HardStop: Slam it Hard.
Keep the Punch.

Free, forever. HardStop opens as Basic on first launch: fully working, no timer, no watermark. The download asks for an email address so we can send you the file and tell you about updates, and that's all we ask for. At default settings Basic's output is byte-identical to Pro's. You only pay for the character section, the extra limiter control, stereo link, Mix and LUFS metering.

Use it before your final limiter, not instead of it. HardStop shaves the peaks so your limiter has less to do, and you get more loudness with the transients intact. In a pinch, HardStop's own true-peak limiter can do the whole job.

Normal is a plain hard clip with no anti-aliasing. It aliases by design when pushed, which makes it the character tier, and with TP off it has zero latency, so you can track through it. HQ is the daily driver: anti-aliased and flat in-band to ±0.002 dB. Ultra matches about 40X oversampling. Doing that the brute-force way takes 64X and about eight times the CPU. It's flat to ±0.0003 dB. Use it when you clip hard or use Density (Pro). All three ship in Basic.

Normal with TP off: none. HQ and Ultra: 114 samples, the same figure on purpose, so switching quality never upsets your DAW's delay compensation. Turn TP on and the total is 482 samples at 48 kHz in any quality mode, whatever the Lookahead setting. HardStop always reports its latency, so playback stays in sync.

Streaming services turn tracks down by loudness (LUFS), not peaks, so there's no test to pass or fail. With TP on, set the ceiling to -1 dBTP for a safe margin, or -0.2 dBTP if you're pushing for a competitive level. Streaming encoders can add small peaks of their own, which is why -1 dBTP is the safe choice.

Turn TP on. Without it, true peaks between the samples can pass the sample ceiling. That isn't a bug, it's how clipping works. With TP on, true peaks stay under your ceiling when Out Gain is at 0 dB or below and Mix is at 100%.

Yes: 14 days, every Pro feature, no card. Click ADVANCED and press START 14 DAY FREE TRIAL! (any locked Pro control works too). Enter your email, then the 6-digit code we send, and Pro unlocks. The 14 days start when you activate, and the trial runs on up to three computers. Buy with the same email during the trial and it upgrades in place, presets and settings included. Purchases are final, so hear it on your own mixes first. If something isn't working, write to dsp@raytownproductions.com and I'll sort it out.

One payment, no subscription, and you own it. Lifetime feature updates are included for every 1.x release; a future major version, such as 2.0, may be offered as a separate upgrade. Each license runs on three computers, and you move seats yourself from the plugin's Machines tab. Pro needs the internet once, to activate, then works offline for good with no check-in deadline. A trial needs the internet to start. Basic has no license and never needs to check in. When you open HardStop's menu while online, it checks for updates, at most once a day. There are no usage analytics, apart from installations: the update check sends only the plugin name, version and OS.

Because I think great tools should be within reach of everyone making music, not just people with professional studio budgets. A low price doesn't mean low quality. HardStop Pro gets the same care, stress testing, measurements, and support as plugins costing four times more.

Restart the DAW and rescan your plugins. Logic loads only AU, Pro Tools only AAX, and most other DAWs VST3. If it still doesn't appear, run the installer again or get in touch below and we'll sort it out.