the impulse response (IR), or im-

pulse response function (IRF), of a dynamic system is its
output when presented with a brief input signal, called an
impulse. More generally, an impulse response refers to
the reaction of any dynamic system in response to some
external change. In both cases, the impulse response de-
scribes the reaction of the system as a function of time

The use of impulse responses in digital signal processing has spread enormously in recent years, especially for the
implementation of reverberation processors, but this is not the only field where they can be used.

Impulse responses contain a lot of useful and very detailed information about the system from which they've been
captured, one of which is its frequency response. This makes them perfect for the simulation of systems like equali-
zers and, mostly, guitar or bass cabinets.

If you've ever looked at the frequency response graph of a loudspeaker, you've surely noticed how complex it is, with
hundreds of sharp peaks and notches, which are basically impossible to replicate accurately with standard digital fil-
ters.
Properly capturing the impulse response of a cabinet and processing it through a math operation called “convolu-
tion”, gives extremely accurate results in terms of frequency response fidelity.

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ABOUT IMPULSE RESPONSES AND DECONVOLUTION STL Ignite - Libra

The process of “capturing” the impulse response of a system, usually involves these simple steps:

• A generic test signal (which can be a Dirac, a sinesweep, or noise) is sent as input through the system of inte-
rest.
• The output of the system is recorded through a soundcard or a transducer (like a microphone)
• A math operation called “deconvolution” is performed using both the input test signal and the recorded system
response, generating the impulse response of the system.

In audio signal processing, the impulse response generated through the deconvolution process, is usually stored into
an audio file (in Wave, Raw or AIFF format, for example) which can have various lengths, depending on the system
from which it has been captured. They can be up to 10 seconds (or more) long, when capturing big reverberation
spaces or under 100 milliseconds long when capturing loudspeaker cabinets or equalizers. This makes those files
portable and conveniently small in terms of byte size, allowing users to have huge libraries with thousand impulse re-
sponses of various systems.

Libra is designed to load up to 8 of these audio files and perform convolution of these impulse responses with its input
signal, to recreate the frequency response of the captured system with great accuracy, in real time and at a low CPU
cost.
Being optimized to be used as a cabinet simulator and not as a general purpose convolution processor, it supports
audio files long up to about 0.5 seconds, which may seem too restrictive, but is way more than enough to get impres-
sive accuracy for cabinet simulation.

Some impulse response files and presets will be installed along with Libra, so you'll have everything you need to
create the most awesome tone you've ever heard.

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MAIN FEATURES STL Ignite - Libra

Main Features

• Zero Latency
• Low CPU usage
• Mono and Stereo support
• Automatic high-quality resampling for IRs with different sampling rates
• High-quality analog shaped filters
• Automatic phase recognition and flipping for negative phase IRs
• Selectable delay for phase interactions between loaded IRs
• Continuous graphical morphing control between loaded IRs
• Option to merge multiple IRs into one and export
• Option to freeze multiple IRs processing and greatly reduce CPU usage
• Global input level and single IR level controls
• Fully automatable controls

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LIBRA PROCESSING DIAGRAMS STL Ignite - Libra

Mono Routing

Stereo Routing

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GRAPHIC USER INTERFACE STL Ignite - Libra

The GUI is composed by a header, containing the Presets Management System plus other convenient functions, the
main view with all the main Libra features and a footer, containing the global controls of the plug-in.

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MAIN VIEW CONTROLS STL Ignite - Libra

Main View

Fig. 5 – Main View

The main view of Libra is composed of 3 areas, 2 of them being specular at the sides and containing the controls for
each of the 8 independent IR convolution slots (4 per side) and a middle area devoted to IR browsing, mixing and
other user utilities.

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MAIN VIEW CONTROLS STL Ignite - Libra

IR Slot View

In the IR Slot view of Libra (fig. 5) you'll find controls to load and manage the cabinet IRs loaded into Libra.
When you click on one of the slot, you'll notice the color of the value labels and the loaded IR label become more
intense as to indicate that the slot is in “active” mode, meaning that the IR Browser (see “Common controls view”,
point 2) is now related to it.

1. Slot state: lets you switch the single IR slot On and Off. When active, the button will appear with a cyan
background and the same color will appear in the slot knobs corona. 

Whenever you enable or disable a slot, the overall output of the plug-in will be automatically scaled
accordingly, in order to maintain the output volume constant.

