Offline authorization will be discontinued for R11 and earlier - This is serious

[PhillipOrdonez]

What? That makes no sense at all. They just released offline mode for V12 on their last update did you not hear? Authorizer is being phased out, therefore a new offline mode had been implemented already... Wher4 do you get the subscription thingy from?

Well, it is a little convoluted, but..... up to 12.5, your license was forever, I mean, if you have a reliable, well built and controlled machine with redundant drives (RAID) and it was authorised at the first installation, you never, ever had to connect up to the internet or the authorisation servers again. Technically, that licence could last for a very long time.

Even with updates, I pull down the update file onto another intermediate clean machine and then transfer it manually to the target machine and it never has to talk to the 'mothership' for authorisation of the update etc.

However with 12.6 being released and the old codemeter licensing being phased out, you now have to connect your offline computers once a year to re-authorise, as in, they are no longer able to run for years without being connected to the internet to continue working, so that is a subscription, it's just a free yearly subscription - but it still requires the target machine to be connected to the internet once a year - that is until they change that in the future.

Basically, up to rel. 12.5, I would never have to talk to the mothership anymore, unless I had to re-install, but if I go to 12.6 and beyond, I am forced to talk to the mothership every year, If I like it or not.

It's not a totally offline mode as it has been for every previous perpetual licensed version (notwithstanding the initial install and authorisation).

Hopefully, that now makes sense...

That does make sense now

For me, that's a non issue.

[Billy+]

I'm not sure who edited my original post / topic "but it's been more than once" and although I accept the url addition to the discount post on the RS blog, the thread title is misleading.

this affects R12.5.XXX and below - that's why I didn't use a specific version number in the original thread title.

The more serious point in this discussion was that when buying new rack extensions R11 owners would not be able to ever use those devices without being able to connect to the internet every time they start Reason.

it's unfortunate but expected that those regulars continued with their dismissal of those that haven't upgraded have stair the conversation away from what seams to be a necessary observation.

First off I was over 6 hours late to this information

And nobody from the ReasonTalk Team thought this topic was worth a mention,
Shame on you ALL.

secondly - and probably more importantly

why as moderators of what is / once was "a Reason User forum" do you think it's acceptable to ridicule those or encourage others to
ridicule those who have concerns
ban those who speak out
or modify posts without any acknowledgment because it's not the message that Reason Studios want's to portray?

For me personally

I have backup copies of ALL the software required to reinstall Reason and my Ignition Key works as it has done for years.

But for others this might be a problem - and for anyone who buys a Rack Extension past the cut off date there is not a reasonable working solution other than authentication which will require an internet connection.

unless someone can say that an installation of R12.6 will be able to make future purchases of RE's work off line in Reason 11.
then personally I have concerns about my 20+ years of investment which up until this day I was pleased with.

Rack Extension have proven that they was the correct choice vst2 devices haven't made it to vst3
("Apple has killed most vst2 devices, unless your running Logic.")
vst3 has seriously reduced what vst devices can do in favor of performance / new sales .
etc etc etc.

Now forgive me for cutting off my post short but i think it might be nicer if we see some actual advice that isn't insulting or a forced upgrade to R12.XXX that for some including me just isn't worth the money
"oh yes and that includes the %60 discount"

seriously nothing interests me other than a solution to using R11 with at least some ability to buying future RE's for use in R11 until the next major version of the standalone DAW has something worth handing cash over for, sorry if that insults some but it's my truth

[MrFigg]

Yeah. Actually the “if you don’t like it you can just upgrade” solution grated on me too.

[Loque]

...

First, we do not ban anyone for it's opinion, except rules were violated. Your are currently walking again thin lines.

Second, we edit posts for clarification or remove rule violations.

Third, you are unsatisfied with Reason and are permanently complaining. Dude, just leave Reason behind and move one. Live your life. Stop using Reason. Stop posting on a Reason forum.

[challism]

quoted something that wasn't quoted

[gbuck]

Sorry, but that's funny!

[Jagwah]

(Niklas)...The gist of it is that if you rely on Reason for your music, our strong recommendation is for you to be on Reason 12 absolutely latest from September.

I don't understand this part. I don't use offline mode but really liked having the option but oh well, I do rely on reason for my music and as I understand it I can carry on logging in as usual, it's just that's the only way from now on. If this is all it is, why the push (strong recommendation) for people on lower versions to upgrade to the latest version?

[arnigretar]

The company is focusing their strength on Reason 12 and are leaving behind an old offline authorization. If you want to use their old products (Reason 11, 10, or whatever) you can still do so. But not offline. It's just how it is I love reading the rants however. Like Reason Studios are the evil. Haha. Move on with the times. That's how most people do and companies that survive. It's how it is always. They also gave you guys a good buffer.

[Mataya]

I'm so happy for Billy+.

M

[Popey]

I originally did not see the value in r12 upgrade for me personally however i am starting to see some value in upgrading to 12 now due to having access to the many brilliant combinators the community are creating.

