iLok: Pros/Cons?

[platzangst]

So I've been looking at a number of VSTs for sale, considering whether they'll be helpful once R9.5 arrives, and I've noticed that a couple I'm interested in require the iLok service, which I have not needed before now. I'm vaguely familiar with the general idea of iLok (I have a Reason dongle, after all) but haven't actually ever had to deal with it, so I thought I'd see if I can get the general opinion of the forum. Obviously some developers just use it and that's that, buy the software and have iLok - or don't. But I'd like to know what I'm getting in for, specifically whether the thing is going to work invisibly or be some kind of ongoing pest in my life if I go ahead and bite that bullet.

So I'm on a Win10 machine, AMD processor if it matters. Are there any pitfalls to having iLok I should know about? Or is it helpful somehow? Or some combination of help and aggravation? Your thoughts, please.

[bik44]

Personally I like to use software iLok because I have all serials in one place and don't have to even think about it. When you buy and register plugin you give to developer your iLok ID and he adds serials to your iLok account. When you first open new plugin it connects with you iLok software (account that you are logged in) and do it only ones. All is invisible to you. The cons is when you want to sell this plugin - someone have to pay for transmit serial from one ILok account to another. Standard price is 25$ as I remember.


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[borracho]

It is hard to work with VST without iLok... Some of the best VSTs require it - Soundtoys, Slate Digital, Softube...
Also if you have only one computer you can host your licenses on the hard drive (without dongle).

[ezelkow1]

alot also allow multiple pc's. I dont have a physical ilok, I do everything through their license manager. I have a couple registered on my desktop as well as laptop.

For the most part its pretty painless and a nice way to manage licenses.

One issue though, your pc's 'location id', can change. Mine changed a few months ago and I have no idea why. Which means all licenses I had stored were now invalid since I had no way to get them back. Luckily soundtoys is very understanding, took one day for them to go into my ilok account and just wipe out all my authorizations so i could re-auth. AIR on the other hand are fairly incompetent. I asked if they could just do the same as soundtoys, wipe all my current auths so I wouldnt lose any, and after multiple back and forth emails they still acted like what I was asking was some completely unheard of thing when soundtoys had no problem doing it and suggested doing it. In the end air said they would just increase my activation limit by 1, which I have yet to see show up. So Im sure Ill have to deal with them again in a few years when I inevitably lose another authorization from some hardware change

[kuhliloach]

the mere existence of iLok is a con

[darkmaer]

A lot of people seem to despise it. To a certain extent I definitely understand where there coming from. It's kind of like reason when they went the dongle route. It's essentially like saying, because you are faithful and aren't trying to screw us over by purchasing our software. Here's something you have to have sticking out of your computer at all times while using it.

Granted just like propellerhead, newer pieces of software that use ilok don't have to have the ilok dongle, and your computer can be the dongle itself. Some also give you 2 licenses as well. So you can have one for your home studio and another for your mobile rig.

I've personally never had an issue with ilok, though I've had an issue with windows 10 where the ilok background process was always "off". So I'd have to make sure I turn it on manually before starting up my DAW after turning on my PC otherwise it would throw up an error. Somehow this is now fixed and I don't have this issue anymore.

But I do find it convenient because I don't have to remember any serial numbers or put serial numbers in. Just download the plugins install the ilok software and plug in the dongle and I'm good to go.

I also feel more comfortable with my licenses on a dongle. Not sure why, but I guess I feel there is just too much that could go wrong with a computer that I'd rather have them on the dongle. I have my waves licenses on a dongle as well.

[chk071]

I have two dongles here, Steinberg eLicenser, and an iLok. I need the iLok for one software, the Exponential Audio R2 reverb, the rest of my iLok protected software (about 5 plugins or so) uses soft iLok. And i wouldn't transfer those on the dongle either, because i read stories (no idea if those are true) that you're quite messed, if your dongle breaks. Anyway, i surely could to without having to have 2 dongles to connect to my computer, but, it's not as much of a hassle for me as it seems to be for other people. I recently bought a USB hub, and plugged the dongles into that one, so, no big deal really. iLok license manager is pretty good, and i didn't have a single problem with it, even after the bigger Windows 10 updates. It's working fine, and it doesn't appear particularly "intrusive" to me either. So, from me.

[groggy1]

I think for anyone who's had a crash on their system due to an iLok, I can understand why they hate them.

I've personally never had it crash, so I'm ambivalent. Not thrilled that I have to use it (e.g. plugins take a couple seconds extra to load, compared to other plugins). But, on the other hand, some of the coolest plugins require iLok.


There are a lot people that really hate iLok. Or at-least, lots of people post who hate it, and very few people post when iLok works for them

[zabukowski]

Have a bunch of PACE protected software using iLok2- using it for music production on several Win7 and OSX machines, often using it in virtual machines as well.

Also, as a plugin developer, i am using PACE/iLok for signing AAX plugins. These days everything works pretty much as expected, no stability problems here at all.

Using Ignition key and eLicenser as well.

[Marco Raaphorst]

Some time ago I was not able to create an account for iLok online. I gave up. I don't trust such a company to keep my privacy data. Web tech needs to be top notch.

[tronam]

I feel weird saying this, but I actually don't mind dongles. The Syncrosoft one I use for Cubase and VEPro works flawlessly and I never have to fuss with the copy protection. The problem is that there isn't one standard, so over time you could end up with 2 or 3 separate dongles to access your software, not to mention multiple USB ports.

[plaamook]

Pro's... 0
Cons... You have to have an iLok

Far's I'm concerned the bar has been set. Props implementation of registering your comp hasn't been hacked and is as conventiant as one could want.
Would be great if you could register iLok to a comp. Then everything tha's reg'd to iLok and be switched over in case of theft, HD crash ,etc. Would be so easy.

[davidvilla]

Never had an issue with an ilok in 10 years. I don't even know it's there. No issues with ilok manager either. And never noticed a plugin taking longer to load (which is news to me...?). Seriously, we're not in the early 2000s anymore, commerical VSTs and the ilok system are stable.