No more rack extensions

[steff3]

Maybe I am not considering consequences - but when the Authorizer is hanging for more than a minute during getting licenses I quit it and restart it - then it normally just completes without trouble. I do not wait for it to complete if it hangs.

[gak]

I have no idea how many RE's I've tried/own now. The worst thing I've run into is "needs to update blah blah blah" and then it does, and then it's done. This has been with stuff I've purchased, stuff I've demoed, and stuff I didn't like (and expired)

HOWEVER, I am not one of those entitled idiots that doesn't understand what is working for me may not be working for someone else. Just saying my experience for now almost 6 months.

[Gaja]

I find this authorizer issue extremely strange. I have used Reason + RE on at least 7 different computers and laptops and not once has it taken longer than five minutes (which was with a crappy internet connection) to authorize). I imagine it's really difficult to find out where exactly the culprit is, considering that it works well (actually absolutely hassle free on my end) for a majority of users, but continues to be a problem for some even after upgrading authorizer, reinstalling Authorizer/Reason/OS. So from my perspective I'd speculate (because I don't have much actual knowledge about these things) that it has to do with internet connection, or maybe a firewall or something. Have you tried registering your REs on your computer in a different place? Like physically move your computer to another house or city even? (I know the solution to this problem can't be move to a different city, but might help pin down the problem)

[avasopht]

I find this authorizer issue extremely strange. I have used Reason + RE on at least 7 different computers and laptops and not once has it taken longer than five minutes (which was with a crappy internet connection) to authorize). I imagine it's really difficult to find out where exactly the culprit is, considering that it works well (actually absolutely hassle free on my end) for a majority of users, but continues to be a problem for some even after upgrading authorizer, reinstalling Authorizer/Reason/OS. So from my perspective I'd speculate (because I don't have much actual knowledge about these things) that it has to do with internet connection, or maybe a firewall or something. Have you tried registering your REs on your computer in a different place? Like physically move your computer to another house or city even? (I know the solution to this problem can't be move to a different city, but might help pin down the problem)

My connection is 250kB/s and I've had no problems either. Could this all be down to firewall and AV?

I typically don't use AV tbh and when I did I've never been saved by it, plus I disable Autorun.

[psychasm]

Isn't it possible to set Reason so that the Rack Extensions do not update automatically? Is that issue still there when you're offline?

On Reason 6.5 (which I'm on), those things are not an issue because you have to manually update the ignition key...

By the way, Theo, glad to see you back! I noticed you disappeared for about two months, and was wondering what happened to you...

The problem is with trials. I have a whole bunch of re's which have been authorised for my machine. As soon as i have trials installed, authoriser disregards the fact that i have purchased  re's. I would have loved to take advantage of the sales but the frustration involved with updating trials as well as not having access to any of the re's which i have paid for  do not outweigh the benefit of obtaining  re's at a cheaper price. It will be much better for my health and physical well- being to just forget entirely about re's until they can sort out this authoriser nonsense.

[psychasm]

I find this authorizer issue extremely strange. I have used Reason + RE on at least 7 different computers and laptops and not once has it taken longer than five minutes (which was with a crappy internet connection) to authorize). I imagine it's really difficult to find out where exactly the culprit is, considering that it works well (actually absolutely hassle free on my end) for a majority of users, but continues to be a problem for some even after upgrading authorizer, reinstalling Authorizer/Reason/OS. So from my perspective I'd speculate (because I don't have much actual knowledge about these things) that it has to do with internet connection, or maybe a firewall or something. Have you tried registering your REs on your computer in a different place? Like physically move your computer to another house or city even? (I know the solution to this problem can't be move to a different city, but might help pin down the problem)

It doesn't always happen like this for me , but when it does it is serious. There are other users like Theo for example who had adressed this issue many times in the PUF.  I would rather just avoid the whole excercise of installing trials and just make do with what I have and focus on being creative. I can guess that there are millions of reason users worldwide but only a small percentage who belong to this forum, and can gather that there are probably many more who have similar problems with authoriser on other forums as well as those who do not belong to a forum whose are not voicing their concerns.

[psychasm]

I had just one small issue and wrote to PH support. They helped me immediatelly. I found them very helpful.
BTW, have you tried to log in to you PH account at their website, clicked on Products / Rack extensions / and then SYNC ALL?

