You have to put the dongle up your butt too? Now I'm really scared! Seriously though, paying a third party software protection entity $30 a year to protect someone elses rights to the software to gain access to your legally aquired copy is just excessive and and opportunistic robbery. IMHO.
When you put something up for sale on the public market and don't require special accreditation to obtain it, you can't choose your customers unless you are willing to refund their investment in your product, at their choosing.
Piracy is much more advanced than the dongle. Practicioners of theft of intellectual property that know how to circumvent security proticols don't give a damn either way. It's not like your DAW is on a computer at the library. The whole security by use of a coded dongle is just too much pomp and fluff.

ORIGINAL: OldGeezer

ORIGINAL: Paul Russell

Unfortunately Sonar can't choose its users

Obviously not....Who'd choose users with chips on their shoulders and dongles proudly up their butts?

ORIGINAL: Paul Russell

If you want the best sounds, you join the pros and get an iLok. It's a fact of life.

absolutely true!

ORIGINAL: OldGeezer


Not true.

Topic closed.

Another misinformation agent in the free forum wilderness.. lol

Name a pro level 24 bit sampler that runs native x64 that's not protected by iLok.

ORIGINAL: Paul Russell

Name a pro level 24 bit sampler that runs native x64 that's not protected by iLok.

Kontakt 3.5 will be released VERY soon. It´s native x64.

I hope you are not refering to Motu Mach5 2. That´s the worst sampler ever, no need for protecting this piece of garbage.

Gigastudio.. discontinued. GVI as well. ;./

I'd rather have the Service Center than a dongle any day. I don't need to have experience with one to understand that I'd need a piece of hardware taking up a usb slot in order to prove I'm not a thief, or to read about the many complaints from others regarding dongles...and contrary to what you've stated before, those who refuse to buy dongled software do not necessarily download warez. I'll never submit to buying a piece of hardware for the privilege of being able to use software I've paid good money for, but I've bought every piece of software (or license to use said software I guess) residing on my hard-drives. (edit: with the exception of a few freeware plugins that I don't use now that I have S8 PE...which I bought). I couldn't believe you said that.

BTW....can YOU name any pro-level sampler that runs in 24 bit/x64? Giga? That's the only other pro-level sampler that I know of, unless you count propriety sample-players for individual libraries...and even then....?

Ok, though I'm loathe to admit it, I can see your point. In my fake world, it's just a hobby, and buying expensive software is a big enough deal without the need to pay for dongles, and the only Kontakt library I own that requires activation is Prominy SC, and that just gets activated in Service Center along with Kontakt (never had a problem...I don't like it either, but it's free and takes a minute). Same with all my other software. I guess if you're in a studio with tons of software, I can see how it could be convenient, but it'd be even more convenient not to have to screw around with any CP schemes at all. At around 60Gb (9 DVDs), I can't imagine anyone posting Prominy SC, or most other modern (ie. Humongous) libraries.

Whatever works for you man.

The arguments against iLok fade away once you start using the higher quality sample sets and instruments available that use it. There's nothing self-righteous about that.

And as I've said before, in terms of time/cost/value, iLok is the industry standard that offers a simple way to authorise multiple plugins in a couple of minutes, instead of spending hours (and in one case, weeks) authorising Challenge Response systems. If you value your time (which is, after all, the commodity that we sell), these factors should be considered.

Also, consider this. With an iLok system I can put all my samples and protected VSTs on a USB or Firewire drive, go into any studio I like and plug into their Sonar, Cubase or Nuendo, plugin my iLok and instantly run my entire system on another DAW. You can't do that with Challenge Response.

I actually found dongles far less convenient than "activations."

I suppose for two reasons:
- 100% of my activated software is licensed for installs on AT LEAST two machines... a few of them are three, and my IK stuff is five. That means I can fire up my lappy or my desktop (they're not licensed for simultaneous use, obviously) and NOT move the dongle (which in my experience should be stored internal to the machine, or on the back at the very least so as not to be broken, etc.).
- I don't have to reinstall/reactivate for days on the same said machines... I have backups for that, and they always work fine (despite the fact that people keep telling me that when I upgrade my hard drive and restore a backup it should ask me to reactivate... but in 6 years I've only seen that with one Adobe app... Premiere Pro 1.5, and I considered it a bug... which they fixed, as it hasn't happened since).

I'm cool with people not minding dongles, but it's fascinating to see it put out that they're more convenient that activations, since that's a personal call. For me, they just aren't more convenient at all... quite the contrary. Others have the opposite opinion... I'm fine with that. It's to be expected that different people have different opinions, experiences, and expectations. Right?

Perhaps instead of each of us insisting that the others agree, we should accept reality and move on.
If you want dongles... cool. They're available for you.
If not... cool. There are alternatives.

I don't think either camp is right or wrong in these debates, nor do I think either side holds a monopoly on quality or "pro" setups.

Take care,
- zevo

ORIGINAL: jackn2mpu

ORIGINAL: OldGeezer

Coincidentally

http://www.northernsounds.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64439

Mention an I-Lok problem on the EastWest forum, you get banned. Now that's the way to treat a customer (and hide dongle annoyances from public view)!

In the same boat here - questioned a couple of their business decisions (credit card being charged on pre-order for product when delivery was known to be 6 months to a year off in the future - I'm talking upwards of $3k) and Doug Rogers blackballed me. They don't want to hear about problems with their product - you tell them something's wrong, supply evidence to document your concern - you get ignored and then banned if you bring up the subject again.

Yeesh! [Mental note: Never buy anything from EastWest!]

not to mention:



best,
mike

Oh I caught that... I've read the whole thread.

I feel Mr Russel has crossed a line... and it is my choice not to take offense or make much of it.

I see this attitude as a symptom of selfishness, insecurity, and greed. When one is caught up in that head space they may not be in a position to think or communicate clearly. He is clearly preoccupied with the "competition"... whom ever that might be.

Boasting about a 800GB sample library as if that and an ILok amulet somehow gives one authority to insult some of us that simply record actual pianos and actual strings and have no big sample library to flash around seems like a lot of unneccessary braggadocio.

best regards,
mike



edit for clarity