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RARE DATA HQ · GUIDE

Install once. Keep making music.

HQ is the shared library for COMPA, RD303 and the Quota apps. Its installation window makes the destination explicit: your computer or your instrument.

1. Open HQ on your computer

  • Mac: extract the Apple silicon download and move QuotaHQ.app to Applications. It displays as Rare Data HQ. The application is signed and notarized.
  • Windows 11 x64: run the signed setup, then open Rare Data HQ from the Start menu.
  • Linux x64: Ubuntu 24.04 is tested. HQ requires glibc 2.39 or newer and an installed desktop browser. Other compatible distributions are unverified; install the .deb with your package manager, or extract the portable archive and run QuotaHQ. HQ uses an installed desktop browser on Linux. Chrome or Chromium opens it in a dedicated app window; otherwise it opens in your default browser. Download the portable HQ archive. Linux HQ currently manages RD303; the other Quota apps have Mac and Windows builds.

HQ does not require an account. Existing Quota license keys remain in the local wallet. Renaming the displayed app does not require replacing those keys.

2. Install RD303 for your DAW

  1. Find RD303 and choose Install & manage → This computer.
  2. Download the package for your platform, or select an existing signed package. Close your audio host before updating.
  3. Choose Install / update RD303. Wait for HQ to report that the installation is verified.
  4. Reopen your DAW and rescan plug-ins. Add RD303 as an instrument.

Mac AU: ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components

Mac VST3: ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3

Windows VST3: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\VST3

Linux VST3: ~/.vst3

Some hosts need the user VST3 folder enabled in their plug-in settings. RD303’s AU format is for Apple platforms.

3. Install RD303 on Force

The tested profile is Akai Force running 3.9.1.2, with root SSH, executable storage and a supported persistent scope-service hook. MockbaMod provides a tested setup. HQ does not install a mod or unlock the firmware, and SSH alone does not establish compatibility. Other MPC models are not yet hardware-verified.

  1. Put the computer and Force on the same network. Read the Force’s current IP address in its network preferences.
  2. In HQ, open RD303 → Install & manage → Force / MPC. Enter the address and existing SSH password or key.
  3. Connect. If prompted, verify the SSH fingerprint belongs to your instrument. On Mac, allow HQ’s requested Local Network access.
  4. Save the current project, then select storage HQ identifies as executable and compatible. Choose Install RD303. A signed catalog package can download as part of the installation.
  5. HQ registers the instrument and restarts the instrument software when it is running. Reopen your project and load RD303.

If Mac reports “No route to host,” first confirm the instrument’s current IP address and SSH service. Check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network for HQ. Quit HQ, then open the copy in Applications. Keep older previews zipped instead of opening additional copies: multiple installed versions can confuse macOS’s network permissions. Contact support if the connection still fails.

A drive can have free space while being mounted “noexec”; HQ will reject that destination. Use the supported executable card/storage instead. Normal desktop auto-update does not silently update connected hardware.

4. Send projects, kits and audio

  1. Open Devices in HQ and connect to the Force with its current address and SSH credentials.
  2. Browse to a writable folder, or choose New folder. Use as default remembers that destination for Stems and Kits.
  3. In Stems, enable an Akai project export. In Kits, export an XPM program, Song Kit or Remix Kit. Choose Send to Force after the export, or enable Send when finished before starting.
  4. Stems shows progress and Delivered and verified in its Output section. View delivery in HQ opens the full transfer queue. Load the XPJ or XPM from the displayed folder on the Force.

In Stems, Destination in HQ opens the folder picker. Use this folder and return saves the choice and returns to Stems. Options → DAW Projects → Stem track order remembers your preferred order for Force and Ableton. Send existing selects an earlier export. You can also choose a complete export or audio file directly in HQ. XPJ projects travel with their ProjectData; XPM programs travel with their referenced samples. HQ checks the files and stages the transfer before making the completed folder available.

Pause keeps partial progress. Retry resumes a saved job after you reconnect; separation is not repeated. Existing destination folders are not silently replaced. Folder rename and move controls help organize complete exports.

Show on device opens the folder in HQ’s browser. Load the result yourself on the Force: an XPM goes on a Drum track, while an XPJ opens a project. Delivery does not restart the Force or replace its current project.

Ordinary media storage is suitable for these files. Executable storage is required for plug-ins, not for project audio. The connected workflow is tested on Force; physical MPC acceptance remains open.

Start a job with Quota Voice

Quota Voice and its paired phone Remote can start the same installed Stems and Kits workflows. Include “send it to my Force” in the command to request delivery, then confirm the command through the normal Voice/Remote flow.

For example: “Separate stems from [your file or link] and send it to my Force,” or “Make a song kit from [your source] and send it to my Force.” Voice reports the export and delivery result; HQ keeps the transfer history and destination.

The paired computer must be awake, running the required apps and able to reach the Force. The command refers to a source the desktop can access. This does not upload a sample from COMPA or open SSH to the internet.

Recovery and saved work

Restore previous returns to the retained installation. If a device connection breaks during installation, reconnect and choose Recover before retrying. These operations concern plug-in files; keep your own project and sample backups.

RD303 stores saved patterns and their automation separately from the plug-in installation. Force preset and project recall, including a reboot, have been tested on the supported profile.

Known Force limitation: switching tabs can be slow just after loading a project, particularly Pattern and Library. Navigation becomes more responsive after visiting pages.

Licenses, updates and startup

Open Settings → Manage licenses to add a key, copy it, check its registered devices, or back up and restore the wallet. A purchase-email link can add its key directly to HQ. Removing a key from the wallet does not deactivate another device.

Use the × in the pricing card to hide offers and give your apps more room. HQ remembers your choice. Restore the card with Settings → Show pricing offers; each app’s purchase link remains available either way.

Automatic app updates run while HQ is open and wait for running apps to close. Open HQ when I sign in is optional. HQ updates appear in Settings; Mac and Windows restart after applying the verified update. Linux opens the downloaded update in your package manager.

The pricing card links directly to the individual purchase pages and the $39.99 Quota Collection. Desktop licenses and App Store purchases are separate.

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