Gain Slotz Plugin User Manual

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Overview

  • This guide is current with Gain Slotz Version 1.0.0.
  • Gain Slotz is a Tuneform audio effect plugin for storing and switching between nine gain values inside a single plugin instance.
  • The plugin applies the gain value from the currently active slot to the incoming audio signal.
  • Gain Slotz is useful for level matching, quick gain staging checks, auditioning alternate gain offsets, creating automated gain changes, and storing several reference levels without loading multiple utility plugins.
  • Gain Slotz supports mono and stereo audio tracks.

System Requirements

  • Gain Slotz is compatible with macOS and Windows operating systems that meet the following requirements.

macOS System Requirements

  • macOS Version 10.13 or newer.
  • Intel or Apple Silicon CPU.
  • A DAW/Host that supports one or more of the following plugin formats:
    • AU
    • VST3
    • CLAP
    • AAX

Windows System Requirements

  • Windows 10 or Windows 11.
  • x64 Architecture Only. Windows on ARM is not supported.
  • A DAW/Host that supports one or more of the following plugin formats:
    • VST3
    • CLAP
    • AAX

Downloading the Plugin Installer

  • The Gain Slotz installer can be downloaded from your Tuneform Account at any time.
  • To access the installer for download:
    • Log in to your Tuneform Account.
    • In the site toolbar, click "My Account" and then click "My Media."
    • Locate and click the "My Plugins" button.
    • In the "owned" section of the "My Plugins" page, locate the section titled "Gain Slotz."
    • Look for the buttons in the "Download/Install" section.
    • Click the installer for your current operating system, and the installer will be downloaded to your machine.

Installation

  • Once the installer file is downloaded on your machine, navigate to the location where you saved the installer file, and double click to run the installer.
  • On Windows, if your operating system blocks the installer executable from running, click "more info," then click "Run Anyway" to proceed with installation. Be sure to verify that the installer was signed by "Tuneform LLC."
  • Proceed through the installation wizard to complete installation.
  • The installer may allow you to choose which plugin formats to install.
  • Updating from an old version:
    • Follow the same instructions in Installation. The new version will overwrite the previous version on your machine.

Installation Locations

  • The installer will install each plugin type at the following locations on your computer:

macOS

  • GainSlotz.vst3: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3
  • GainSlotz.clap: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP
  • GainSlotz.component: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components
  • GainSlotz.aaxplugin: /Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins

Windows

  • GainSlotz.vst3: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\GainSlotz.vst3
  • GainSlotz.clap: C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP\GainSlotz.clap
  • GainSlotz.aaxplugin: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\GainSlotz.aaxplugin

Uninstalling

  • To uninstall Gain Slotz, go to the installation location on your machine and delete the relevant plugin files for each format you installed.
  • If your DAW keeps a plugin cache, you may need to rescan plugins after uninstalling.

Activating the License

  • Gain Slotz requires a valid license key to use.
  • After installing, close and re-open your DAW, or rescan your plugins to make Gain Slotz appear in your DAW's plugin list.
  • With internet enabled, add Gain Slotz to a track and open the plugin window.
  • If Gain Slotz is not already activated on the machine, the license activation screen will appear.
  • Enter your license key into the license key field and click "ACTIVATE."
  • You can get your license key from the "My Plugins" section of your Tuneform Account.
  • To navigate to "My Plugins" in your Tuneform Account:
    • Log In.
    • In the toolbar, click "My Account" and then click "My Media."
    • Locate the "My Plugins" button.
    • You should see a section titled "Gain Slotz."
  • You need to use the license key in full. There is a "Copy License Key" button which will automatically copy your license key to your clipboard. You can also click "Show License Key" which will show your license key in plain text so you can highlight and copy it.
  • Once verification is complete, Gain Slotz will display "License Valid" and the activation screen will disappear.
  • Back in your Tuneform Account, you should see the machine you just activated appear in the "Current Activations" section.

Plugin Operation

  • Gain Slotz is an audio effect plugin. It does not generate sound on its own.
  • Place Gain Slotz on an audio track, instrument track, aux, bus, or master channel where you want to control gain.
  • The plugin stores nine gain values called slots.
  • Only one slot is active at a time.
  • The active slot's gain value is applied to the audio passing through the plugin.
  • Changing the active slot immediately changes which gain value is being applied.
  • Gain changes are smoothed to avoid abrupt clicks during normal use.

Main Window

  • The Gain Slotz interface is organized into the following areas:
    • Preset menu.
    • Slot list.
    • Gain adjustment controls.
    • Current gain display.
    • dB step size selector.
    • Hover information area.

Slot List

  • The slot list contains slots 1 through 9.
  • Each row displays the slot number and that slot's stored gain value in dB.
  • Click a slot row to make that slot active.
  • When the plugin window has keyboard focus, press number keys 1 through 9 to select the matching slot.
  • The active slot is highlighted.
  • The active slot determines the gain currently applied to the audio signal.

Gain Range

  • Each slot can store a gain value from -90.00 dB to +45.00 dB.
  • New plugin instances start with all slots set to 0.00 dB.
  • A value of 0.00 dB leaves the signal level unchanged.
  • Negative values attenuate the signal.
  • Positive values boost the signal.