The jrr deal looked good but I simply cannot afford it right now.

This leads me to my one gripe regarding the possibility they are offering everyone with the 60% off deal.

Why oh why is it only valid until the 30th June when the change does not happen until end of September.

They could at least made that the end date so people could save up a bit each month.

[Jackjackdaw]

Even if you don’t want to upgrade just let it authorise online! It’s not like the CIA are going to storm your house in the night and delete all your subtractor patches.

[jam-s]

I don't use offline mode but really liked having the option but oh well, I do rely on reason for my music and as I understand it I can carry on logging in as usual, it's just that's the only way from now on. If this is all it is, why the push (strong recommendation) for people on lower versions to upgrade to the latest version?

In a nutshell RS is deprecating the wibu/codemeter/authorizer stack in September. Thus after that date Sync-All or offline-activation of a computer will most likely be removed from the website. The driving incentive behind this is the rollout of their own "offline" activation with Reason 12.6 and supposedly to not continue to pay for using the wibu tech any more.

On the plus side this step could allow for RS to finally introduce a free empty Reason Rack Plugin without costing them anything for the license management from a 3rd party.

[Enlightenspeed]

Time for another image.
hank.png

...and nailed it

[ekss]

I think it's worth pointing out this:

• Owners of these Reason versions will be able to authorize Reason 1-11 by logging in online during usage, even after the discontinuation date

• The owners’ offline authorization will also keep working, but it will not have official support from Reason Studios, and any updates to the computer (such as OS updates) may result in the authorization ceasing to function

It might also be good to point out that it's nothing strange that software being updated sometimes lose backward compatibility like old OS versions or obsolete hardware.

[TritoneAddiction]

The company is focusing their strength on Reason 12 and are leaving behind an old offline authorization. If you want to use their old products (Reason 11, 10, or whatever) you can still do so. But not offline. It's just how it is I love reading the rants however. Like Reason Studios are the evil. Haha. Move on with the times. That's how most people do and companies that survive. It's how it is always. They also gave you guys a good buffer.

Admittedely I'm one of those people who can be unreasonably resistent to change, at least when it comes to technology. If something is already working fine for me I tend to not want to change anything. This is the same regardless if it's about updating my computer, my phone, Reason or whatever. It's just how I am.
I'll "get with the times" eventually. Give me some time. At the moment there's simply not enough reasons for me to upgrade. But I'm sure that whenever something new drops in the Reason world that I find irresistable I'll upgrade and get back on the train again. It's just very unlikely that'll be during this R12 period.
In the meantime, there's plenty of stuff in my Reason rack I can revisit and dive into. And holding off on purchases for a while will save me some money too.

[bernardh]

I like my current offline authorization. I think I'm just gonna stop buying anything for some time. I guess RS just made my GAS a lot easier. Thanks RS.
I feel like I'm being coerced into upgrading. Not into that. I'll make sure I buy any potential REs I want before this shift happens. And then I'm out.

Completely agree with this.

I think they're removing the Codemeter dependency far too soon and without enough warning. We're not even getting 6 months! They only just released 12.6 in May! Even Apple don't move this fast to deprecate stuff; they've had M1 for several years and yet currently still offer Rosetta, which of course will eventually be discontinued.

For those of us who like our perpetual offline authorisation on Reason 12.5 and earlier, it very much seems like this will be a permanent change freeze to our Reason and RE setups forever from September. I certainly will be unwilling to buy any more Rack Extensions if they can't be authorised into Codemeter and I have to online authorise every time. My main music computer only gets temporarily connected to the internet via a long ethernet cable to download new authorisations then sits offline the rest of the time so I can make music without distractions.

For those of us who have zero intention of being forced into this upgrade situation and don't want to have to bring our machines online to deal with a popup login box every time we start Reason, I recommend trying to get hold of a Codemeter USB dongle and getting all your licenses on it before September. Here's a couple of links I found. After looking into it, any CmDongle will work with Reason and will be detected by the Reason Studios website and the Authorizer app as an 'Ignition' key:

https://www.frontendaudio.com/magix-usb ... er-dongle/
https://reverb.com/uk/item/66008654-mag ... ter-dongle

I've reached out to Wibu to see if they can provide a more comprehensive list of suppliers of CmDongles for those who want to get our licenses onto one whilst we still can. I'll post their reply on here when I hear back.

[DaveyG]

Make no mistake. This is very much a business decision rather than a technical one. They could easily keep the old authorisation system running alongside the new one. But even though it will affect me because I'm still on R11 it's hard to complain about it. It's natural for them to nudge people towards R12 and beyond. It's how software and hardware works and RS have never been shy of dropping stuff when it doesn't suit their business plan (Ignition Key, Balance, Reason Intro, Reason Lite, Reason Essentials, Reason Adapted, Europa VST etc, etc.)