2. Prev/Next: lets you load the previous or next IR file in alphabetical order, with respect to the one currently
loaded in the slot, cycling in the same working directory.


3. IR Label: indicates the currently loaded IR file, if any.


Clicking on the label, will open the file browser to select a new IR file.

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MAIN VIEW CONTROLS STL Ignite - Libra

4. Unload: lets you unload the currently loaded IR. This will automatically load a Dirac IR into the slot,
meaning the input will be convolved using a totally transparent IR. The other controls of the slot will keep
working as usual.

5. Phase: lets you flip the phase of the loaded IR. 


Libra will automatically detect negative phase IRs upon loading and invert their phase to avoid
cancellation when combining different IRs, so use this control only if you want to achieve phase
cancellation on purpose.

6. Solo: sets the selected IR Slot in “solo” mode. By switching it On (button with red background color), you'll
only hear the sound from the selected IR Slot. Please note that the output volume in “solo” mode is
affected by both the Gain [6] control and the Cartesian Mixer listening point (see “Common controls view”,
point 3)

7. Gain: lets you control the output volume of the IR slot. It can be useful to achieve the perfect balance
between IRs or change the output level perception when using multiple slots. It ranges from -18 dB to
+18dB, default is 0dB or unity gain.

8. Resonance: simulates the power amp + speaker interaction in tube amplifiers. It provides a boost at
guitar cabinet speaker resonant frequencies. 

Use this control at high values if you're using IRs captured using solid state power amplifiers, at low
values as a tone shaping tool when using IRs captured using tube power amplifiers.

9. Hi Pass: lets you select the frequency of the high pass filter. It ranges from 10Hz to 400Hz and can be
really useful to control the low-end response of the IR, preventing excessive resonance and rumble.
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MAIN VIEW CONTROLS STL Ignite - Libra

10. Lo Pass: lets you select the frequency of the low pass filter. It ranges from 6 KHz to 22 KHz and it can be
useful to control the high end response of the IR, preventing harshness, especially when the plug-in is
used in conjunction with high-gain (pre)amplifiers.
Libra uses advanced filtering algorithms to avoid the typical frequency “warping” affecting most digital
filters, guaranteeing perfectly analog-like sound and perfectly clean transient response.

11. Delay: lets you delay the convolution output by a short amount of time, from zero (default, no delay) to 20
milliseconds. Using short delay values can be useful to emulate phase interactions happening when using
multiple microphones at different distances, to record guitar or bass tracks. Increasing the delay can be
seen as moving the microphone away from the speaker. Considering that the sound travels at circa 340
m/s, 0.01 ms delay means a distance of 0.34 cm from the source, 0.1 ms is equal to a distance of 3.4 cm
and so on. Longer delay values can be used in conjunction with Stereo routing and wide panning, to
emulate stereo guitars from a mono source.

Common controls view

In the common area, you'll find a header with 4 buttons and an interactive area that will switch from IR browsing to
graphical mixing according to what the user wants to do.

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MAIN VIEW CONTROLS STL Ignite - Libra

1. Freeze: lets you freeze the current state of the plug-in. 


Even if Libra's convolution engine is highly optimized, loading up to 8 IRs at the same time may start to
demand a non-negligible amount of CPU processing depending on the IRs length: that's when this
function comes to the rescue.



When you freeze the plug-in, all the loaded IRs will be merged into one and the filters (Resonance, HPF,
LPF) and Delay will be printed into that single IR, causing a massive CPU drop and maintaining the exact
same output sound as before. The only con is that you won't be able to make any adjustment until you un-
freeze the plug-in (by clicking on the button again). 

We suggest using this function when you've found the perfect mix of IRs and settings and want to
minimize the CPU usage for your project.

2. IR Browser: lets you switch the interactive area into a file system styled IR browser.

When active, you'll be able to load IRs by either clicking the Folder icon (top right corner of the area) or
navigating through the IRs list by double-clicking on the available entries.

You should first load an IR using the Folder icon, then you'll be able to navigate using the items in the list,
by either changing folder or selecting a new IR.

Keep in mind that the actions performed in this interactive area will be related to the currently active IR
slot, which is the latest one you've interacted with, either changing one of the settings or simply clicking
into it. You'll be able to recognize the active IR slot by checking the color of the labels, which will be more
intense and stand out from the rest of the slots.