Gain Adjustment Controls

  • Drag the vertical gain slider to adjust the gain value of the active slot.
  • Click the + control to increase the active slot by the currently selected dB step size.
  • Click the - control to decrease the active slot by the currently selected dB step size.
  • Hold Shift while clicking + or - to adjust all nine slots by the same amount.
  • When the plugin window has keyboard focus:
    • Press Up Arrow to increase the active slot by the selected dB step size.
    • Press Down Arrow to decrease the active slot by the selected dB step size.
    • Hold Shift with Up Arrow or Down Arrow to adjust all nine slots by the selected dB step size.

Current Gain Display

  • The large gain display shows the gain value of the active slot.
  • The display updates when you select a different slot or change the active slot's gain.
  • Values are shown in decibels with two decimal places.

dB Step Size

  • The dB step size selector controls how much the + and - controls change the gain.
  • Available step sizes:
    • 5
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0.5
    • 0.2
    • 0.1
  • Click a step size to select it.
  • When the plugin window has keyboard focus:
    • Press Left Arrow to move to the previous step size.
    • Press Right Arrow to move to the next step size.
  • The selected step size applies to mouse clicks and keyboard gain changes.

Hover Information Area

  • Hover over a control to show a short description in the information area at the bottom of the plugin window.
  • When no control is being hovered, the Tuneform logo is shown in this area.

Presets

  • Gain Slotz includes a preset menu for saving, loading, and selecting preset gain-slot configurations.
  • Presets store the current slot gain values and the active slot.
  • The preset menu displays the name of the current preset. Long preset names may be shortened to fit the menu button.

Saving a Preset

  • To save a preset:
    • Click the preset menu.
    • Click "SAVE PRESET."
    • Choose a location on your computer.
    • Name the preset file.
    • Save the file.
  • Gain Slotz preset files use the .gsp file extension.
  • The saved preset name is taken from the file name.

Loading a Preset

  • To load a saved preset:
    • Click the preset menu.
    • Click "LOAD PRESET."
    • Locate a .gsp preset file on your computer.
    • Select the preset file and click "Open."
  • The preset will load into the current plugin instance.
  • The preset menu will display the loaded preset's file name.

Factory Presets

  • Gain Slotz includes the following factory presets:
    • ALL ZEROS
    • -1 dB Waterfall
    • -2 dB Waterfall
    • -3 dB Waterfall
    • -4 dB Waterfall
    • -5 dB Waterfall
    • Middle Out -1 dB
    • Middle Out -2 dB
    • Middle Out -3 dB
    • Middle Out -4 dB
    • Middle Out -5 dB

Factory Preset Behavior

  • ALL ZEROS sets every slot to 0.00 dB and selects slot 1.
  • Waterfall presets select slot 1 and progressively reduce each following slot by the preset amount.
  • Example: -2 dB Waterfall sets slot 1 to 0.00 dB, slot 2 to -2.00 dB, slot 3 to -4.00 dB, and continues through slot 9.
  • Middle Out presets select slot 5 and arrange the slots around the middle slot.
  • Example: Middle Out -1 dB sets slot 5 to 0.00 dB, lower-numbered slots to positive values, and higher-numbered slots to negative values.

Host, Session, and Automation Behavior

  • Gain Slotz saves its state with your DAW session.
  • Each plugin instance stores its own slot values, active slot, and preset name.
  • Gain Slotz exposes the following automatable parameters to hosts that support plugin automation:
    • Gain Slot 1 (dB)
    • Gain Slot 2 (dB)
    • Gain Slot 3 (dB)
    • Gain Slot 4 (dB)
    • Gain Slot 5 (dB)
    • Gain Slot 6 (dB)
    • Gain Slot 7 (dB)
    • Gain Slot 8 (dB)
    • Gain Slot 9 (dB)
    • Active Slot
  • Automating "Active Slot" can be used to switch between stored gain values over time.
  • Automating the individual gain slots can be used to change the stored gain values directly.
  • Gain Slotz does not use MIDI input and does not produce MIDI output.

Troubleshooting

Gain Slotz Does Not Appear In My DAW

  • Close and re-open your DAW after installation.
  • Rescan plugins in your DAW's plugin manager.
  • Confirm that the plugin format you installed is supported by your DAW.
  • Confirm that Gain Slotz was installed in the correct system plugin folder for your operating system.
  • On Apple Silicon Macs, confirm whether your DAW is running natively or under Rosetta if your DAW has format-specific scanning behavior.

The Activation Screen Appears

  • Confirm that you have entered the full license key.
  • Confirm that your computer is connected to the internet during activation.
  • Confirm that you are using the license key from the Gain Slotz section of your Tuneform Account.
  • If the plugin was previously activated on another machine, check the "Current Activations" section of your Tuneform Account.

The Plugin Is Too Loud Or Too Quiet

  • Check which slot is active.
  • Check the large current gain display.
  • Select ALL ZEROS from the factory preset menu to reset all slots to 0.00 dB.
  • If the gain is being changed during playback, check whether your DAW is automating Active Slot or any Gain Slot parameter.

Keyboard Shortcuts Are Not Working

  • Click inside the Gain Slotz plugin window to give it keyboard focus.
  • Some DAWs may require you to update a setting that allows plugins to receive keyboard inputs.
  • Some DAWs capture arrow keys or number keys before the plugin receives them. If this happens, use the mouse controls instead.

Preset Save Or Load Fails

  • Confirm that the selected file location is writable.
  • Confirm that the preset file is not already open or being modified by another application.
  • When loading a preset, confirm that the selected file is a valid Gain Slotz .gsp preset.