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User Manual / Getting Started
Chapter 1

Getting Started

Everything you need to create your account, activate your license, understand the three subscription tiers, and log in for the first time — in plain language.

All Tiers ~10 min read
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The Three Subscription Tiers

Tuning Labs has three plans. Pick the one that matches how you work:

Feature Audio Enthusiast Shop Small Shop Large
Vehicle Profiles1 (locked)Up to 25Unlimited
Team Users1Up to 5Unlimited
DSP Tuning (WebHID)✅✅✅
RTA Measurement✅✅✅
Work Orders✅✅✅
Hardware Library✅✅✅
Academy (23 courses)✅✅✅
Included Tunes / Month6 total (profile locked)3 (additional available)25
AI AdvisorAvailable separately✅ Included✅ Included
Affiliate Program—✅✅
Owner Dashboard——✅
🏠 Audio Enthusiast is for individual enthusiasts working on their own car. 🔧 Shop Small and Shop Large are for professional installation businesses.

Creating Your Account

You have two ways to get started:

A
Subscribe on the pricing page

Go to the pricing page, pick your tier, and click Subscribe. Stripe handles the payment. Once complete, you'll receive an email with your license key (format: BBT1-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX).

B
You already have a license key

Skip to the Activation section below. You may have received a key from a shop owner, a promotional offer, or a referral.

Activating Your License Key

Your license key looks like BBT1-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX. Activation is a one-time step that creates your account and ties the key to your email.

1
Go to tuninglabs.net/portal/index.html (the app login page).
2
Click "Have a license key?" below the login form.
3
Enter your email address and your BBT1-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX key. Click Activate.
4
Your account is created automatically. You'll receive a confirmation email. Log in with your email and the password you set during activation.
⚠️ One activation per key. License keys are single-use. If you're adding a second user to a Shop plan, the shop owner adds them from the Owner Portal — they don't need a separate key.

Logging In

Tuning Labs login screen

The login screen at tuninglabs.net/portal/index.html

1
Go to the app: tuninglabs.net/portal/index.html
2
Enter your email and password. Click Log In.
3
You'll be taken directly to the Hub — your home screen. See Chapter 3: The Hub for a tour.

Forgot Your Password?

Click "Forgot password?" on the login page. Enter your email and you'll receive a reset link. Check your spam folder if it doesn't arrive within a minute.

Offline Mode

Tuning Labs is a Progressive Web App (PWA). Once you have logged in at least once, the tools, your profiles, the hardware library and the academy stay usable offline for up to 30 days. AI-assisted tuning does not: Auto-Tune, Semi-Auto, AI curve detect and report generation each require an internet connection and refuse to start without one.

1
At the login screen, check "Run offline only" before clicking Log In.
2
Your profiles, hardware catalog, and academy content are cached locally.
3
Any changes (new work orders, tuning data) sync automatically when you reconnect.
🔌 DSP work in offline mode: You can still connect your DSP and tune it by hand — WebHID is a local browser-to-USB connection and doesn't need internet. Auto-Tune and Semi-Auto are the exception: both are hard-gated on the connection for AI processing and token verification and will not start offline. Your RTA captures and manual EQ changes are saved locally and sync when you're back online.

Installing as a Desktop App

You can install Tuning Labs as a standalone desktop app (no app store needed):

Chrome / Edge

  1. Open the app in your browser
  2. Click the install icon (⊕) in the address bar
  3. Click Install
  4. Tuning Labs opens as its own window, separate from the browser

iOS / Android

  1. Open the app in Safari (iOS) or Chrome (Android)
  2. Tap the Share button → Add to Home Screen
  3. Tap Add
  4. Launches from your home screen like a native app
💡 WebHID requires Chrome or Edge. DSP tuning (the direct USB connection to your processor) only works in Chrome or Edge. Safari does not support WebHID. For everything else — academy, work orders, hardware search — any browser works.

What to Do Next

Once you're logged in, the first thing you need is a vehicle profile. A profile stores all the information about one vehicle — DSP, speakers, channel map, and tuning history. You can't run Auto-Tune or connect a DSP without a profile.

Next: Chapter 2 — Profile Setup

Build your first vehicle profile. This is the foundation everything else depends on.

Go to Chapter 2 →
Next: Profile Setup →