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MAIN VIEW CONTROLS STL Ignite - Libra

3. Cartesian Mixer: this is the most important and unique feature of Libra! The Cartesian Mixer will give you
the possibility to seamlessly mix up to 8 different IRs in a graphical way, maintaining the output level
consistently and allowing you to find the perfect balance between all the loaded IRs. 

When Cartesian Mixer mode is enabled, a regular polygon will appear, shaped according to the number of
active IR slots (straight line for 2 slots, triangle for 3 slots, square for 4, etc.).

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MAIN VIEW CONTROLS STL Ignite - Libra

Each polygon vertex represents a single IR slot and you'll be able to change the balance of each slot by
dragging the “Listening Point” (the cyan circle placed inside the polygon) around using your mouse. The
percentage of the blend of each IR will appear near the vertex itself, along with the IR slot identifier (A, B,
C, etc), so you'll know exactly how you've achieved that perfect balance you've been searching for.
Clicking on the Listening Point while pressing Ctrl will reset its position to the centroid of the polygon.
You'll obviously need to have at least 2 active IR slots in order to use the Cartesian Mixer, otherwise an
alert message will appear.

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HEADER CONTROLS STL Ignite - Libra

4. Export: this is another key feature of Libra you'll love. Once you've found the perfect IR combination, you
can click on this button and export that same combination (also containing the effect of the Resonance,
HP, LP filters and Delay!) into a single new IR in .wav format, that you can load on an external device or
simply re-import it into Libra or your convolver of choice for more experimentation. 

This function will bring the same result as the Freeze [1] function, just on an external IR.

Header controls

Fig.6

In the Libra header section (fig.6), you'll find controls for the Ignite Amps proprietary Preset Management System and
other useful features:

1. Bank: lets you change the name of the current bank. A bank is a group of presets which can be imported
or exported to file, in order to save or recall settings and eventually share them with other the Libra users,
or just move them from one DAW to another. 

Clicking on this control will enable text editing, so just type in the new name and hit Enter to update.

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HEADER CONTROLS STL Ignite - Libra

2. Load: lets you load a previously saved bank (using the Save [3] control) from a file. Clicking on this
button will open your OS file manager to select the desired bank file. Once the file is chosen, all the
presets contained in the bank will be available on the Preset Selector [4] and the first one will be
automatically loaded. 

Please note that when loading a new bank, all the previous bank settings will be discarded, unless you
saved them on a file.

3. Save: lets you save the current bank on file. Clicking on this button will open your OS file manager to
select the path and the name of the file in which the bank will be stored. Once the file is chosen, all the
presets contained in the current bank will be saved on the selected storage device and made available
for future loading via the Load [2] control. 

This is the only control that persists bank data on disk. Any other function of the Preset Management
System will act on the plug-in memory, so no changes will be saved on file unless you use this control
explicitly.

4. Preset Selector: lets you switch between presets contained in the current bank. Clicking on this control
will open a popup menu showing all the available presets. Selecting a preset will immediately update the
plug-in settings to the ones stored into it. 

Additionally, when the mouse cursor is over this control, a button labelled “E” (as “Edit”) will appear on the
right side: by clicking on it you can edit the name of the current preset through a dialog box. 

Once a preset is loaded, as soon as you edit one of the plug-ins settings, an asterisk (“*”) will appear next
to the preset name, in order to remind you that the settings for that preset are changed. You can revert the
settings back using the Revert [7] function or permanently update them using the Store [8] function.

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HEADER CONTROLS STL Ignite - Libra

5. Add Preset: lets you add a new preset to the current bank. Clicking on this button will create and load a
new preset with a default name (“Preset <N>”), using the current plug-in settings. You can change the
preset name by clicking 2 times on the Preset Selector [4].

6. Remove Preset: lets you remove a preset from the current bank. Clicking on this button will erase the
current preset and load the settings of the previous one on the list (or the next one, in case the removed
preset was the first of the bank). 

There is no undo function for preset removal, so use this control carefully!

7. Revert: lets you revert the selected preset settings to the original state. Clicking on this button will discard
all the current plug-in settings and reload the last saved ones. This control is enabled only when a preset
has been changed from its saved state.

8. Store: lets you store the selected preset settings as its original state. Clicking on this button will save all
the current plug-in settings and mark them as the last saved state, meaning that every successive use of
the Revert [7] function, will recall these settings. This control is enabled only when a preset has been
changed from its original state and will be disabled as soon as you click it (you'll also notice the asterisk
next to the preset name disappear).


