Why is iLok license manager so SH!T ???

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no problems ever with iLok. The registration page also warns "NEW USERS ONLY - Please do not set up an account if you already have one". Besides that 1 email address for multiple accounts doesn't even matter as iLok users are always identified by their UserID and that's why we have to enter them usually anytime we want something registered to iLok. The mail is only for confirmation or information, not for identifiying. And if we get a serial, it's even up to us which account we open in the ilok license manager to transfer it to. So I don't get the fuzz...

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PAK wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2019 1:38 pm
LeVzi wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2019 8:53 am eLicenser is way better
They're all horrible, but iLok is better than eLicenser in these 3 ways..

1) It allows license transfers without mailing dongles (even if the transfer fee is "questionably high")

2) If the dongle ever stops working, or gets lost, if you pay the yearly fee you can set it so that the licenses time out if it doesn't see the dongle, meaning it removes the need to send broken dongles in the mail etc. If they made this ability free (and I think they should) it would answer most concerns people have about dongles (what do I do if it's broken/lost etc).

3) A wide variety of audio companies use iLok. There's not a whole lot, outside of Steinberg, still left using eLicenser. So, if Yamaha Steinberg drop it (there's been rumours.. ) , it's pretty much dead..

The only thing I'd say about iLok is I had issues with the gen 2 dongles where they wouldn't get recognized in some computer USB ports but were fine in others. The gen 3 metal dongles are much better build quality and I've had no issues there.
digitalboytn wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2019 11:43 am Any credibility that iLok had worked so hard to develop, evaporated when their DRM system was hacked...
AFAIK, iLok 3 remains unbroken (if linked to the hardware dongle.. )
Though, because of the unpopularity of dongles, most companies choose to allow the software only activation option.
I don't even have an iLok dongle, this is all purely software licenses. Which is why I can't understand why iLok can't just move my licenses from the rogue account to the main one. But it just means I have 2 iLok accounts both authorising stuff on the same PC ID.
Don't trust those with words of weakness, they are the most aggressive

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mike_the_ranger wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2019 1:44 pm no problems ever with iLok. The registration page also warns "NEW USERS ONLY - Please do not set up an account if you already have one". Besides that 1 email address for multiple accounts doesn't even matter as iLok users are always identified by their UserID and that's why we have to enter them usually anytime we want something registered to iLok. The mail is only for confirmation or information, not for identifiying. And if we get a serial, it's even up to us which account we open in the ilok license manager to transfer it to. So I don't get the fuzz...
Well at the time I didn't know I had 2 accounts, so I just paid for a plugin that was authorised and just disappeared into thin air. I couldn't find it, all my other licenses were showing on my license manager, and I couldn't explain it. Then to get told that I actually have 2 accounts, and it would cost me $50 to transfer licenses to one account, wasn't the best start to my day.

They never said about logging into the other account, authorising the new plugin, and it will work fine.
Don't trust those with words of weakness, they are the most aggressive

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yeah i have run into e licenser issues too, not many but highly annoying ones (not recognising the dongle even though its plugged in etc) other then those its pretty straight forward, thankfully i only have a handful of licenses on my e licenser not like my ilk that have around 300 licenses all running superbly (goes home and finds ilk has broken :lol: )
PAK wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2019 1:38 pm
LeVzi wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2019 8:53 am eLicenser is way better
They're all horrible, but iLok is better than eLicenser in these 3 ways..

1) It allows license transfers without mailing dongles (even if the transfer fee is "questionably high")

2) If the dongle ever stops working, or gets lost, if you pay the yearly fee you can set it so that the licenses time out if it doesn't see the dongle, meaning it removes the need to send broken dongles in the mail etc. If they made this ability free (and I think they should) it would answer most concerns people have about dongles (what do I do if it's broken/lost etc).

3) A wide variety of audio companies use iLok. There's not a whole lot, outside of Steinberg, still left using eLicenser. So, if Yamaha Steinberg drop it (there's been rumours.. ) , it's pretty much dead..

The only thing I'd say about iLok is I had issues with the gen 2 dongles where they wouldn't get recognized in some computer USB ports but were fine in others. The gen 3 metal dongles are much better build quality and I've had no issues there.
digitalboytn wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2019 11:43 am Any credibility that iLok had worked so hard to develop, evaporated when their DRM system was hacked...
AFAIK, iLok 3 remains unbroken (if linked to the hardware dongle.. )
Though, because of the unpopularity of dongles, most companies choose to allow the software only activation option.

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Surprisingly, I have never had a problem with iLok. I've had two different dongles and moved licenses a few times without issue. I guess I was lucky, but I personally don't mind having iLok or other dongles. The computer can stay off line most of the time. I'd feel different if I traveled with the dongles, but they stay connected in the studio.

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I'm surprised to see so many people say they never had a problem with iLok. Personally I've had issues on multiple occasions, but once you learn and understand how it works you'll be fine. It does'nt always work as I expect, but you'll figure it out with a little bit of frustration, so don't give up.

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Never had an issue with iLock or Soundtoys. Must be user error.
I wonder what happens if I press this button...

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No issues with iLok here. Only the Gullfoss demo failed to play nice - reporting that it had already been installed and expired when I had never downloaded it before.