I have done that in the past as well as recently with success. However , each time is is a risk I take at losing my sanity which i am not willing to sacrifice at this point in time.

[psychasm]

Apart form a filter unit ( possibly d - filter ) and a mastering plugin ( most likely onyx ) I will not be purchasing any more rack extensions. I have just deleted all of the rack extensions which are currently on sale as I have everything I need and will only be supporting the guys who make refills. I have made this decision based on the authoriser system which has been a plague to my reason sessions. Even though my machine is authorised , new licenses must be downloaded and there lies the issue. When i do not download new licenses , only stock reason devices are available for use. I will not ask why and will not be submitting a ticket to props about this ,as it is obvious that this is something which they are not interested in adressing. I will also not be upgrading to the latest version of reason and neither will i be encouraging anybody i know who is interested in making tunes to go for a product like reason, especially when they ask me which programme i use. Yes , it is fun to use but not fun at all when u want to use it when u choose to and authoriser does not allow you to. Reaper seems to be the next best affordable option for me. Especially with all the free VST plugins available through CM magazine , BPM blog and so on.In the past I had a lot of good things to say but it seems that now my attitude is changing. I now understand why some users are negative. Hopefully in the next day or week when authoriser finally works, I will be committed to not try any new rack extensions indefinitely.I will make do with what I possess. I have done without plugins in the past and will be able to do so for a long time to come.My first upgrade after reason 2.5 was 7.1. I am patient and can wait and do not need the latest plugins in order to do my work. other options like Reaper do not require me to be logged in. i have punched in the serial number which they provided once... and that was it. Good to go and i can install VST's to my hearts content without any issues whatsoever. Just copy/paste the dll into the folder and there you go. It is as easy as taking a piss when u have had too much to drink. No effort on the pissers behalf, only if you intend to keep it in , but why the hell would you?

I know, it's stopped me in my tracks too, you are not alone. Reason was dormant for me for two months due to overwhelming illness, and when i opened it the other day, the first thing i did was update some RE's to their latest version. The all too familiar authoriser problems that have plagued me for years happened on my very first return start up. License failed to download, stalled at 90%, lost use of all RE's. Props do not care *at all* about this, and I will simply not listen to anyone who says otherwise, as the problem started in 2012 and is a problem on their server end. They just don't care.

Thanks Theo for commenting. I read all of your posts on the  PUF regarding this very issue and then too it seemed that other users found it strange that this issue could be as serious as you were making it out to be. I guess it is one of those things that no one will understand until it happens to them. The only thing that will guarantee i have a session in reason is if i delete each and every instance of a trial Re. I asked support if they could advise me whether or not having a USB key would be beneficial for me or not and as yet I have not received a direct answer to that question. Instead they explained to me how it works but that was not the question I posed. Which I interpret as " i do not know and do not care but that is how it works, if u want to buy it from us we will gladly take your money"

[MirEko]

Nothing to do with AV or firewall..

Happens on both macosx and windows 7

[decibel]

have to admit the system can be a real spontaneity killer, specialy for people with limited time to play

[challism]

This is a big problem.  I have spent DAYS trying update my licenses after downloading a trial or buying the full version.  I'm not exaggerating.... DAYS!
If you aren't downloading trials or new REs, one way I overcome this problem it is to always have Reason running.  I am always using Reason anyway, I seriously use it each and every day, so it isn't a big deal to just leave it open 24/7.  When I shut the computer down, I so in hibernation mode, so when I resume, everything opens the way it was.  So this way, Reason doesn't need to start up again and do the license updates/authorizer crap

It would be great if the Props did something to fix this problem, but I'm not holding my breath.  I dread updates and RE trials/purchase just for the reason alone.

[Gaja]

I'd imagine in order to find a fix for this you'll need to be able to replicate it somewhere were you can work on it. If it were an easily reproducable error they would have solved it already me thinks...

[EnochLight]

I've had authorizations take painfully long to complete, fail in between, and sometimes lock me out of paid-for RE's when it failed.  But that happens to me rarely, and certainly isn't bad enough to make me abandon RE's.  To the OP: if you take your purchased RE's, authorize your computer with Reason and your purchased RE's, and never trial anything or buy anything again, Reason will behave just like it did the first day you bought it and never "phone home" or need to phone home.  If it's not, you have an issue that tech support should be able to get you sorted with.

