VINTAGE AMP ROOM
USER'S GUIDE
TDM/RTAS
VST/AU/RTAS
POWERCORE VST/AU
TDM/RTAS v. 1.0.5, VST/AU v. 1.0.2, VST/AU PowerCore v. 1.0.2
Sep 21, 2007
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Contact Details
Alternatively, you could use the phone or send an old-fashioned mail (do you remember
envelopes, stamps and paper?) to:
Softube AB
S:t Larsgatan 10c
SE-582 24 Linköping
Sweden
Phone: +46 13 21 1623 (9 am – 5 pm CET)
Support is handled by TC Electronic (world wide distributor):
Support inquiries: http://www.tcsupport.tc
For other inquiries, contact Softube at [email protected]
© 2007 SOFTUBE AB, SWEDEN. ALL PRODUCT AND COMPANY NAMES ARE TRADEMARKS OF THEIR
RESPECTIVE OWNERS. AMP ROOM IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF SOFTUBE AB, SWEDEN.
SOFTUBE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF SOFTUBE AB, SWEDEN. ALL SPECIFICATIONS SUBJECT
TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Support
questions (FAQ) and other topics that might interest you.
Support questions can be posted at http://www.tcsupport.tc, where TC's dedicated staff
E-mail addresses and updated information are always available on the
Amp Room website.
Amp Room website: http://www.softube.com
Support is handled by TC Electronic (world wide distributor):
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System Requirements
Please make sure that you have the latest Interlok drivers installed!
The latest version of Amp Room is always available from the Amp Room
website.
Pro Tools HD|Accel Version (TDM)
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Pro Tools | HD Accel with Pro Tools 7.0 or higher
System must meet requirements for Pro Tools HD from Digidesign
Mac OS X (10.4 or higher) or Windows XP (or higher)
iLok USB key and Pace Interlok version 5.4.1 (or higher)
Vintage Amp Room uses less than 62% of an Accel processor.
PowerCore version (VST/AU)
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Any VST or AudioUnits compatible host application
Windows XP or Mac OS X 10.4 (or higher)
PowerCore software 2.2 (or higher) and compatible hardware
Vintage Amp Room PowerCore is compatible with PowerCore PCI mkII, Express,
Unplugged, Compact and FireWire. Vintage Amp Room PowerCore is not
compatible with PowerCore Element and PCI.
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System must meet requirements of the host application and PowerCore software
Vintage Amp Room uses less than 76% of a PowerCore processor.
Native version (VST/AU/RTAS)
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Mac OS X (10.4 or higher), Windows XP or higher
Mac: Intel or PowerPC processor (G3 or higher), Windows: PIII or higher
512 MB RAM
Any VST, AudioUnits or RTAS compatible host application
iLok USB key and Pace Interlok version 5.5.1
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Introduction
Straightforward and simple, Vintage Amp Room emulates three great guitar amps in a
complete studio set-up with speaker cabinets and fully flexible microphone positioning. It's
easy to use for live performances and recordings, as well as for re-amping and last-
minute tweaking.
Amp Room has none of the added
gadgets or weird-sounding presets
sometimes found in simulation
software. Focusing on quality and
accuracy, it simulates three amps,
with sounds that are timeless and
authentically raw. The goal is not to
give you a pre-produced, ultimate
guitar sound, but to provide you with
the ultimate tool to create your own.
Because after all, only you know
exactly what sound you want.
Figure 1: A room of amps.
Product Philosophy
Everything about this product is authentic. The raw and dynamic sound is an absolute
replica of what you would get if you had these amps set up in a real studio. What you see
on the screen are photo-realistic 3D-renderings of the complete set-ups, and you get to
move an actual mic around when deciding which position is best, from near field off-axis
to far field and back, continuously, without preset positions.
The idea is that using Amp Room should be like working directly with these amplifiers set
up in a real studio, with a microphone in front of the cabinet, connected to your DAW. And
we kept it simple. Amp Room has no knobs with dubious or unintuitive functionality, and
no added gadgets or ridiculously fake-sounding effects.
The sound of the amps has not been tampered with, because we don't give you a pre-
produced, ultimate guitar sound. We simply provide you with the tools: three great, classic
amplifiers, in digital form. Then it's up to you to add compressors, EQ's, reverb, or any
other effects, to get the sound you want.
In short, you need the same skills to master this software as you need when dealing with
a real studio set-up. You can get back to doing what you do best, because music
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production is about using your ears, not your computer skills.
