How to Install & FAQ
Terminal — TerminalVST
Installation — macOS
macOS 10.15 Catalina or later
Running the installer
- Download
Terminal-mac.pkg - Double-click the file to launch the installer
- Follow the steps and click Install
- Both VST3 and AU are installed automatically, no manual file placement needed
The installer puts files here:
- VST3:
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/Terminal.vst3 - AU:
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Terminal.component
If macOS prevents the installer from opening
Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to find the program and click Open Anyway.
After installing — rescan your DAW
Ableton Live
- Open Preferences → Plug-Ins
- Make sure Use VST3 Plug-In System Folder is enabled
- Click Rescan
Logic Pro
Logic rescans AU plugins automatically at launch. Simply relaunch Logic after installing. Terminal will appear in the Audio Units list.
Cubase / Nuendo
New plugins will be scanned on launch. If you use custom plugin lists, open Studio → VST Plug-in Manager, find Terminal and manually drag it to your list or folder on the right side.
FL Studio
- Open Options → Manage Plugins
- Click Find More Plugins
Installation — Windows
Windows 10 64-bit or later
Running the installer
- Download
Terminal-Setup.exe - Double-click to run
- On the folder selection screen, leave the default path unless your DAW scans a custom folder
- Click Install
Default install path: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
After installing — rescan your DAW
Ableton Live
- Open Preferences → Plug-Ins
- Make sure Use VST3 Plug-In System Folder is enabled
- Click Rescan
Cubase / Nuendo
New plugins will be scanned on launch. If you use custom plugin lists, open Studio → VST Plug-in Manager, find Terminal and manually drag it to your list or folder on the right side.
FL Studio
- Open Options → Manage Plugins
- Click Find More Plugins
FAQ
Will it work in other DAWs?
Terminal is a standard VST3 and AU plugin and will work in any DAW that supports these formats, including Reaper, Bitwig Studio, Studio One, and others. Tested and confirmed in Ableton Live, Cubase, Logic Pro, and FL Studio.
Plugin doesn't show up after install
Open your DAW's plugin preferences and run a rescan. See the DAW-specific steps above to make sure that your DAW is scanning the correct directory. If it still doesn't appear, try restarting your DAW after the rescan completes.
How do I activate my license?
Terminal requires a one-time online activation after purchase. Add the license code that you received upon purchasing. After activation it works completely offline.
Having trouble with activation?
Get in touch and we'll sort it out. Activation issues are usually quick to fix, so just drop us a line with your order number and we'll get you running. hello@terminalvst.com
How many machines can I install on?
You can install Terminal on up to 3 machines.
Where are presets stored?
Presets are stored in Documents/Terminal Presets on both macOS and Windows. You can also access this folder from inside the plugin: click PRESETS → Open Presets Folder.
Terms of Service
See our Terms of Service.
Plugin Controls
Header
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| INPUT | Input gain before all processing. −18 to +5 dB. Use this to match the level coming into the plugin. |
| MIX | Dry/wet blend. 0% is fully dry (bypassed), 100% is fully wet. The dry signal is time-aligned so blending at any setting is phase-coherent. |
| PRESETS | Opens the preset browser. |
DRIVE — Concentric Knob
The large central knob has two independent rings.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| DRIVE | Controls how hard the signal is pushed into the distortion circuit. The response is intentionally nonlinear; the interesting range is in the upper half of travel. |
| PEAK GAIN | Boosts the target frequency band set by PEAK FREQ. 0–12 dB. More gain = more of that frequency range is driven into (or after) the distortion. |
PEAK FREQ
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| PEAK FREQ | Sets the centre frequency of the band being targeted. Range: 30 Hz–5 kHz. |
| PRE / POST | PRE: the EQ boost feeds into the distortion (more aggressive, focused). POST: the EQ shapes the tone of the already-distorted signal. |
| Q / 10× / 40× | Sets how wide the targeted band is. Q = narrow, 10× = medium, 40× = wide. |
| HOLD | Locks the PEAK FREQ position in place so you can let go of the knob and have it return to its saved position. Great for jamming. |
CIRCUIT
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| CIRCUIT | Selects the distortion type. Turn to step through six models (see below). |
| ON / OFF | Enables or bypasses the distortion stage entirely. |
The six circuit models
- TANH: Smooth, symmetric saturation. Even harmonics, gentle compression. Good starting point.
- GERMANIUM: Warm, asymmetric saturation with a low-end focus. Has a slow, breathing compression character.
- ASYMMETRIC: Harder on one half of the waveform. Strong second harmonic, upper-mid presence.
- WAVEFOLD: As you increase drive the signal folds back on itself, generating complex harmonic stacks. Gets aggressive quickly.
- RED LED: Clean until it clips, then compresses hard. Tight and punchy. Upper-mid bite.
- BLUE LED: Similar to Red LED but with a higher clip threshold and faster response. Crisper, more transparent.
Additional Controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| FDBK | Feedback amount. The wet output feeds back into the input. Low settings add resonance and colour; high settings approach self-oscillation. |
| BFFR | Feedback delay time. 5–500 ms. Short buffer times create tight resonance; longer times create repeating echoes. |
| WOBL | Pitch wobble. Adds slow random pitch modulation, evoking unstable tape or degraded hardware character. |
| HP | High-pass filter on the output. Cuts low-end buildup from heavy distortion or feedback. |
| LP | Low-pass filter on the output. Softens high-frequency harshness. |
STEREO / SHIFT
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| STEREO | Below centre: narrows the stereo image toward mono. Above centre: widens it. Uses M/S processing and variable distortion curves on L/R, mono-safe at all settings. |
| SHIFT | Frequency shifter. Shifts the left and right channels in opposite directions, creating genuine stereo divergence without phase cancellation. Range: 0–±5 Hz per channel. |
| HOLD (SHIFT) | Locks and returns to the current SHIFT position, similar to PEAK FREQ. |
Oscilloscope
The display shows the signal before distortion (dim trace) and after distortion (bright trace) in real time. Useful for visualising how the waveshaper is affecting the waveform, or resulting waveforms when self-oscillation occurs.