STL Tonality - Howard Benson Trilogy Plugin Suite User’s Guide

Version 1.5.0 For Mac & Windows

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Introduction 3

System Requirements 5

Supported Host Software 6

Recommendations 7

Installation & License Activation 8

Main Interface 15

Pedals Section 17

Amp Modules 19

Amp Controls 21

Cabinet Section 22

Preset Manager 24

Support 27

Troubleshooting 28

Credits 34

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INTRODUCTION STL Tonality - Howard Benson Plugin

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Designed by STL Tones, Benson and Plotnikoff, the Howard Benson Plugin Suite has been developed to capture
every song aspect of what makes the duo’s guitar tones so distinctive. The plugin suite takes your direct input guitar
signal all the way to a fully mixed guitar tone with its unique all-in-one design.

Experience an all-access pass to Benson and Plotnikoff’s mix-ready guitar tones from some of their biggest-selling
records.

For over 20 years, Howard Benson and Mike Plotnikoff have been the vanguard instrumentalists for some of rock
n’ roll's biggest names, including Bon Jovi, My Chemical Romance, The All-American Rejects, Hoobastank,
Three Days Grace, P.O.D, Daughtry and Papa Roach.

Version 1.3.0 Updates

STL Tones brings 5-time GRAMMY®-award-winning mix engineer Chris Lord-Alge’s guitar tones to life
with a one of a kind Preset Pack to use with the Tonality Howard Benson Guitar Plug-In Suite.

Chris Lord-Alge is known for collaborating with Howard Benson, who has produced the plurality of the albums Lord-
Alge has mixed. The ’Trilogy’ team award-winning engineer/mixer Mike Plotnikoff, GRAMMY®-nominated producer/
engineer/mixer, and multi-instrumentalist Howard Benson and Chris Lord-Alge have been working on records
together since 1998, before they were even doing digital records. These artists include Santana, Less Than Jake,
Zebrahead, P.O.D., Crazytown, Breaking Benjamin, Bon Jovi, Papa Roach, Hoobastank, Theory of A
Deadman, Daughtry, The All American Rejects, Three Days Grace, Saosin, Seether, My Chemical Romance,
Halestorm, Skillet and many more.

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SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS STL Tonality - Howard Benson Plugin

• Low Latency Audio Interface (ASIO / Core Audio compatible).

• High-Z (high impedance) instrument input.

• Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) or a standalone plugin host.

Windows requirements:

• Windows 7 64-bit.

• Intel Core 2 Processor Family or better.

Mac requirements:

• OS X 10.9.0 +

• Intel Core 2 Processor Family or better.

We recommend an Intel Core i5 processor or better for the best user experience. During recording or monitoring, we
recommend a buffer size of 128 samples or lower, this is to minimize latency and improve the play-through
experience. This can be set in your audio interface setup utility or your current DAW audio settings.

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SUPPORTED HOST SOFTWARE STL Tonality - Howard Benson Plugin

To use STL Tones software you need an audio host which can load VST, VST3, Audio Unit (AU), or AAX plug-ins.

You can also run STL Tones software as a Standalone application.

This plugin of cially supports the following software host:

Pro Tools 12: Mac & PC: AAX Native

Logic Pro X: Mac: Audio Units

Cubase 9 & 10: Mac & PC: VST/VST3

Ableton Live 9 & 10: Mac: Audio Units/VST/VST3; Windows: VST/VST3

Reaper 5.x: Mac: AU/VST/VST3; Windows: VST/VST3.

This plugin comes in 64-bit format for both Mac and Windows, so it needs 64-bit hosts to function properly. 32-bit
hosts and operating systems are not supported.

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RECOMMENDATIONS STL Tonality - Howard Benson Plugin

• Always use the high impedance (Hi-Z) input of your sound card. This will ensure less noise and signal loss. Most
real (pre)ampli ers and stomp boxes have an input impedance of 1MegaOhm, so it would be a good idea to get a
sound card with a 1MegaOhm input impedance to use this plugin.

• Always make sure to have the highest input signal before the AD conversion, avoiding clipping.

