Wanting to demo/possibly buy some Waves plugs, Do I need an Ilok?

Rain


Out there in the real world, the ratio of musicians/project studio owners I talk w/ who are actually paying for their plug-ins is the exact opposite of what you'd imagine. And they're the majority of the people I meet and hang out with.

A lot of them just don't feel they have to pay for it unless they are making money. I could probably fill my entire HD w/ plug-ins if I accepted half of what's been offered to me, including Waves Mercury Bundle. 

ChuckC


Carl,
   Alot of people seem to just have no remorse or guilt at all for this.  But at some level, we are ALL guilty of some kind of theft.
   Unless you have never:
1) Played a cover song out in a venue and gotten paid for your performance of it.

2) Downloaded (free of charge) the songs you intend to cover rather than going out and buying all the physical albums.  At least when we all bought vinyl, cassettes, or CD's we actually "owned" that copy and could loan it to other band members to learn the songs, now you don't "own" a darn thing and if you share it, your a thief right?

3) Used any warez of any kind....
   I'll be honst because I am not bullsh*tter.  I call it like I see it.
   I own a lawn and landscape buisness.  A couple years ago I got a call for an estimate and when I got there the guy noticed my necklace had 2 guitar charms on it and asked if I was a musician?  I told him I play in a band and did some recording too.  He asked what program?  I said no, I used a Tascam 8 track at the time.  When I was finished mowing the lawn for him that first time I knocked on the door again for payment. He handed me the money and a CDR with a piece of paper and said "well I went and found you some recording software I think you'll like, here's the serial number(s) one of them should work"
After about a year I found that CDR again still in my truck and thought what the hell...   It was a pirated version of sonar 6 PE, I loaded it up,  imported the audio for 2 songs from my tascam on an old desktop computer and was like WOW!  I can really edit these on here!  Not just a high and low tone knob and a fader...   I found the UI was intuitive enough that I was able to get in and work with it without any problems even having never used a computer to do any audio work at all!   For those 2 songs I was pushing that old computer hard & the Cpu was often upwards of 60+%  so I started poking around online... 6 months later I paid to have a DAW built by ADK and had them install a legit copy of 8.5PE shipped to me with well, basically all the gear you see in my signature.
  So, it kinda cracks me up when I see one of these threads where someone suggests that many people who use pirated versions to "test or try" software often end up buying it in the end.  The person who makes the statement is usually cyber lynched for being an idiot because "CROOKS ARE CROOKS!!  MORRON, THEY'LL NEVER BUY A LICENCED VERSION!".  I have read a couple cases of people like me, and I venture to say there are ALOT more that will never admit to it, especially no here on the forum.  So be it.  So I apologize to the bakers, but I wouldn't have ever found or grown to love Cakewalk if it weren't for this phenomenon.  I am not saying that this example makes it all ok, it doesn't at all.... but as sated above, honest people stay honest regardless of security protocals.   I WANTED TO PAY or a poduct I liked.

ChuckC


3) Used any warez of any kind....
   I'll be honst because I am not bullsh*tter.  I call it like I see it.
   I own a lawn and landscape buisness.  A couple years ago I got a call for an estimate and when I got there the guy noticed my necklace had 2 guitar charms on it and asked if I was a musician?  I told him I play in a band and did some recording too.  He asked what program?  I said no, I used a Tascam 8 track at the time.  When I was finished mowing the lawn for him that first time I knocked on the door again for payment. He handed me the money and a CDR with a piece of paper and said "well I went and found you some recording software I think you'll like, here's the serial number(s) one of them should work"
After about a year I found that CDR again still in my truck and thought what the hell...   It was a pirated version of sonar 6 PE, I loaded it up,  imported the audio for 2 songs from my tascam on an old desktop computer and was like WOW!  I can really edit these on here!  Not just a high and low tone knob and a fader...   I found the UI was intuitive enough that I was able to get in and work with it without any problems even having never used a computer to do any audio work at all!   For those 2 songs I was pushing that old computer hard & the Cpu was often upwards of 60+%  so I started poking around online... 6 months later I paid to have a DAW built by ADK and had them install a legit copy of 8.5PE shipped to me with well, basically all the gear you see in my signature.
  So, it kinda cracks me up when I see one of these threads where someone suggests that many people who use pirated versions to "test or try" software often end up buying it in the end.  The person who makes the statement is usually cyber lynched for being an idiot because "CROOKS ARE CROOKS!!  MORRON, THEY'LL NEVER BUY A LICENCED VERSION!".  I have read a couple cases of people like me, and I venture to say there are ALOT more that will never admit to it, especially no here on the forum.  So be it.  So I apologize to the bakers, but I wouldn't have ever found or grown to love Cakewalk if it weren't for this phenomenon.  I am not saying that this example makes it all ok, it doesn't at all.... but as sated above, honest people stay honest regardless of security protocals.   I WANTED TO PAY or a poduct I liked.