There's no reason not to use the RE's you've already paid for. 

[Libraquaricorn]

I've never had any problems... I currently have two computers, one at work - I work nights and often have quiet hours that I can do wathever to pass time as long as I am there - and one at home. The one at home is authorized and the one at work I start up with internet verification. This allows me to have the exact same software and re's (I have loads of them) and it works like a dream for me. I can start throwing ideas around inside reason at work and then bring the project home to my studio on a flash memory or dropbox and continue where I left and have the exact same setup. I love that about Reason. I've tried out other daws before setling for reason and the hazzle of putting things in the right folders and so was very off putting. Just the thought of trying to set up the same studio on two separate computers like I now have with reason is pretty overwhelming. Oh, well...

[kloeckno]

Normally I have no problems when my licenses are updating, but I used a different internet connection and suddenly I had a few failed attempts. I used the same computer, I was at my house like always, the only factor that changed was the internet connection!

I normally use broadband. I live in Michigan in the U.S. and my ISP is the dreaded Comcast. But we won't have internet for a few days so I used my cellphone as a mobile WiFi hotspot. I have an older phone and only get 3g speeds, and when I bought FM4 the license update process failed a few times. Then I moved my phone to a spot outside that had better reception and I was able to have a successful update. It only took about 10 minutes the final time.

So, I can say with almost 100% certainty that it's not an issue with antivirus or firewalls. The internet connection you're using, I believe, is the main factor. My best guess is that the server has to have a very steady connection with your computer. Your connection may be fast when downloading normal files, where the speed can fluctuate, but I theorize that the Props' server needs to have a constant connection for security reasons or something similar. Perhaps it has to do with cracking the program. Maybe someone could intercept the license transfer and reverse engineer the codemeter encryption. That's not my area of expertise however.

That was a fairly scientific experiment since only one factor changed. I would call my ISP if I had some of the problems others are having. It's not the Props' fault in my opinion, and what happened with me reaffirmed my theory. They probably have to do something special with the server's connection to your computer to keep the program from being cracked, and if the ISP connection can't keep up it won't work. It's similar to online gaming. The amount of data sent is not a lot, but it has to transmit very fast or the game will lag very badly.

[psychasm]

This is a big problem.  I have spent DAYS trying update my licenses after downloading a trial or buying the full version.  I'm not exaggerating.... DAYS!
If you aren't downloading trials or new REs, one way I overcome this problem it is to always have Reason running.  I am always using Reason anyway, I seriously use it each and every day, so it isn't a big deal to just leave it open 24/7.  When I shut the computer down, I so in hibernation mode, so when I resume, everything opens the way it was.  So this way, Reason doesn't need to start up again and do the license updates/authorizer crap

It would be great if the Props did something to fix this problem, but I'm not holding my breath.  I dread updates and RE trials/purchase just for the reason alone.

I can believe you on that point. Unfortunately due to loadshedding in my country , leaving my pc on will be impossible without a ups that is able to last 24hrs. Our Govt has raped us and can no longer supply us with a reliably source of constant electricity. Read this article.

[psychasm]

Normally I have no problems when my licenses are updating, but I used a different internet connection and suddenly I had a few failed attempts. I used the same computer, I was at my house like always, the only factor that changed was the internet connection!

I normally use broadband. I live in Michigan in the U.S. and my ISP is the dreaded Comcast. But we won't have internet for a few days so I used my cellphone as a mobile WiFi hotspot. I have an older phone and only get 3g speeds, and when I bought FM4 the license update process failed a few times. Then I moved my phone to a spot outside that had better reception and I was able to have a successful update. It only took about 10 minutes the final time.

So, I can say with almost 100% certainty that it's not an issue with antivirus or firewalls. The internet connection you're using, I believe, is the main factor. My best guess is that the server has to have a very steady connection with your computer. Your connection may be fast when downloading normal files, where the speed can fluctuate, but I theorize that the Props' server needs to have a constant connection for security reasons or something similar. Perhaps it has to do with cracking the program. Maybe someone could intercept the license transfer and reverse engineer the codemeter encryption. That's not my area of expertise however.

