CrystalKarat
Buy Forge £39

Support

Help, from install to sound.

Everything about installing, activating and moving Forge. If something here does not answer it, write to us and a person will.

Install

Windows

CrystalKarat-Setup.exe

  1. 1Download the Windows installer from your account and run it.
  2. 2Forge installs as a VST3 into C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3, where every host looks.
  3. 3Open your DAW and rescan plugins if it does not pick Forge up by itself.

macOS

CrystalKarat-Setup.pkg

  1. 1Download the macOS installer from your account and open it.
  2. 2Forge installs as a VST3 into /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3. It runs natively on Apple silicon and Intel.
  3. 3Open your DAW and rescan plugins if it does not pick Forge up by itself.

Installers are in your account, always the newest version for each platform.

Activate
  1. 01InstallRun the installer for your system. Forge installs as a VST3 into your system's VST3 folder.
  2. 02OpenRescan plugins in your DAW if it asks, then load Forge on a track. It opens on its activation card.
  3. 03ActivatePaste your key and press Activate. That machine is licensed, and Forge works offline from then on.
Forge's activation card: paste the key from your purchase email, then press Activate.
Troubleshooting
Forge does not appear in my DAW
Check the host is scanning the VST3 folder above, then rescan. Forge is VST3 only: Logic Pro and GarageBand (Audio Units) and Pro Tools (AAX) cannot load it yet.
Activation fails
Activation needs an internet connection once. Check the key has no stray spaces (copy it from your account), and that the license is not already active on another machine; deactivate the old one first.
Forge went quiet and shows its activation card
Without a valid activation Forge plays for 30 seconds per session and then silences, and it will not save its state. If you were activated before, let it go online once: the activation renews itself in the background, but needs the license server at least once every 30 days. If you were on the trial, it has ended; a purchased key brings Forge back.
Moving from the trial to a purchased key
Deactivate the trial in Forge's About panel, then paste the key from your purchase into the activation card. If the trial has already ended, Forge opens on the activation card by itself.
My old computer is gone
Deactivate its machine from your account. The Machine ID listed there matches the one in Forge's About panel. The seat is free immediately.
Where are my presets?
Your own presets are plain XML files in Documents/CrystalKarat/Forge, so they are easy to back up or move to another computer.
Sending us a diagnostic log
Forge's About panel has an Open Logs button. Attach the newest log when you write, along with the version and Machine ID shown on the same panel.
Questions
Which DAWs does Forge work in?
Any host that loads VST3 plugins on Windows 10 or later (64-bit) or macOS 10.13 or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. Pro Tools needs AAX and Logic Pro needs Audio Units; Forge does not ship either yet.
How does activation work?
Open Forge, paste your key into its activation card and press Activate. That registers the machine once. From then on Forge checks a signed activation file on your computer, so it opens sessions without a connection. It renews that file in the background when you are online, and needs to reach the license server at least once every 30 days.
How many computers can I use it on?
One at a time. To move Forge, deactivate it from the plugin's About panel, or from your account if the old machine is gone, then activate it on the new one.
Why do I need an account?
Your CrystalKarat account holds your license key, the machines it is active on and the installers, so nothing gets lost in an inbox. It is created as part of checkout, or when you start a trial.
Can I get a refund?
Forge is delivered the moment you pay, so at checkout you ask for immediate delivery, which ends the 14-day cancellation period that otherwise applies to online purchases. Your statutory rights are unaffected: if Forge is faulty or not as described, you are entitled to a repair, a replacement or a refund. The free trial is there so you can check Forge on your own system first.
Does Forge model specific hardware?
No. Its characters are voiced after tape, tube, transformer and amp circuits rather than modelled on particular units. Transformer and Warm Tape include a flux model so bass saturates first, as real iron does, but there is no tape transport or hysteresis model, and we would rather say so than imply it.
Is there a trial?
Yes: 7 days of the full plugin, free, with no card. Start it here and your trial key and the installers are ready at once. When it ends Forge goes quiet until you activate a purchased key, and nothing is charged. There is one trial per account and per computer.

Still stuck?

Write to us with your order email, the Forge version and the Machine ID from its About panel, and what you were doing when it went wrong.

support@crystalkarat.com