Installation & Setup

System Requirements

Component	Minimum	Recommended
OS	Windows 10 64-bit / macOS 13+	Windows 11 / macOS 14+
RAM	8 GB	16 GB+
Storage	5 GB for the application + bundled AI models	NVMe SSD recommended

Note

No dedicated GPU required. Onset Engine runs on your CPU — including 5-year-old laptops. An NVIDIA GPU with CUDA (GTX 1060+) will accelerate AI analysis and enable hardware-encoded exports (NVENC). Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2/M3) are also supported via the MPS backend. See System Requirements for detailed performance expectations.

Installation

1. Download

Download Onset Engine from onsetengine.com/pricing. You’ll receive a download link and a license key via email.

2. Install

Run the installer (OnsetEngine-v1.0.0-Setup.exe). The application installs to your chosen location:

C:\Program Files\OnsetEngine\
├── OnsetEngine.exe    # Main application
├── ffmpeg/            # Bundled FFmpeg (ffmpeg, ffprobe, ffplay)
├── mpv/               # Bundled MPV (mpv.exe, libmpv-2.dll)
├── drivers/           # JSON driver files + examples
├── music/             # Starter music tracks
└── _internal/         # Bundled dependencies (do not modify)

FFmpeg, MPV, and all AI models are bundled — no separate downloads or PATH configuration needed.

3. License Activation

On first launch, Onset Engine will prompt for your license key:

1. Click the tier badge (e.g., “Demo”) in the upper-right corner of the application.
2. Paste your license key into the input field and click Activate.

This makes a single HTTPS call to validate your purchase. After activation, the application operates 100% offline. There is a 7-day offline grace period for background re-validation.

Tip

The free Demo works fully without a license key — just launch and start editing. Activate a key when you’re ready to unlock Core or Studio features.

First Ingest

Once installed, build your clip library:

1. Launch OnsetEngine.exe
2. Click 📥 INGEST in the asset bin toolbar (left panel)
3. Select your footage folder
4. Choose ingest mode:
   • Physical — Extracts individual clip files (uses disk space, fastest renders)
   • Virtual (Pointer-Only) — No file duplication, indexes in-place (saves disk space)
5. Wait for AI analysis to complete (GPU activity visible in Task Manager if using NVIDIA)
6. Your library is now searchable and ready for rendering

Tip

For large libraries (1TB+), use Virtual / Pointer-Only mode. It indexes your footage without copying files, saving massive amounts of disk space. The trade-off is slightly slower seek times during rendering.

Configuration

Global settings can be adjusted via ⚙️ Preferences in the application header. Key settings include:

• Default quality — Render quality tier (maximum/balanced/draft)
• FPS — Output frame rate (30 or 60)
• Output directory — Where rendered videos are saved
• Jamendo API key — For free music discovery (optional)

See the full configuration reference in the Configuration guide.

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