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

• In almost all cases, amp sims and stomp box simulators don't introduce noticeable latency. STL Tonality doesn't
introduce any noticeable latency. If you're experiencing latency issues, check your sound-card settings (speci cally
reduce the “Input Buffer Size to 128 samples”).

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Installation and License Activation STL Tonality - Howard Benson Plugin

STL Download Center

Please visit https://www.stltones.com/pages/ le-downloads where you will nd the latest installers for your product.

STL License System

License Information

• Your Activation License code will be in the con rmation email you received after your purchase.

• To login into your user account, go to www.stltones.com and click on the “Login” icon 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.

• Multiple Machines: Each activation code can be used on up to 3 different machines, however, the associated email
will always be the email entered during your rst activation. If you try to activate the same code on a 2nd machine
with a separate email, the activation will fail.

• Trial Limitations: Only one trial can be requested per account or machine.

• The activation process is similar for trials and full licenses and is laid out below.

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 Full License (Online Activation)

• When you rst open the plugin, you will be prompted to log in to
your STL Tones user account.

• You will receive an email to the address you provided from

[email protected] This email contains your 6-digit
veri cation code. Note: Check your spam folder if you didn’t receive
a veri cation code.

• Copy this 6-digit code from your email and paste it into the
Veri cation Code eld in the menu, then click “Verify”.

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• You then will be prompted to activate a license. Select “Own
Outright”.

• This will take you to the activation screen. Enter your activation
code and click “Activate”.

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• You have now unlocked your full license!

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 Trail License (Online Activation)

• When you rst open the plugin, you will be prompted to log in to
your STL Tones user account.

• You will receive an email to the address you provided from

[email protected] This email contains your 6-digit
veri cation code. Note: Check your spam folder if you didn’t receive
a veri cation code.

• Copy this 6-digit code from your email and paste it into the
Veri cation Code eld in the menu, then click “Verify”.

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• You then will be prompted to activate a license. Select “Free
Trail”.

• Select “Activate Trial”.

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• You now have a 10-day trial license!

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MAIN INTERFACE STL Tonality - Howard Benson Plugin

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Input and Output Controls:

Input will affect how much signal the plugin will feed receive. This will affect the amount of distortion range of the Gain
pots in the Ampli er and Stomp Sections. Adjust according to your purposes and input signal levels. Output will affect
on how much signal the plugin will feed out to your DAW channel. Meters will show if input or output signal are
clipping by appearing red.

Gate: Cuts unwanted noise spill, hiss or hum by setting a threshold at which the input signal need to be above for
processing.

Tuner: Click to enable the global tuner. The tuner is viewable from any ‘window’ within the plugin, so when enabled,
you can continue to tune your guitar from wherever you may be within the plugin.

Amp Select: These buttons control which Amp module you are currently using.

Tone: Here you have the option to navigate to the Stomp Section, Amp Module Section and Cabinet Section. When a
section is On, the ‘On’ light’s will appear. NOTE, if you wish to use different Amp and Cab combinations, simply click
the ‘Lock’ button, this will disengage the preset Cabinet’s from loading when changing between different Amp
modules.

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PEDALS SECTION STL Tonality - Howard Benson Plugin

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Screamer: There are 3 controls for the Tube Screamer Pedal. 1) Drive, which controls the amount of Gain you are
adding to the signal. 2) Gain, which is the amount of Volume you are adding to the signal. 3) Tone, this controls the
amount of tonal frequencies you wish to add to the signal.

Delay: There are 6 controls for the Delay Pedal. 1) Delay Time, which sets the delay time note. This value can be
synced to the Daw by clicking the [5] ’BPM Sync’ button. You can also use the [6]’Tap’ button to Tap a speci c delay
time of your choice. 2) Level, which controls the mix of your signal, from 0-100%. 100% is for an equal mix. The dry
signal always passes unprocessed, when the mix is at 100%, the delayed signal has the same amplitude, therefore at
50%, the delayed signal is lower. 3) Feedback, controls the feedback and repeats of the Delay. 4) Pre/Post button,
this switch allows you to choose the delay position in the chain. Use Pre if you want the delay in front of the amp, or
Post if you want it in the loop of the Amp.