That was a fairly scientific experiment since only one factor changed. I would call my ISP if I had some of the problems others are having. It's not the Props' fault in my opinion, and what happened with me reaffirmed my theory. They probably have to do something special with the server's connection to your computer to keep the program from being cracked, and if the ISP connection can't keep up it won't work. It's similar to online gaming. The amount of data sent is not a lot, but it has to transmit very fast or the game will lag very badly.

What i fail to understand is why would it be necessary to not be able to access any and all rack extensions ,even purchased ones , simply because I have a few on trial which needs to be updated? Surely the paid licenses should be valid even though I have trials installed. It is as if the trial licenses takes preference over everything else and when u dont update trials and launch without updating ,you dont have any rack extensions at all , unless all trials be converted by purchasing , or as I have done , delete everything on trial and then everything seems to work again and all my paid extensions are there again.

See below message from Theo having the same problem who I am sure has a much better internet connection than me. It is not an isolated problem. I suspect that there should be more , but not everyone is voicing their concerns on forums.
I know, it's stopped me in my tracks too, you are not alone. Reason was dormant for me for two months due to overwhelming illness, and when i opened it the other day, the first thing i did was update some RE's to their latest version. The all too familiar authoriser problems that have plagued me for years happened on my very first return start up. License failed to download, stalled at 90%, lost use of all RE's. Props do not care *at all* about this, and I will simply not listen to anyone who says otherwise, as the problem started in 2012 and is a problem on their server end. They just don't care.

[psychasm]

I've had authorizations take painfully long to complete, fail in between, and sometimes lock me out of paid-for RE's when it failed.  But that happens to me rarely, and certainly isn't bad enough to make me abandon RE's.  To the OP: if you take your purchased RE's, authorize your computer with Reason and your purchased RE's, and never trial anything or buy anything again, Reason will behave just like it did the first day you bought it and never "phone home" or need to phone home.  If it's not, you have an issue that tech support should be able to get you sorted with.

There's no reason not to use the RE's you've already paid for. 

Im still using re's which i have paid for ,just dont understand why they are unavailable if i refuse to updated a trial re , which can take more than 100 attempts before it actually updates successfully. If you read through some of the responses you will notice that there are others experiencing same issues as I am.

[Theo.M]

I find this authorizer issue extremely strange. I have used Reason + RE on at least 7 different computers and laptops and not once has it taken longer than five minutes (which was with a crappy internet connection) to authorize). I imagine it's really difficult to find out where exactly the culprit is, considering that it works well (actually absolutely hassle free on my end) for a majority of users, but continues to be a problem for some even after upgrading authorizer, reinstalling Authorizer/Reason/OS. So from my perspective I'd speculate (because I don't have much actual knowledge about these things) that it has to do with internet connection, or maybe a firewall or something. Have you tried registering your REs on your computer in a different place? Like physically move your computer to another house or city even? (I know the solution to this problem can't be move to a different city, but might help pin down the problem)

problem happens here on imac with zero av or firewall, on my macbook using both dsl or 4g through iphone, and on my winbox laptop that i barely use, but I use it when I am out of the house, and same license issues using mum's dsl connection with totally different provider to me. Disabled all firewalls and windows AV and made no difference.

When it does work the license updates in a few seconds.

The licenses are not big, even on dial up if the license server was at optimum i would suggest 5 minutes max. But if my license updates in 20 seconds sometimes, zooms from 0-100%, and then other times fails after 30 minutes yet my connection when tested is hammering away at 1500 kb/s AND when investigating my connection haven't had any dropouts, then that tells me it's prop's server, simple as that.

I honestly believe it's just all timing whether you have the issue or not. Timezones perhaps, I do know a couple other Aussies that have had it. So maybe geographic location also plays a part. If you haven't had the issue, it just means you tend to log on at the right time or be in the right geo location that the server likes. I can guarantee this has nothing to do with our connections or machines, for those of us that suffer with this issue. It's all about prop's server and their server alone (their auth server which i presume is separate to their main server)  - like i said, when the license is failing and telling me to check my connection, a big RE is downloading at full speed with no hiccups. Yet the program is so dumb it's telling me my connection is faulty and can't see that it's never failed me once downloading an RE itself. To this day, over 3 years, I have never downloaded an RE at anything other than full speed, and have never had a single issue, ever, in downloading any RE itself. Only the licenses.

