PSA: STAY AWAY FROM UAD FOR LIVE SHOWS!!

[chk071]

I mean the iLok that doesn't require a dongle.

Screenshot 2023-10-09 at 2.40.29 PM.png

That's machine activation, so of course it doesn't require internet.

I wonder how the OP needed an active internet connection then though. I mean, it's obvious that he meant machine activation.

I always thought dongle and machine activation don't require an internet connection, unlike iLok Cloud.

Or are we talking about the initial activation?

[comfortablynick]

UAD offers iLok Cloud and dongle, not machine activation (at least that's what my licenses say). The OP must have been using iLok Cloud and thought he didn't need to stay online.

[chk071]

That makes sense.

[keyman_sam]

UAD offers iLok Cloud and dongle, not machine activation (at least that's what my licenses say). The OP must have been using iLok Cloud and thought he didn't need to stay online.

Correct. I thought it was like machine authorization where you authorize once and can turn off wifi. It’s mind boggling that you need a constant internet connection for the license. Machine activation is vastly better for this reason.

[elxsound]

When I first installed UAD, it automatically activated as a cloud license, as I didn’t have an iLok plugged in.

The internet dropped and I quickly saw it didn’t have machine hosting.

I’m only adding this because if the internet hadn’t dropped, I wouldn’t have thought to check if machine hosting was an option.

Anyway, please send them requests to change this.

I already have, maybe they will reconsider if enough people ask?

[roman.i]

iLok Cloud offers a similar level of protection as the iLok Dongle.
iLok machine activated license is a joke, it's barely offers any protection from cracking.
Do you know any company went from iLok dongle/cloud to a machine activated license?
They are not dumb, their plugins will appear the next day on torrent sites for free.

[beely]

iLok Cloud offers a similar level of protection as the iLok Dongle.

Yes.

iLok machine activated license is a joke, it's barely offers any protection from cracking.

Not true, it offers a lot of protections, iLok has a range of protection technologies - it's just weaker than the above two methods, which is why some companies don't want to support it.

Do you know any company went from iLok dongle/cloud to a machine activated license?

Yes. LiquidSonics. They were Cloud/iLok only for the high end products, but they eventually added machine licensing by popular request.

[roman.i]

Yes. LiquidSonics. They were Cloud/iLok only for the high end products, but they eventually added machine licensing by popular request.

And now, as a result, they have all their plugins on torrents for free use, right?

[beely]

And now, as a result, they have all their plugins on torrents for free use, right?

I've no idea - but we don't talk about illegal software here.

I'm grateful they did though, because I much prefer machine authorisations for my iLok stuff, it's the most convenient method for me.

[sqigls]

also Pulsar Audio, now i buy and use all their stuff

[sqigls]

i can see all sides of the argument. I've even been through the saga of the Apple store replacing my mainboard without me deregistering all my iLok machine auths, so had to contact a wadload of developers to get my licenses back. All stepped up to the plate, but it did involve a lot of emails.
I've also had an iLok dongle stolen at a gig, so I straight out refuse to use them anymore.
ALSO, i've been on plane trips where quite a few plugins wouldn't work without a wifi connection or needed a re-auth for whatever reason. A large part of my reason for having a laptop is to be able to make music anywhere i want, whenever creatifity strikes etc so I'm not going though that again.

[keyman_sam]

Yes. LiquidSonics. They were Cloud/iLok only for the high end products, but they eventually added machine licensing by popular request.

And now, as a result, they have all their plugins on torrents for free use, right?

Classic case of hurting legit users in the name of protection against piracy.

Machine authorization is used by so many companies. Eventide, waves, just to name a couple.

[keyman_sam]

There are 2 arguments here that can get lost in the fray:
1. If you need active internet connection, scream and shout when you fail instead of failing silently.
2. Don’t require an active internet connection. It’s 2023 for gods sake.

[keyman_sam]

When I first installed UAD, it automatically activated as a cloud license, as I didn’t have an iLok plugged in.

The internet dropped and I quickly saw it didn’t have machine hosting.

I’m only adding this because if the internet hadn’t dropped, I wouldn’t have thought to check if machine hosting was an option.

Anyway, please send them requests to change this.

I already have, maybe they will reconsider if enough people ask?

I already did, haven’t heard back from them. Feel free to do the same.

[beely]

The free UADx LA-2A plugin, released today, uses iLok Dongle and Machine Authorisation, out of interest - and no iLok Cloud.

It's the first UADx to offer machine authorisations.