NOTE: you can only use the effect in Stereo mode when the switch is in Post Mode.

Reverb: There are 4 controls for the Reverb Pedal. 1) Mix, which controls the balance of the dry and wet signal. 2)
Decay, which sets the time of the Reverb, from 0-10seconds without temporal reference. 3) Pre Delay, controls the
delay time before the reverberated signal appears. 4) Pre/Post button, this switch allows you to choose the reverb
position in the chain. Use Pre if you want the reverb in front of the amp, or Post if you want it in the loop of the Amp.

NOTE: you can only use the effect in Stereo mode when the switch is in Post Mode.

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AMP MODULES STL Tonality - Howard Benson Plugin

AMP 1 - Modelled from a German voiced high gain amp with

aggressive punch.

AMP 2 - Modelled from a vintage Canadian amp with blistering

high gain functionality, paired with the clean channel for modern
vintage crunch.

AMP 3 - Modelled from a 60’s vintage British style amp, with

speed and intensity for all styles of rock.

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 AMP 4 - Modelled from the circuitry of the iconic 100W 2x12
American Clean ampli er.

AMP 5 - Modelled from the world's most iconic ampli er from the
’50s.

AMP 6 - Modelled from a revered vintage American bass amp.

This amp remains an unmistakable part of the bass tones for
many generations of musicians. The module has 2 channels,
‘Bright’ & ‘Normal’.

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 AMP CONTROLS STL Tonality - Howard Benson Plugin

Bass / Mid / Treble: the classic tone stack controls. Like in real ampli ers, every control in uences the tonal
response of the others involved in the circuit.

Presence: Adjusts the amount of high frequencies.

Contour(Amp1): controls the saturation behavior. When turned up, the overall gain will increase in the high-
frequencies, making the distortion more saturated.

Gain: controls the amount of gain and saturation of your sound. In Clean mode (if applicable to the module), it
in uences the overall perceived output volume more than in Lead mode, where it controls mostly the amount of
distortion.

Volume: controls the overall volume of the amp. It also affects the frequency response. Higher master volume will
react as the Master volume control on a real tube amp. This level will be the input level of the power amp.

Clean Bright (Amp’s 3+4+5): controls the picking attack, making the sound brighter or darker / softer depending on
your needs. The bright switch may help you to saturate the upper register of your tone.

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CABINET SECTION STL Tonality - Howard Benson Plugin

The cabinet plays an integral role in a complete rig’s overall tone and character. The Cabinet Module within Tonality
gives you the exibility to not only move the microphone position vertically & horizontally, but also the user can adjust
the angle up to 45 degrees. The main point mixer is scaled in size to give you the ability to make very small,
distinctive adjustments. You can now get more creative control than ever with the 3D mixer.

Distance: controls how close/far away the microphone is from the speaker cone.

Angle: controls the angle of the microphone, from 0 to 45 degrees in motion.

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Resonance: control simulates the power amp + speaker interaction in tube ampli ers. It provides a boost in the guitar
cabinet speaker resonant frequencies.

Hi Pass: lets you select the frequency range of the high pass lter. It ranges fro 10Hz to 400Hz, and can be useful to
control the low-end response of the speaker.

Lo Pass: lets you select the frequency of the low pass ler. It ranges from 6KHz to 22KHz and can be useful to
control the high-end response.

IR Loader: Click on the dropdown menu in the center of the module to load an IR wav le. Use the < & > arrows to
scroll through IR’s.

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PRESET MANAGER STL Tonality - Howard Benson Plugin

In the STL Tonality header section, you will nd controls for the STL Tonality proprietary Preset Management System
and other useful features:

• Bank: A bank is a group of presets which can be imported or exported to le, in order to save or recall settings, or to
move them from one DAW to another.

• Add Bank (+): lets you add a new Preset Bank. You can change the Preset Bank name by clicking the EDIT button
to the right of the Preset Bank.

• Remove Bank (-): lets you remove the selected Preset Bank.

• Preset Bank Dropdown Menu: This is where you can select which bank you are wanting to use. Click the
dropdown menu to view more Preset Banks.