Simulation Technology
Here follows three geeky sections, so you might want to skip directly to the next chapter
Once upon a time, when Softube was not yet born, three guys (the hacker, the guitar
player and the professor) were involved in a research project at Linköping Institute of
Technology in Sweden, aimed at finding a model that could simulate non-linearities in
audio equipment. Non-linear systems were one of the expertise research areas at the
university, although the audible effects of the models hadn't been carefully investigated
yet. When they, in 2003, found a suitable model for audio non-linearities, it was evident
that the ear can discriminate between certain details that are very hard to discover
through purely mathematical methods, and also that the human ear couldn't care less
about other properties that the mathematical methods focused on.
The birth of this technology also led to the birth of Softube, and since then, about a dozen
of different research projects have been completed by Softube and Linköping Institute of
Technology, with focus ranging from loudspeaker non-linearities and spring reverb
simulations to novel poweramp designs and next generation compilers.
In short, the Amp Room plug-in consists of three core technologies:
1) A true physical circuit modeling, where every capacitor, resistor and component is
described in detail. In order to simulate these circuits on a DSP platform, we
developed a, now patented, simulation method.
2) A patented model for non-linearities that leads to a very dynamic and accurate
valve modeling.
3) A model of the cabinet, room and microphone using resonance modeled IIR
filters (yep, also patented), with extra care taken to assure numerical stability.
Supernormalize
The “supernormalize” feature (from the beginning the internal name of a slightly magic
component of our model building toolbox), makes sure that the output signal from Amp
Room always has a reasonable volume. From a user perspective, this means that the
Amp Room never clips the signal (unwanted digital distortion). Also, the output volume is
normalized, so even with low settings on the Volume knob in Amp Room, the output
volume will be within a reasonable level and ready for digital recordings. Compare this to
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the real amp, which easily can have a dynamic range of 100 dB.
From a technical perspective, this means that the signal path within Amp Room always
has the highest dynamic range possible, and you won't lose any bits on the way.
Patents
This Softube product is protected by patent SE525332 and pending patents US2004-
0258250, EP1492081 and JP2004-183976.
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User Interface
Simplicity has been the goal when we developed this product; the amps and mics should
work just as they do in the real studio. Unfortunately, moving a mouse cursor on a 17”
LCD screen isn't exactly like grabbing the
real mic stand in
a
cozy studio.
Nevertheless, we have tried to imitate that
feeling as far as it is possible, and if you
have experience of working in real studios,
you will notice that Amp Room handles and
sounds the way you expect it to do.
Plug-In View
Panel View (Top Area)
In the Panel View you can alter the settings
of the amp by clicking the knob and
dragging the mouse up and down.
Switches will be switched either by clicking
Figure 2: Two main views of the graphical
user interface
on them, or by click-and-dragging the mouse up and down.
You can fine-adjust any setting by pressing the Apple-key (the Control-key in Windows)
while adjusting the knob.
Knobs and switches can also be reset to their default value by clicking on the knob while
pressing the Alt-key.
Room View (Bottom Area)
In the Room View you can do two things, select one of the other amps or change the mic
position.
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Mic Position
When the mouse is located over the mic stand, the mouse
pointer changes to an “up-down”-arrow. Click-and-drag the
mouse up or down to change the position of the mic stand.
The microphone moves along a predetermined path (see
down, just as if you were changing a knob.
Figure 3: The mic moves
along this path, from a close
off-axis position (a) with some
treble roll-off, to the close on-
axis position (b) with the most
un-colored sound, and finally
the distant far-field position
(c), with lots of room
ambiance.
Figure 4: Click-and-drag up or down to change
microphone position.
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Amp Selection
You can change amp by clicking on the
background and dragging the mouse to the
left or right. The mouse pointer becomes a
“left-right”-arrow when you are pointing at
the background to indicate that it is possible
to change amplifier.
Figure 5: Click on the background and drag left
or right to change amplifier.
Clicking on the background while holding the Shift-key toggles between
the amplifiers without any animations.
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Controls Summary
Mouse
Up/Down: To change a parameter such as a knob or the position
Click: To toggle switches or activate the “About”-box.
Figure 6: Up/Down
cursor – changes
knobs, switches and
microphone position.
Mouse wheel: Use the mouse wheel to change knob parameters
and mic stand position.
Keyboard Commands for Mac OS X
Use these key commands while changing a parameter.
Fine Adjust: Apple
Reset to Default: Alt
Toggle Amplifier: Shift (while clicking on the background)
Pro Tools only:
Automation Control Window: Control+Apple+Alt+click
Figure 7: Left/Right
cursor – changes
amplifier.
Keyboard Commands for Windows
Use these key commands while changing a parameter.