Otherwise, iLok has been rock solid between multiple systems. The USB stick even survived a washing machine. It's a great solution. Though I also didn't pay a penny for it so there's that.

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LeVzi wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2019 1:52 pm They never said about logging into the other account, authorising the new plugin, and it will work fine.
I've got the feeling this is one of those situations where the hard disk authorisation probably works better than the dongle. As far as I can tell, dongles are associated with specific iLok accounts so you can't log in with one account transfer a licence to it and then do the same with the other (though you can plug two dongles into the same machine quite happily). I guess the hard disk auth simply looks for some free space and deposits the licence - and the licence checker doesn't need to know which account it's associated with.

You'd think the account signup page would say "this email account has already been used to register an account" but with PACE...maybe not. However, the thing with iLok accounts is, because vendors will deposit licences directly into them, you need to check the spelling of the account name really carefully.

Also, PACE might want to consider not applying their standard rules all the time in order to buy some goodwill (two accounts, one email looks like a simple mistake that's easily rectified). But that's never been PACE's SOP. They just want the money.

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rageix wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 6:31 am I'm surprised to see so many people say they never had a problem with iLok.
The famous iLokalypse of 2016 is now apparently a distant memory. PACE has improved dramatically since then but they've still got all the tools to f**k up royally.

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Gamma-UT wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:51 am
rageix wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 6:31 am I'm surprised to see so many people say they never had a problem with iLok.
The famous iLokalypse of 2016 is now apparently a distant memory. PACE has improved dramatically since then but they've still got all the tools to f**k up royally.
I don't remember this. I've been using iLok since around late 2010 or early 2011. Though I mostly use Windows based machines (including my MBP) - not sure if things are different on OSX.

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Gamma-UT wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:49 am
LeVzi wrote: Sat Dec 14, 2019 1:52 pm They never said about logging into the other account, authorising the new plugin, and it will work fine.
I've got the feeling this is one of those situations where the hard disk authorisation probably works better than the dongle. As far as I can tell, dongles are associated with specific iLok accounts so you can't log in with one account transfer a licence to it and then do the same with the other (though you can plug two dongles into the same machine quite happily). I guess the hard disk auth simply looks for some free space and deposits the licence - and the licence checker doesn't need to know which account it's associated with.

You'd think the account signup page would say "this email account has already been used to register an account" but with PACE...maybe not. However, the thing with iLok accounts is, because vendors will deposit licences directly into them, you need to check the spelling of the account name really carefully.

Also, PACE might want to consider not applying their standard rules all the time in order to buy some goodwill (two accounts, one email looks like a simple mistake that's easily rectified). But that's never been PACE's SOP. They just want the money.
100% agree with you there, it would do iLok a big favour if they actually accepted mistakes happen on their side and user side, and in my case, I don't need 2 accounts, so instead of trying to charge me $50 , just consolidate the 2 accounts into one, and delete the rogue one. I would have a lot more respect for them , and would make life easier for everyone. BUT, they didn't and they took the chance to milk more money. I don't blame Soundtoys here at all, this is iLoks strangled registrations route, on the one hand you can activate something in the license manager using a long activation code, or in ST's case, you register with their website and it automatically updates the iLok account online, then you activate in the software. Should be simplified to one method only.

Bit of common sense should prevail tbh.
Don't trust those with words of weakness, they are the most aggressive

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Unaspected wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 12:32 pm
Gamma-UT wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:51 am
rageix wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 6:31 am I'm surprised to see so many people say they never had a problem with iLok.
The famous iLokalypse of 2016 is now apparently a distant memory. PACE has improved dramatically since then but they've still got all the tools to f**k up royally.
I don't remember this. I've been using iLok since around late 2010 or early 2011. Though I mostly use Windows based machines (including my MBP) - not sure if things are different on OSX.
I got the year wrong which doesn’t help. It was 2013. Doesn’t time fly.

Basically, they messed up the rollout of the licence manager. If you didn’t install at that point you were unaffected. If you happened to buy a product with an iLok licence around that time and tried to use it, bad things happened.

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-c ... tware.html

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Gamma-UT wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 1:05 pm
Unaspected wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 12:32 pm
Gamma-UT wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 11:51 am
rageix wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 6:31 am I'm surprised to see so many people say they never had a problem with iLok.
The famous iLokalypse of 2016 is now apparently a distant memory. PACE has improved dramatically since then but they've still got all the tools to f**k up royally.
I don't remember this. I've been using iLok since around late 2010 or early 2011. Though I mostly use Windows based machines (including my MBP) - not sure if things are different on OSX.
I got the year wrong which doesn’t help. It was 2013. Doesn’t time fly.

Basically, they messed up the rollout of the licence manager. If you didn’t install at that point you were unaffected. If you happened to buy a product with an iLok licence around that time and tried to use it, bad things happened.

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-c ... tware.html
I was lucky then. Could easily have encountered that.

I can see why some are against iLok. Certainly, I like actually owning my software and being able to install with offline activation. But seeing as I already had the dongle, I haven't discriminated when it comes to buying more software which requires it. Especially as there have been some great plugins that require it.

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I’m not saying avoid it - dongles are arguably less trouble than computer-based C/R because then you are vulnerable to companies simply shutting down their servers. But it’s worth being aware that PACE is eminently capable of messing things up for you in a big way.

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