Anyway i have done enough investigation into this that there's no more I can do, but I know it's not my machine or connection so now it's up to props to fix (which will never happen, so i just have to live with it, or give them grief, which i haven't been bothered to do thus far).

I have counted at least 20% of the active PUF members having the issue back in those days, that's quite a bit.

[ebop]

Theo, regarding time zones, I'm in NZ and I don't have any issues with Authorizer for what it's worth.

[Gaja]

Did you mean 15000? because in my book 1500kb/s is not very much. But anyway I have no knowledge of this and only speculate with very limited background. I just refuse to believe that props don't care, because that has never been my experience with them at all. Everyone I had contact with at props was super nice and helpful and it was clear they did all they could to meet my needs. What I do believe is that they have trouble replicating the issue and therefore can only do so mich to get to the bottom of the issue. It may be some kind of incompatibility between their server and certain internet providers or setups that only happens seemingly randomly. But anyway I empathize strongly with you guys who encouter this issue, because I know it would drive me evil mad!

[psychasm]

I am having an insane new issue with authoriser. My pc was set to automatically shut down due to unending rolling blackouts. and has crashed. Windows has repaired itself
What has just happened after that and has happened few times before  is that props server  somehow each time this happens, detects a hardware change. Now i have to re-authorise my machine again which can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days of trying. They only allow u to  "mark machine as lost" one time only and response from props can be anywhere from 48hrs to more than one week. This whole authorisation thing is really starting to suck and I am trying  hard not to say something which I will later on regret. Anyways if there is anyone else having a really bad day , know this ... there will always be someone have a worse time than what you are having. And may that be my bit of encouragement to all for the weekend and the beginning of a new week

[Theo.M]

Did you mean 15000? because in my book 1500kb/s is not very much. But anyway I have no knowledge of this and only speculate with very limited background. I just refuse to believe that props don't care, because that has never been my experience with them at all. Everyone I had contact with at props was super nice and helpful and it was clear they did all they could to meet my needs. What I do believe is that they have trouble replicating the issue and therefore can only do so much to get to the bottom of the issue. It may be some kind of incompatibility between their server and certain internet providers or setups that only happens seemingly randomly. But anyway I empathize strongly with you guys who encouter this issue, because I know it would drive me evil mad!

that's very good for DSL.. yes 1,500 kilobytes per second or 1.5 megabytes per second. Sometimes I get 1,800 which is getting close to totally maxing dsl out. I am very close to the exchange. Unfortunately Australia ranks very low worldwide for overall internet speed, we are like number 47 or something. Thankfully at the next place I am moving to there is 100 megabit cable, which will give me up to 10 meagbytes or 10 thousand k per second download. For me, that will be like lightning. I can watch HD netflix here with no issues, and download at the same time, even on my current connection. Anyway, even at 1,500 K per second, that means I can download a one gigabyte RE in 11 minutes, it's not that bad. A license as i said only takes mere seconds when it works.

Edit, i Realise what you mean now, we are using different divisions, my DSL is connected at 16100 at present. 

[Theo.M]

Theo, regarding time zones, I'm in NZ and I don't have any issues with Authorizer for what it's worth.

Ok, that's good to know. Thanks. There goes that theory. I do have another one though..

I am wondering if the license gets more complex the more RE's we have. I am like at over 100 now and it's worse than ever.

Maybe we could make a database of those who have problems and have to try update their license multiple times, of how many RE's they have installed to see if there is a pattern.

[psychasm]

Theo, regarding time zones, I'm in NZ and I don't have any issues with Authorizer for what it's worth.

Ok, that's good to know. Thanks. There goes that theory. I do have another one though..

I am wondering if the license gets more complex the more RE's we have. I am like at over 100 now and it's worse than ever.

Maybe we could make a database of those who have problems and have to try update their license multiple times, of how many RE's they have installed to see if there is a pattern.

Yes please put my name on that list. I am desparate now and having been trying for many hours as you can see by hours active on this forum today , so it cant be my internet connection , as responses are immediate.