What the consensus nowadays?
Many were anti it a while back, and I've seen posts in the pst with iLok woes after updates. I once installed something with it, and though Ican't remember, something didn't feel right and I uninstalled immediately.
 
I just went to Demo a free VST and iLok PACE jumped up during the install, so I aborted. Not sure why a free program needs and iLok accound and was expecting that to apply to it's ad ons.
 
Is it now more accepted than before? Can you unistall it and clear it from your system 100%? (I believe you couldn't in the past).
 
 

UVI Workstation is completely free, however certain sound libraries utilized within UVI Workstation may require that you have an iLok account for licensing.

All UVI licenses allow up to 3 concurrent activations on any combination of computer hard drives or iLok USB
keys, easily managed through the iLok License Manager (ILok account required).

Of course YMMV but I haven't had a Pace issue in years (over 5 maybe 10?) and never with Win7 or Win10.
In regards to iLok - I use to be a hater but my perspective changed after a run of hardware issues a couple of years ago where I had to reinstall Windows 7 4 or more times within 6 months.  My iLok plugins were no issue easy peasy but with the others I had to pray that I could get the old system up one more time to run an uninstall on something I missed the previous 'final run', look up serials numbers, do challenge & response, contact vendors explaining why I needed yet another unlock, etc. I literally would have saved days of time if ALL my plugins were iLok.

Still interested in replies, but just discovered that UVI Drum Designer is intended to Midi Sync, but be triggered with midi notes. Seems a workaround on what should be a fundamental ability. Aslo they dn't intend to add CTRL Z undos to the drum sequencer.
 
Pretty disappointed in UVI response to user feedback on a brand new product.

>What the consensus nowadays?
>Is it now more accepted than before?
That's like asking which political party is better. Strong opinions abound.
Some people hate'm, some people love'm, a lot of people use it regardless.
 
>Can you uninstall it and clear it from your system 100%? (I believe you couldn't in the past).
100% - don't know.  A lot of stuff leaves pieces behind when uninstalled - ini files, registry settings, sometimes drivers. a better question is whether or not if you have an issue whether uninstalling will remove the problem.
Years back it didn't. I had a problem on my XP machine, when XP was still fairly new and shiney, where I had an issue with Pace and it was a major pain to clean up things afterwards and fix the issues it caused.

Nowadays they don't have to hide things the way they use to because Pace uses the Internet to track your activations.  Your iLok account (using the iLok License Manager) keeps track of your activations and where you activate it to (i.e. the iLok dongle or to your hard drive).
 
So if you install something to your HD and don't want it to count against your installation count when you remove it then you will need to uninstall it using iLok License Manager 1st before you uninstall the software.  Otherwise you have to go to the vendor and request that they free up an activation.  Eventide is pretty good about this - I lost activations to 2 different plugins when my hard disk went down and they promptly restored them; but according to Pace it's up to the vendor as to how they respond.
 
 

Thanks, Although I have now gone off the idea of UVI's Drum Designer, Soudoys Crystalliser was recently on sale and and I held off. I'm kind of regretting that. Maybe I won't be put off next time.

>I just went to Demo a free VST and iLok PACE jumped up during the install, so I aborted. Not sure why a free program needs and iLok account
 
Because PACE lets the plugin creator/vendor
* create a demo version and time limit it without throwing a lot of extra code into the plugin.
* extend the demo time period or reactivate the demo if they wish
* prevent you the evil dishonest end user from uninstalling the plugin and then reinstalling it to get the plugin to run in demo mode again for another 30 days (or what ever the demo period is set for).
 
So for the plugin creator lots of good reasons to use Pace/iLok for their demos.

It's not a demo product though, it's a free product I was demoing. It's the add on libraries that required the iLok, so I expected the iLok to come with them.

TheSteven
Of course YMMV but I haven't had a Pace issue in years (over 5 maybe 10?) and never with Win7 or Win10.
In regards to iLok - I use to be a hater but my perspective changed after a run of hardware issues a couple of years ago where I had to reinstall Windows 7 4 or more times within 6 months.  My iLok plugins were no issue easy peasy but with the others I had to pray that I could get the old system up one more time to run an uninstall on something I missed the previous 'final run', look up serials numbers, do challenge & response, contact vendors explaining why I needed yet another unlock, etc. I literally would have saved days of time if ALL my plugins were iLok.

+1
Same experience here (had been also a hater)! The only products that are as easy to handle as iLok plugins are free plugins or those ones with an autorisation text file.

I've used ilok for about 6-7 years and I've found it to be a total breeze. I've only ever had one problem and that was resolved in about 5 minutes.  Like TheSteven, I upgraded my computer a few years ago and all my ilok stuff was up and running super fast: download the software, pop in the dongle, make music.
 
I'm not sure, but I think much if the hating comes from years back when ilok was in its infancy and fairly buggy.