Fine Adjust: Control
Reset to Default: Alt
Toggle Amplifier: Shift (while clicking on the background)
Pro Tools only:
Automation Control Window: Control+Windows+Alt+click
In order to automate amp selection in Pro Tools, click on the background
while holding down Control+Apple+Alt (Control+Windows+Alt on
Windows).
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Platform Specific Issues
TDM/RTAS on Pro Tools|HD
There are some specific issues to consider when using an RTAS plug-in in recording
mode on a Pro Tools|HD system. First of all, an audio buffer latency is introduced in the
RTAS version, but not in the TDM version. So for the best live guitar experience, it is
preferred to use the TDM version with zero latency instead of RTAS.
Secondly, all RTAS plug-ins are automatically bypassed in recording mode, unless an
TDM plug-in is inserted on the insert slot before the RTAS plug-in.
Enabling Vintage Amp Room RTAS in recording mode (Pro Tools 7 or higher):
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Insert a TDM plug-in (such as the “Trim” plug-in) on your track
Insert Vintage Amp Room RTAS on an insert slot after the TDM plug-in
Please see your Pro Tools reference guide for more info.
Output Volumes on Different Platforms
The VST/AU versions of Vintage Amp Room has a theoretical maximum output volume of
+3dB. The TDM/RTAS version, due to the fixed-point format of Pro Tools|HD, is limited to
a maximum output of 0dB.
Format
VST Native
AU Native
Maximum output level
+3 dB
+3 dB
0 dB
RTAS Native
VST PowerCore
AU PowerCore
TDM
+3 dB
+3 dB
0 dB
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White Amp
White is based on an all-round great amp, a classic
that set the industry standard for classic, distorted
rock'n'roll sounds. The genius is its simplicity. It's
stripped down to the bare essentials – all tubes, only
one channel, and no reverb or any other built-in
effects.
Sound-wise, it goes from mad screaming preamp
shred, to warm, speakers-about-to-break poweramp
distortion. Perfect when you need a characteristically
distorted edge and a powerful roar.
First Usage
Set all parameters in the middle (12 o'clock). Turn down the Master Volume a little bit (to
10 o'clock) and play your guitar while changing the Pre Amp Volume. The sound goes
from almost Hi-Fi clean on low Pre Amp Volume settings, to a crunchy distortion (Pre
Amp Volume in the middle), and finally to a high-gain setting with Pre Amp Volume on
max. If you want an even meaner distortion, turn down the Middle and turn up the Master
Volume.
Tip: The sound will change quite dramatically when you start moving the
mic away from the cabinet, since certain frequencies will cancel each
other out due to interference between the four speaker drivers.
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Knobs
Figure 8: White amp panel view.
The functionality of the knobs on the front panel of the plug-in correspond exactly to the
front panel of the real amplifier.
Presence: The presence is used to control the feedback loop and thus the amount of
treble in the power amp. Turn it up to get a high frequency boost.
Bass, Middle, and Treble: These knobs are the tone control of the amplifier. This circuit
is located after the preamp distortion and is used to shape the sound of the preamp
distortion.
“Hey, the bass knob doesn't do anything!” Well, yes it does. But it only
affects the sound deep down in the frequencies, and chances are that
your studio monitors doesn't output these low frequencies the way a 4x12”
cabinet does...
Master Volume: This knob controls the amount of power amplifier distortion. The power
amp distortion is usually a little bit dirtier than the preamp distortion and gives a crunchier
sound that sounds amazing for chords. Set the Pre Amp Volume to a low setting and
turn up the Master Volume to the max to get that typical power amp distortion.
Pre Amp Volume: This knob controls the amount of preamplifier distortion, but since a
high output from the preamplifier also makes the power stage distort, this also affects the
power amplifier distortion. The preamp distortion is typically much “tighter” than the
crunchy power amp distortion. To get a tight preamp distortion, you'll have to turn down
the Master Volume while maxing the Pre Amp Volume.
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Brown Amp
Amp Room Brown is based on one of the most
versatile classic amplifiers in music history. It's
been used in all kinds of genres, and with all kind
of instruments, thanks to a sound that is clean,
crisp and clear, but also warm, thick and punchy.
Brown can produce anything from the clearest
country-style sound for steel-guitars to a dirty,
bluesy guitar sound. It works for both funky
rhythms and mellow electric piano chords. It's got
a notoriously warm sound with a massive bass
and a shimmering treble. Versatility embodied, it
can do more or less whatever you want it to do.
Except high gain heavy metal. And baking
pizzas.