• Edit: by clicking this button you can edit the name of the current Preset Bank through a dialog box. You cannot Edit
the two default Preset Banks titled ‘Howard Benson’, or ‘STL Tones’. You need to create a new User Bank in order
to edit or remove.

• 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”), using the current plug-in settings.

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• 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 rst
of the bank).
There is no undo function, so use this control carefully.

• Preset Selector: lets you switch between presets contained in the current bank. Clicking on this control will open a
drop down menu showing all the available presets. Selecting a preset will immediately update the plug-in settings to
the ones stored into it. PLEASE NOTE: If you edit a preset, and click to another preset, the settings will not be
saved automatically. You need to save the presets before proceeding to the next preset.

• Edit: by clicking this button 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 function or permanently update them using the Store function. PLEASE NOTE: If you edit a preset,
and click to another preset, the settings will not be saved automatically. You need to save the presets before
proceeding to the next preset.

• Save: 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 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).

• 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.

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• Copy: lets you copy the current preset settings on the plug-in's clipboard. You can then use the Paste function to
reload them. The great thing about this control, is that the plug-in's clipboard is shared among different STL Tonality
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 STL Tonality are removed from the project, the
clipboard data will be lost.

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

• Routing: lets the user select the processing mode of the plug-in (Mono or Stereo). It is extremely important to note
that a complete stereo separation, and thus a correct stereo image preservation, is only possible when STL Tonality
is placed on a stereo bus and fed with a stereo signal with left and right components panned at 100%. Feeding STL
Tonality with two tracks panned at less than 100% left and right, will not preserve the correct stereo separation of
the tracks at the output. Stereo Mode will double the CPU load of the plug-in, as the two audio channels are being
implicitly processed by two separate instances of the plugin.

• Preset Bank and Cab IR Location: Please note, Preset Bank, Presets, and Custom Cab IR les are located on
your local drive. See below for locations:

Mac - Users/Documents/STL/Tonality/Howard Benson/Banks

PC - C:\Users\Documents\STL\Tonality\Howard Benson\Banks

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SUPPORT STL Tonality - Howard Benson Plugin

For technical issues or any problems experienced with our software, contact our support team: www.stltones.com/
pages/contact-us

Alternatively, please follow our troubleshooting questions below to see if these x your issue.

Support Information to be provided

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

• Product Version Number (e.g STL Tonality - Howard Benson V1.0.0.)

• The version number of your audio system (e.g ProTools 11.2.2, Logic 10.2.4)

• Interface (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, etc.)

• Please include a detailed description of your problem.

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TROUBLESHOOTING STL Tonality - Howard Benson Plugin

Have issues with our software?

Uninstall / Reinstall

This will repair possible broken permissions, x corrupted les, and remove old versions of our software

Steps:
1. Close out of all host software (Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase, etc.)
2. Uninstall your plug-in.
3. Open your host software and ensure that the plug-ins no longer showing up in the inserts list. If the plug-ins are still
present, locate the les on your computer and remove them manually. Once they no longer show up in your DAW
(after restarting it), move on to step 4.
4. Close out of all host software.
5. Follow the installation and licensing procedure outlined in the “Installation & License Activation” section of this
manual, ensuring you have the latest installers for the plug-in.
6. Run the latest installers and start your host program.
7. Follow the STL licensing prompts, ensuring that your host program is reading the latest version of our software.

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Repair your computer’s hard drive:
Repair permissions on your computer.

Instructions: Mac & Windows

Run your host software as an administrator (Windows-only) :

This can x a variety of issues that result in crashing or error messages on Windows DAWs that are loading our plug-
ins for the rst time.

Steps:
1. Exit your host program (Pro Tools, Cubase, etc.)
2. Right-click on the icon for that host program and select “Run as an Administrator.” You will only have to do this
once, meaning you can open up the host program normally the next time.

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How do I nd my plugin in Reaper?

If you cannot nd your STL Tonality plugin in Reaper, follow these steps to make the plugin available.

