EMU has moved away from a traditional subscription model. Both the annual and monthly plans now lead to a perpetual licence — you keep EMU forever once it's earned.
Current pricing for your region is shown on the EMU product page: enttec.com/product/dmx-lighting-control-software/emu-sound-to-light-controller.
The two ways to own EMU
- Annual plan — you receive a perpetual licence immediately. The annual payment covers the first 12 months of updates.
- Monthly plan — treated as a 12-month installment plan, not a recurring subscription. After 12 continuous monthly payments you have earned a perpetual licence. Your 12 months of updates start on month 1.
Either way, perpetual means forever — no downgrades. Once earned, the licence does not expire.
I'm already an EMU customer — do I have a perpetual licence?
- If you've paid annually within the last 12 months, you already have a perpetual licence — you don't need to do anything else.
- If you've been on the monthly plan for 12 consecutive months or more, you've also already earned one.
- Not sure whether your account has crossed the threshold? Email support@enttec.com and we'll confirm.
Updates after your entitlement ends
- Annual: 1 year of updates is included with each annual payment. Renew annually to keep receiving updates.
- Monthly: updates continue for as long as you keep paying monthly.
When your update entitlement ends, your perpetual licence keeps working fully. You keep every paid feature you had at that point. You will not receive new features, bug fixes, fixture-library updates, or OS compatibility patches released after your update period ends.
If you want updates again later, just resume the plan.
Hardware IDs
Each EMU licence covers 2 Hardware IDs — for example a desktop and a laptop, or an old machine and its replacement.
- While you're on an active plan, slots can be moved relatively freely.
- Once your licence is perpetual and you no longer have an active update entitlement, each Hardware ID slot can be changed once.
- If you need a Hardware ID swap and the portal shows odd or "suspended" states, contact support@enttec.com — your licence is most likely still active and we can update Hardware IDs server-side.
Pausing or lapses (monthly plan)
You don't need to pause the monthly plan as if it were a subscription — there is a built-in 3-month grace window.
- The grace window is a total budget across your 12-month installment cycle, not a single one-shot pause.
- As long as combined gaps stay under 3 months, your paid months are preserved and you continue toward perpetual where you left off.
- If gaps total more than 3 months, the 12-month clock resets and you start a new cycle.
- During any gap, EMU drops to the free tier (1 universe, no Premium features). The full feature set returns the moment you resubscribe.
Offline use
EMU does not need to be online to run. You can generate an offline licence keyed to your machine's Hardware ID at Settings → License and use EMU offline.
A perpetual licence keeps working fully offline with no internet validation — there is no licence-server check-in once perpetual.
Complimentary EMU licences with ENTTEC hardware
Selected ENTTEC products include a free EMU Premium voucher. Current bundles:
- EMU Interface — 1 year of EMU Premium
- DMX USB Pro — 3 months of EMU Premium
- ODE Mk3 — 6 months of EMU Premium
- DMX USB Pro — 20th Anniversary edition — 1 year of EMU Premium
To redeem a voucher:
- Log in to your ENTTEC account at enttec.com.
- From the Dashboard, click Activate License.
- Enter the voucher code printed on the product's readme card or sticker.
- Find your Hardware ID inside EMU at Settings → License, and enter it when prompted.
- Inside EMU, open Settings → License → Change License Details, enter your account email and the licence number from the Voucher section, and click OK.
If the serial number on your 20th Anniversary DMX USB Pro can't be used to claim the free year, email news@enttec.com or sales@enttec.com with the serial number — we'll match it to the voucher list and send your code.
Where to buy / read more
The current pricing for your region and the full licensing terms live on the EMU product page: enttec.com/product/dmx-lighting-control-software/emu-sound-to-light-controller.