First Usage
Set all knobs in the middle (at 12 o'clock). Set the microphone in a far field position (click
the mic and drag the mouse downwards). Turn on the Vibrato and Bright switches. You
should hear a bluesy sound with lots of room ambiance and a nice transition between
distortion and a clean sound. Change the Volume to get more or less distortion and move
the microphone closer to the cabinet to get a “tighter” sound with more bass frequencies.
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Knobs
Figure 9: Brown amp panel view.
The functionality of the knobs on the front panel of the plug-in corresponds to the front
panel of the real amplifier, except the spring reverb, which hasn't been included in this
plug-in. We have also added a “Vibrato” switch, which on the real amplifier is a foot
switch. There is also a difference when all the tone controls are set at 0, see “Treble,
Middle, and Bass” below.
Volume: This amplifier doesn't have a Master Volume control, so the Volume knob
controls both the preamplifier and power amplifier distortion.
Bright: Turn on this switch to get a high frequency boost. Works only at low to moderate
Volume settings.
Treble, Middle, and Bass: These knobs are the tone control of the amplifier, but they
also control the amount of distortion. If you, for example, have too much distortion in the
bass frequencies, try turning down the Bass knob. (Electrically speaking, the tone
controls are located before the preamp distortion.)
The tone controls behave exactly like the real thing, except when all the controls are set
fully counter clock-wise. On the real amp, the amplifier would have become silent, as if
you turn the Treble, Middle and Bass knobs fully counter clock-wise, that actually
corresponds to the knobs being set to a little bit over nothing on the real amp.
Vibrato, Speed and Intensity: Turn on the vibrato (which is in fact a tremolo) by turning
on the Vibrato switch. Use Speed to control the speed of the tremolo, and Intensity to
control the amount of the tremolo effect.
*The reasons are mathematical. Physical modeling is a pretty tricky thing, and one of the most difficult parts is when a circuit
becomes almost bypassed by a short circuit, and this is what happens when you turn down the EQ knobs to zero on the real amp. In the
computer world, this will lead to numbers that are smaller than what the computer can represent, and this leads to instability in the filters.
So we decided to let the EQ knobs be almost zero instead of completely zero in order to avoid these problems. Of course we could have
worked around this, but we saw no point in interfering with an otherwise good simulation, and besides, is that really a very useful
feature?
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Green Amp
Green is packed with character and produces a
pleasant guitar sound with warm yet intense
poweramp distortion. Its edginess makes it shine
through in mixes, without drowning out other
instruments.
Green is based on a famous brit-pop amplifier
from the middle of the 60's. It has three different
channels (“Vib-Trem”, “Normal” and “Brilliant”) with
two inputs each, and normally a guitar player will
connect the guitar to the “Vib-Trem” input and
patch the signal to the other two channels. We
have simulated the amplifier exactly this way; the
guitar connected to the “Vib-Trem” input and
patched to the other two channels.
To complicate things further, this amp doesn't
have a normal tone stack (EQ) but a single tone
control which attenuates high frequencies when turned clock-wise (different to what one
would expect of a tone control). The previous owner of the original amp was so kind as to
carve out “HI” and “LO” in the metal panel so that he would remember this. We have of
course included this feature in Amp Room.
First Usage
Turn on the Vib-Trem effect (Vib-Trem Off-On) and select the tremolo effect (Vib-Trem
Switch pointing at “Trem”). Set the Vib-Trem Volume knob in the middle position and all
other knobs in the minimum position. Now adjust the Brilliant Volume to get a good
balance between the tremolo effect and a clean sound.
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Knobs
The functionality of the knobs on the front panel of the plug-in corresponds exactly to the
front panel of the real amplifier, except that we have added the foot switch as a “Vib-Trem
Off-On” switch.
Vib-Trem Off-On: Turn on the vibrato or tremolo effect by moving this switch clock-wise.
Vib-Trem Speed: Three way switch that sets the speed of the vibrato or tremolo effect.
Vib-Trem Switch: Select between a vibrato and a tremolo effect. Unlike the makers of the
Brown amp, the guys who built this amp actually knew the difference between a tremolo
effect (amplitude modulation of a signal) and a vibrato effect (frequency modulation of a
signal). Although this vibrato effect doesn't sound anything like a real-world vibrato
(opera-singer-style vibrato), it's a lovely effect that gives the sound that special touch.
Figure 10: Green amp panel view.
Vib-Trem Volume: Volume control of the Vib-Trem channel. This channel is basically the
only one of the three channels that has any preamp distortion worth talking of.
Normal Volume: Volume control of the Normal channel. Except for the fuzz-like
poweramp distortion on higher volume settings, this channel is very clean and doesn't
change the guitar sound so much.
