EraeSound: Max Activations & Moving to a New Computer

EraeSound can be active on a limited number of computers at one time. If you sign in on a new computer and you have already reached that limit, the plugin shows a "Machine Limit Reached" dialog instead of completing activation. This article explains what that means, how to free a slot, and how to set up a new machine cleanly.

What "Machine Limit Reached" means

Every computer where you open EraeSound and sign in uses one activation slot. The total number of slots available for your account is shown inside the dialog itself as "X / Y machines registered" (for example, "3 / 3 machines registered").

A few things that do NOT use an additional slot:

• Opening EraeSound in a different DAW on the same computer, or in Erae Lab's standalone host
• Switching between the VST3 and AU formats on the same computer
• Reinstalling EraeSound on the same computer without a major OS reinstall

The license is tied to your email address and the computer where EraeSound runs, not to any Erae hardware. Whether you have an Erae Touch, an Erae 2, or no Erae at all, the machine count works the same way.

When does this happen?

The three most common situations are:

• New computer: you bought a new machine and want to move your studio setup to it.
• OS reinstall or major hardware change: a full OS reinstall or a significant hardware change (such as a logic board replacement) generates a new machine fingerprint. EraeSound treats the reinstalled machine as a new computer, even if it is the same physical box. The old slot still appears in the list and can be deauthorized.
• Accumulated machines over time: you activated EraeSound on a home studio computer, a work laptop, and a touring rig. All slots are full and you want to add another.

How to free a slot and activate on the new machine

This is the normal resolution path. You perform it entirely inside EraeSound (opened standalone in Erae Lab, or as a plugin in your DAW) on the new computer, you do not need access to any old machine.

1. Open Erae Lab on the new computer and launch EraeSound standalone (or load the EraeSound plugin in your DAW). The activation dialog opens automatically.
2. Type your email address and click Send Link. EraeSound sends a sign-in email to that address and starts waiting for you to click it.
3. Check your email and click the activation link. Keep the plugin dialog open while you do this.
4. Because your machine limit is already full, the dialog switches to the "Machine Limit Reached" state. It lists the computers currently registered to your account, showing each computer's name and the last date it connected.
5. Find a computer you no longer use. Click Deauthorize next to it.
6. A confirmation dialog appears: "Deauthorize '[computer name]'? That machine will lose access within 7 days." Click Deauthorize to confirm.
7. Once confirmed, EraeSound automatically retries activation on the current computer. If successful, the dialog switches to the Licensed state. No further action is needed.

Note: If the deauthorize network call fails, an inline error message appears inside the dialog. Check your internet connection and click Deauthorize again.

Moving to a new computer: the complete flow

If you are setting up a brand-new machine from scratch, follow these steps in order:

1. Install Erae Lab on the new computer. Erae Lab includes the EraeSound plugin installer and can also host EraeSound standalone. After installation, scan for new plugins in your DAW if you plan to use EraeSound there.
2. Open EraeSound (standalone in Erae Lab, or in your DAW). Because no cached license exists on the new machine, the activation dialog opens immediately.
3. Type the email address you used to purchase EraeSound and click Send Link.
4. Check your email and click the activation link. Keep the plugin dialog open.
5. If you are within the machine limit, activation completes automatically and the dialog shows the Licensed state.
6. If you have reached the machine limit, follow the deauthorize steps above. Activation continues as soon as a slot is freed.
7. The license is now cached on the new computer. EraeSound keeps working offline for up to about 7 days after that; reconnect to the internet from time to time so it can refresh the license in the background, or you will be asked to sign in again.

Note: You do not need to log out on the old computer before activating on the new one. Logging out only clears the local license cache on that machine; it does not free your activation slot on the server. The only way to free a slot is the Deauthorize button.

What happens to the old computer

• If you deauthorized it: EraeSound continues to work on the old machine for up to 7 days. After that window, the next time the plugin checks its license, it will prompt for re-activation.
• If you did not deauthorize it (lost, sold, or broken): The slot stays occupied. You can still deauthorize it from the dialog on your new machine, you do not need access to the old machine to remove it.
• If you clicked "Log Out" on the old machine: This clears the on-disk license cache on that machine but does not release the server slot. The slot is only freed by the Deauthorize action.

Transferring your license to a new owner

EraeSound licenses are personal: they are tied to your email address and are not officially transferable between owners. If you sell your setup, the new owner needs their own purchase from embodme.com.

Before selling or giving away a computer, use Deauthorize (or Log Out) to prevent the new owner from accessing your account.

Troubleshooting

The Deauthorize button appears grayed out or the machine list is not shown. You must be in an active sign-in session (after clicking Send Link and before the 30-minute session timeout) for the machine list to appear. If the session expired, click Send Link again to start a new one, then click the activation link in the fresh email before trying to deauthorize.

I see a computer in the list that I do not recognize. Each entry shows the computer's hostname at the time of last activation and the date it last connected. If a name looks unfamiliar, it may be an older name from the same machine before a rename. Deauthorize it if you no longer use it.

An OS reinstall used up a slot. A full OS reinstall changes the machine fingerprint, so EraeSound sees it as a new computer. The pre-reinstall slot still appears in the list. Deauthorize the old entry to reclaim it, then complete activation on the reinstalled machine.

The dialog shows "X / Y machines registered" but Y is lower than I expected. The machine limit is set by your account and may differ from the default. The dialog always shows the authoritative number. If you believe your limit is incorrect, contact support.

The dialog shows more machines than I can see at once. The in-plugin list shows up to 3 rows at a time. If you have more registered machines than the dialog can display, or if deauthorization keeps failing, contact Embodme support at support@embodme.com. If you have a valid license, you can also use the Bug Report feature inside EraeSound so support gets your logs automatically.

Also see: Activating EraeSound: Sign-In, Licensing & Demo Mode