Step 1: Follow the installation and licensing procedure outlined in the “Installation & License Activation” section of this
manual, ensuring you have the latest installers for the plug-in.
Step 2: Now check if the plugin is installed in the default folder on your computer.

File Locations: MAC

VST: Macintosh HD/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST/STL Tonality Howard Benson

File Locations: Windows

64-bit VST: C:\Program Files\VSTPlugins\STL Tonality Howard Benson

If you don’t nd the respective les please reinstall your STL Tonality Product. If the relevant plugin les are in the
above folder, perform a rescan:

In Reaper, press [Ctrl] + P (Windows) / [Cmd] + [,] (Mac) to access Preferences.

Go to Plug-ins > VST.

Under “VST Plugin Path,” make sure that the following path is listed (if not, add it):

Windows: 64-bit VST: C:\ Program Files \ VSTPlugins \ STL Tonality Howard Benson
Mac: System HD > Library > Audio > Plugins > VST

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Click on Clear Cache/Re-Scan. Create a new session with a supported sample rate, add a track, and load your STL
Tonality plugin. If the pop-up window tells you to activate please press follow the installation and licensing procedure
outlined in the “Installation & License Activation” section of this manual.
Windows:
32-bit VST: C:\ Program Files (x86) \ Steinberg \ VSTPlugins \ STL Tonality Howard Benson
64-bit VST: C:\ Program Files \ VSTPlugins \ STL Tonality Howard Benson
Mac:
System HD > Library > Audio > Plugins > VST
Click on Clear Cache/Re-Scan.

Create a new session with a supported sample rate, add a track and load your STL Tonality plugin. If the pop-up
window tells you to activate please press the “activate” button and insert your Full license serial code.

How do I nd my plugin in Pro Tools?

If you cannot nd your STL Tonality plugin in Pro Tools, follow these steps to make the plugin available.

Step 1: Follow the installation and licensing procedure outlined in the “Installation & License Activation” section of this
manual, ensuring you have the latest installers for the plug-in.
Step 2: Check if the plugin is installed in the default folder on your computer.

VST: Macintosh HD / Library / Audio / Plug-ins / VST / STL Tonality Howard Benson
AAX: Macintosh HD / Library / Application Support / Avid / Audio / Plug-ins /STL Tonality Howard Benson

File Locations: Windows

64-bit VST: C:\Program Files\VSTPlugins\STL Tonality

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 64-bit AAX: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\STL Tonality

If you don’t nd the respective les please reinstall your STL Tonality Product. If the relevant plugin les are in the
above folder, perform a rescan:

To do a Rescan, you must delete certain les on your computer depending on your Pro Tools version. Please follow
the of cial Avid website to do this.

The plugin makes no sound at all, why is this happening?

You have most likely not activated the software yet, or the license le has moved to a different location and the
software can’t nd it anymore. Please check the license activation window and double-check that it still says you are
registered. If not, simply redo the steps mentioned in the License Activation chapter.

Where do I nd the installers?

You can download your plug-ins from your STL Tones account. Your account will display the installers and license
codes for all of the STL Tones products you have purchased.

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Where is the STL Tonality Plugin located on my computer?

Mac:

Audio Units: Macintosh HD / Library / Audio / Plug-ins / Components / STL Tonality - Howard Benson

VST: Macintosh HD / Library / Audio / Plug-ins / VST / STL Tonality - Howard Benson

AAX: Macintosh HD / Library / Application Support / Avid / Audio / Plug-ins / STL Tonality - Howard Benson

Windows:

64-bit VST: C:\ Program Files \ VSTPlugins \ STL Tonality - Howard Benson

64-bit AAX: C:\ Program Files \ Common Files \ Avid \ Audio \ Plug-Ins \ STL Tonality - Howard Benson

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CREDITS STL Tonality - Howard Benson Plugin

Plugin Development

Federico Berti (Ignite Amps)

GUI Design

Sonny Truelove, Emma Truelove and Luke Boerdam

Need more help?

Find technical support and instructions here: www.stltones.com/pages/contact-us

Contact our friendly Support Team here: www.stltones.com/pages/submit-a-request

Sincerely,

STL Tones Team

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