FabFilter plugins include code that plays very loud noise if it thinks the copy is pirated

[martinjuenke]

What a crappy developer! Glad that I never invested into their ecosystem.

[gaggle of hermits]

Here is a video with the copy protection noise:

https://streamable.com/5x945i

So yes it's real.

(Note this is not my own video)

what are the levels it's showing there? I don't have flstudio and that's one blurry video. but judging by other screenshots that looks like it's some way below -12dB, possibly -18dB, so it's not exactly an earsplitting noise (assuming you don't have your monitors cranked up and the instrument was peaking higher than that anywhere in the seconds before) and doesn't seem to be very different from a nag-noise from a demo.

[giant_panda]

nevermind, already covered here

[Ploki]

Here is a video with the copy protection noise:

https://streamable.com/5x945i

So yes it's real.

(Note this is not my own video)

that doesn't look very loud, it looks quieter than signal feeding it.

[Kypresso]

What a crappy developer! Glad that I never invested into their ecosystem.

All that is happenning is that fabfilter runs as a demo copy if it detects a pirated copy of its software and makes a hissing sound, as you can hear in that small video clip. Its not speaker destroying or ear shattering as other people have claimed and is exactly the same as other developers do, U-He for one does it on demo copies.

I'm f**king sick of idiots posting unsubstantiated claims about a good developer and then morons who jump on the bandwagon. I've used fabfilter for years and never once have i experienced any unexpected loud noises from any fabfilter plugin and i own almost all of them.

[Ploki]

All that is happenning is that fabfilter runs as a demo copy if it detects a pirated copy of its software and makes a hissing sound, as you can hear in that small video clip. Its not speaker destroying or ear shattering as other people have claimed and is exactly the same as other developers do, U-He for one does it on demo copies.

I'm f**king sick of idiots posting unsubstantiated claims about a good developer and then morons who jump on the bandwagon. I've used fabfilter for years and never once have i experienced any unexpected loud noises from any fabfilter plugin and i own almost all of them.

FabFilter disables itself in traditional demo mode - it doesn't burst noise.
and u-he noise/crackles is less intrusive than this.

On the other hand, why the f**k do people think that a company would invest their time into fine-tuning noise for pirates is beyond me.
When you pirate, you're doing it on your own accord. Be vigilant about it. You didn't buy it, the developer doesn't owe you f**king shit.

[Roman76]

The video shows it. The noise is the normal noise level of the demo version. Nothing to complain about. I never had a problem with their plugins. Why should a company risk a lawsuit for harming health? Piracy does not justify violation of law. No company would do this. Bugs are bugs but implying intention to a plugin developer? Come on.

FabFilter has a very acceptable form of copy protection. Activate and forget.

[Ploki]

there's no noise in the demo version

[Roman76]

You are right. FF has a 30-day evaluation period.
Let me correct myself.

The noise is a normal noise level of ordinary demo versions.

there's no noise in the demo version

[iamerror]

Was looking for information and came across this old thread. Because there's some people in the thread denying something that is very plausible (and is in fact true, in this case), I thought I would offer my experience of cracked ff software. The timer that after about 45 minutes of use (usually after leaving the opened ff plugin alone for a while and then coming back and changing a parameter) plays max volume white noise and sends you to a page on the ff website is a known issue amongst pirates. It seems to be quite hard to identify and solve because it's existed since a 2018 update and not many releases find it and circumvent it. Normally, if the program doesn't find a license, it runs in demo mode, as mentioned earlier in this thread - but if the normal license-based copy protection is removed, there's backup code buried in the plugin that activates this timer. The noise REALLY is loud, and I've hurt my own ears with it before. If you're working with any headroom at all the noise is much much louder than what you're listening to and could absolutely cause serious hearing damage if you weren't quick to react.

[iamerror]

Whatever your thoughts about not paying for software, this is a dangerous development practice. It's very unlikely it would ever happen if you weren't running a stolen software, but because it's not an entirely impossible scenario, it's very dangerous, so you should definitely keep a limiter on master. This kind of thing seems to just spite people to want to crack software even more, also.

[pleasewinner]

I have an additional warning I thought you guys should know about. I recently stole my neighbor's dog, and it bit me. I thought that was really unfair because I thought it would act like a regular dog. Anyway, I don't know how you feel about stealing dogs, but if you take my neighbor's dog(I returned it), it might bite you and eat your sarcasm font.

[dumbledog]

so you should definitely keep a limiter on master.

Their pirated copy of Pro-L 2, perhaps?

[aortan]

As others have already mentioned, to include code that risk harming a persons hearing for life, is completely unacceptable. Stolen or not. You don’t get to beat or cripple someone who shoplift in your store. That is for the justice system to handle.

What if someone else is nearby? What if a nearby child with sensitive hearing is hurt? Any developer knows that software can behave in unpredictable ways in the real world.

I was planning to invest heavily into FF but this is a dealbreaker to me.

[revvy]

I was going to invest in FF and then realised that they’re not floated on the stock market, so I bought one of their plugins instead.

That cracked copy woosh noise in the cracker video needs a filter sweep on it to get everyone’s arms in the air, 90s style.