Brilliant Volume: Volume control of the Brilliant channel, which has a much brighter
sound than the Normal channel.
Tip: Use the Vib-Trem Volume to get the distortion you want, and then use
the Normal and Brilliant Volume as a bass and treble control. If you want
a more fuzz-like distortion, use only the Normal and Brillant channel.
Tone: The Tone knob cuts high frequencies when it's turned clock wise.
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Pitfalls and Common Mistakes (Input
Impedance is Important!)
It is very important to have a line box or a
preamp with an input that is designed for guitar
(or bass) before the signal from your guitar
enters your computer.
More technically speaking: the signal from your
guitar must go directly into a high impedance input
(1 megohm). Line inputs on mixers or sound cards
are usually low impedance inputs (around
10 kilohms) which in most cases remove the high
frequencies from your guitar, which in turn makes
your guitar sound dull and lifeless.
Figure 11: Using a line box with
1 megohm input is one way to
correctly connect your guitar.
("Guitar? That looks like a Jazz
Bass!")
All of the real amplifiers we have simulated have a 1 megohm input impedance, and for
the plug-in to re-create the sound correctly, the guitar input to your system must have a
1 megohm input impedance!
Tip: If you don't have a line box or preamp, you could always check your
stomp boxes. If the stomp box doesn't have the “true bypass” feature,
chances are that it will work just like a high impedance preamp when it's
in bypass.
If you want to check the impedance in the manual of your preamp, go to the “Technical
Specifications” section and look for “Input Impedance”. In order to get the most accurate
guitar sound and amplifier simulation, the input impedance should be 1 megohm (1 MΩ)
(have we repeated this enough times now?). A value ranging between 500 kilohms and
4 megohms should also be OK.
Lots of Noise
Due to the high-gain nature of guitar amplifiers, even the smallest input noise can (and
will) be amplified a thousand times and sometimes become very disturbing. It is even
more important to have a good signal when you're using an amplifier simulation than if
you, for instance, are recording a crystal-clear vocal track.
A rule of thumb is that the input stage should not have more noise than your guitar,
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although this will most probably rule out most input stages and A/D converters.
Input Levels Make the Difference!
If you experience the amplifier distorting too much or too little, you should experiment by
attenuating or boosting the guitar signal before the plug-in, for example by using the
“Volume” plug-in that usually come with most plug-in host softwares. For most settings,
try to have as high guitar signal as possible without causing unwanted digital saturation.
If you experience that the amplifier distorts more than you would expect, use a ”Volume”
plug-in before Vintage Amp Room to decrease the level of the guitar signal. Don't be
afraid to have peak levels as low as -24 – -12 dBFS. Experiment!
For heavy distorted sounds, clipping (digital saturation) of the input signal
isn't a big problem. A saturated input signal has more power (RMS) than
a clean signal with the same amplitude, which will make the power amp
simulation distort even more.
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Buying Recommendations
If you like the sound from Amp Room and would like to get that sound using the real deal
(let's face it, a real vintage amp is always sexier than a plug-in), here are some buying
recommendations.
White
If you like the sound of the White amp, we recommend you to buy a Marshall JCM800
2203 with a 1960A 4x12” cabinet. Nothing beats the roar from a 100W valve amp.
Brown
Likewise, if Brown is your favorite, we strongly recommend a 1966 Fender Twin Reverb
combo with a 2x12” cabinet.
Green
Nothing beats the real stuff, and that quirky vibrato calls for a Vox AC30/6 Treble from the
middle of the 60's, perhaps suited with a pair of new Celestion Blue drivers.
Room
And finally, if you like the sound of the room in which the cabinets we're measured, you
better call Soulmine Studios in Linköping and book some studio hours. Just tell them to
set things up just as they did for the guys from Softube, and you'll be fine from there...
MARSHALL IS A TRADEMARK OF MARSHALL AMPLIFICATION PLC. FENDER IS A TRADEMARK OF
FENDER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION. VOX IS A TRADEMARK OF KORG (UK) LIMITED.
CELESTION IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF KH TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION.
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Vintage Amp Room was made by Oscar Öberg - concept, preamp modeling, sound- and DSP-programming. Niklas Odelholm
- cabinet and microphone modeling and sound design. Arvid Rosén - power amp modeling and sound programming. Torsten
Gatu - interface and DSP programming. Per Connman - amp selection and modeling. Örjan – amp selection. Tommy - amp
selection and modification. Anders - graphics programming. Ulf - graphics programming and 3D rendering. Micko - 3D
rendering.
© 2007 Softube AB, Sweden
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