9. Copy: lets you copy the current preset settings on the plug-in's clipboard. You can then use the Paste [10]
function to reload them. The cool thing about this control, is that the plug-in's clipboard is shared among
different the Libra instances, so you can conveniently copy and paste settings from one to another,
without having to explicitly save and load the bank.

Please note that as soon as all the instances of the Libra are removed from the project, the clipboard data
will be lost
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HEADER CONTROLS STL Ignite - Libra

10. Paste: lets you load the preset settings available on the plug-in's clipboard. You can then use the Copy
[9] function to store them. The cool thing about this control, is that the plug-in's clipboard is shared among
different the Libra instances, so you can conveniently copy and paste settings from one to another,
without having to explicitly save and load the bank. 

Please note that as soon as all the instances of the Libra are removed from the project, the clipboard
data will be lost.

11. Undo: lets you cancel the latest operation performed from plug-in interface, reverting the plug-in back to
the previous state


12. Redo: lets you re-apply the latest operation previously cancelled using the Undo [11] function


13. About: clicking on this button will show up all the Libra additional information. Just click anywhere in the
plug-in graphic interface to make it disappear.

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FOOTER CONTROLS STL Ignite - Libra

Footer Controls

In the Libra footer section (fig.7), you'll find controls to manage the plug-in to suit your system and mixing
environment at best:

1. Input level: it is a simple way to adjust the amount of signal going through the convolution engine.

2. Routing: controls the signal routing of the plug-in. Clicking on the text box will show up a drop-down
menu with 2 different options: Mono and Stereo. To understand the difference between these options, we
suggest you to take a look at the “Libra Processing Diagram” section of this manual.

3. Output: lets you change the overall output level of the plug-in.

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TIPS FOR DIGITAL GUITARISTS AND BASSISTS STL Ignite - Libra

Tips for digital guitarists and bassists

• Always use the high impedance (Hi-Z) input of your sound-card (when featured). This will ensure less noise and
signal loss. Most real (pre)amplifiers and stomp boxes, have an input impedance of 1MegaOhm, so it would be
a good idea to get a sound-card with 1MegaOhm input impedance to use Ignite Amps simulators at their best. 


• Make always sure to have the highest input signal before the AD conversion, while still avoiding clipping. 


• Amp sims, stomp box and cabinet simulators are not noisy, they do not add noise. In fact, they're a lot less noi-
sy than real hardware. If you have noise issues, check your guitar electronic circuit, cables and sound-card set-
tings. 


• In almost all cases, amp sims and stomp box simulators don't introduce noticeable latency. Libra doesn't intro-
duce any latency. If you're experiencing latency issues, check your sound-card settings (specifically reduce the
“Input Buffer Size”). 


• Libra is a cabinet simulator, so it needs a (pre)amp (like our Emissary plug-in, or even a real hardware preamp)
and, optionally, a power amplifier simulator, to sound like a real mic'd guitar/bass rig. 


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SUPPORT STL Ignite - Libra

For technical issues or any problems experienced with our software contact us through our support page at www.stl-
tones.com.

Support Information to be provided -

In order to help us assist you the best way possible, please attach the following information to our support team:

Product Version Number (e.g STL Ignite - Libra, V1.0.0.)

Version number of your audio system (e.g ProTools 11.2.2, Logic 10.2.4)

Interface/hardware (e.g. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Apogee Duet 2, etc.) 

Computer and operating system info (e.g Macbook Pro OS X 10.9.6, Windows 10 ver 1709 64 bit, etc.)

Please include a detailed description of the problem and the steps to reproduce it, whenever possible.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS STL Ignite - Libra



STL Tones & Ignite Amps wants to thank all the musicians interested in the project, who have shown great enthusia-
sm toward us, always pushing us to improve our work, helping us beta test and find bugs, everyone who has provided
precious suggestions, kick-ass audio clips or videos, or have donated money for our research and development in the
DSP field. 

Without these people, this plug-in would have never been created.

Thanks to you too, for downloading and trying the Libra plug-in and for reading the manual! :-)

Sincerely
STL Tones & The Ignite Amps Team

AAX is a trademark of Avid Technology Inc.

Audio Unit is a trademark of Apple Inc.

VST and VST3 are trademarks of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH

STL Ignite - Libra uses:

Magnus Lidström's Symbiosis to provide Audio Unit support

Takuya Ooura's OouraFFT library, to perform fast Fourier transform

Aleksey Vanev's r8brain library, to perform high quality resampling

Steinberg's VSTGUI library

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