I've been thinking about a new PC for a while so maybe I'll get that sorted and authorised before September and see how long it lasts and see what R13 brings next year.

If I end up with an R11 system that makes me login each time it's not the end of the world but I'll probably use it less and when I do use it I'll render the Reason parts to MIDI/audio and remove the RRP earlier in the process. I'm trying to get better at committing stuff earlier anyway so it might prompt me to do that!

[crimsonwarlock]

My main music computer only gets temporarily connected to the internet via a long ethernet cable to download new authorisations then sits offline the rest of the time so I can make music without distractions.

Distractions are a choice. It's not like that Ethernet cable is forcing them on you

[bernardh]

My main music computer only gets temporarily connected to the internet via a long ethernet cable to download new authorisations then sits offline the rest of the time so I can make music without distractions.

Distractions are a choice. It's not like that Ethernet cable is forcing them on you

True but the inconvenience of my having to be online at any point in the first place is to accommodate Reason Studio's choice of anti-piracy platform. If I was still running Reason 5 with a serial number and was just buying new ReFills, I wouldn't even need an ethernet cable - I'd just be 100% offline and use a USB to copy my newly bought ReFill from a machine with internet access!

As consumers we're being shafted here because Reason Studio's whole application and Rack Extension platform is now moving away from a copy protection method that was a pain to begin with. Its deprecation is just going to cause me even more pain and there's no solution for it that they're providing which doesn't inconvenience me further or cost me money. They even admit it themselves that it's been a pain for customers but that isn't stopping them from throwing us under the bus to ditch Codemeter so their lives are easier. The customer has been at the bottom of the priority list in nearly every single decision they've made about copy protection since Record.

[bernardh]

https://www.frontendaudio.com/magix-usb ... er-dongle/
https://reverb.com/uk/item/66008654-mag ... ter-dongle

I've reached out to Wibu to see if they can provide a more comprehensive list of suppliers of CmDongles for those who want to get our licenses onto one whilst we still can. I'll post their reply on here when I hear back.

I've now also been supplied the following links where an 'Ignition key' can be bought:

https://baseheadinc.com/product/codemet ... sb-dongle/
https://www.baslerweb.com/en/products/a ... -cmdongle/

For those who have no long-term plan to upgrade to Reason 12 and want to retain control of how they gain authorised access to software they've already paid for, it looks like this is the only way forward, given an offline computer authorisation process could easily be invalidated in future if you ever change your hardware profile.

Good luck to everyone and a big thumbs down to Reason Studios for doing this so abruptly and only providing 16 weeks notice (!). Terrible customer experience and a real kick in the teeth to loyal supporters of their business for many, many years. Once you can only use the software officially by login method, how long before they then change the server to only allow you to login and authorise if you're running the latest version?

[ljekio]

I did not understand one thing - what will happen with my ignition key after 09.25?

[sdst]

I updated yesterday because of the discount they have and they say that this year there will be no reason 13

I was using the subscription waiting for reason 13

[bernardh]

I did not understand one thing - what will happen with my ignition key after 09.25?

It will keep on working but you can't update it with any more licenses after September 25th. RS are apparently completely killing their Codemeter server-side sync stuff. However, your local Codemeter will still work and read your existing licenses no problem.

This is why I'm recommending those on 12.5 and earlier who don't have an Ignition get a CmStick bought now and get all your licenses downloaded onto it asap, as after September 25th you won't be able to put Reason and RE licenses onto an Offline Computer or Codemeter stick ever again. The reason to use the USB stick is that its licenses will survive a hardware profile change, the Offline Computer authorisation method will not survive this and would get invalidated forever - it also cannot be transferred to a brand new computer.

[joeyluck]

Just curious, if someone doesn't own an ignition key, why spend the money on that rather than spending about the same amount on the upgrade?

And if not upgrading, I'd ask myself how long I think I'd be on an old version of Reason, whether it's R11 or earlier. If you don't like what R12 offers, do you anticipate upgrading to R13 whenever that is? Whether it's today, months from now, a year from now, eventually most people will be in the same boat on the new authorization system.

We went through a shift like this with the introduction of the ignition key. For those of you that remember, it started out as just the ignition key with Record—there was no computer authorization. Many of us moved from the authorization of just entering a serial number to needing to have a USB dongle plugged in or using online authentication. I believe it wasn't until Reason 7 that we could authorize a computer? Some people moved from Reason 5 to Reason 7 and never new the life of dongle/internet only authorization. Looking back it's difficult to remember or feel affected, and the point being, this will be much the same. Most of us will be on the new authorization system at some point, whether it's with R12 or a future version.

[bernardh]

Just curious, if someone doesn't own an ignition key, why spend the money on that rather than spending about the same amount on the upgrade?

To safeguard your current licenses in a more robust form than the whims of Reason Studio's online server. To me, removing Codemeter is one step closer to them being able to go Reason+ only and as a customer you having zero recourse to use the product any other way than how they stipulate.