CSistine

First I had hesitated (because of Melda installation horror), but then I purchased MMatcher nevertheless.

Honestly I completely underrated the trouble with the new installation manager, it is a real mess! It took me a lot of time to update to version 17.04 and install MMatcher on 2 pcs. I don't know why developers love it to make our life more and more intricate with installation obstacles! Honestly IMHO there is no installation manager that makes installation easier for us. The only advantage with them (most of the time) is that you have an overview over the products you own and the installed versions.

Also, I cannot remember a single case using an installation manager without updating itself!

It was still the same! TC8210 was $21.00 if I looked at their page in USD without login. After login and going on to payment it increased to more than $32 !!!

But the price-tax thing has never been transparent at Plugin Boutique. Though I have never had a case like this with such an excessive price increase. Also, there is no explanation of the price change, only a hint that it has changed. IMHO this isn't acceptable at all! But EU opens a lot of doors for such cheats with their internet tax rules introduced some years ago!

I wanted to purchase a deal of TC Electronic at Plugin Boutique, but when I logged in the price in the cart raised by more than 50% !!!!

Even if we have very high VAT taxes in Sweden, this exceeds the tax by far! Are they crazy or is this the usual hidden EU customs duty???

Although this is really a good deal, I think you should also consider the Oxford Drum Gate of Sonnox (currently only $29.00 at Plugin Boutique).

That one is not only a specialized, great drum gate (with Kick/Snare/Toms recognition), but includes also a drum leveler comparable to MDrumLeveler and additionally it can be used as drum replacer (MIDI). IMO it's the best plugin of Sonnox!

18 hours ago, Rational said:

Not a bad idea actually. I'd be curious if there's a list online of those companies or if you can provide your list?

1 hour ago, kitekrazy1 said:

There is really no such thing as offline anymore.

There is still a lot of music software with real offline activation.

Here is a list of the ones I know (I am sure there are much more providers):

• Acon Digital
• Auburn Sounds
• Audio Assault
• Audio Damage
• Audiority
• AudioThing
• Black Rooster
• Blue Cat Audio
• Boz Digital Labs
• CableGuys
• CFA-Sound
• Cockos (Reaper)
• Dymai Sound
• E-Phonic
• eaReckon
• FabFilter
• Fuse Audio Labs
• GForce
• GoranGrooves
• Harrison
• HoRNet
• JoeySturgis
• Klanghelm
• Klevgrand
• Kuassa
• Martinic
• MeldaProduction
• Plugin Boutique
• Robotic Bean
• SIR Audio Tools
• Togu Audio Line (TAL)
• TBProAudio
• Tokyo Dawn Labs
• Tone2
• ToneBoosters
• United Plugins
• Wavesfactory
• Xhun Audio
• zplane

And by the way all full Kontakt instruments can also be installed offline, although Kontakt itself has to be installed online.

More and more I hesitate to purchase iLok plugins. Not because I am an iLok opponent, no on the contrary I have been very happy with the iLok dongle offline activation. I could simply take the dongle to my everyday laptop, add an activation and then bring it back to my recording pc.

But in the last years I am concerned that a couple of plugin providers dropped iLok and replaced it by a proprietary authorization system, sometimes even requiring online activation! I hate that! It's not the way I purchased those plugins and I wonder whether this is really legal.

The good thing is that this caused me to concentrate my plugin hoarding to those with pure offline authorization, and honestly I own now enough of them so that I am free of the "no more activation" threat! Even my favorite DAW supports a user-friendly activation!

5 minutes ago, IgoRr said:

You have everything mixed up - Cakewalk, Sonar, Bandlab, you do not own anything that you create, maybe you just did not really understand what is what? Now there are 3 different DAW's - Sonar and Next from the Cakewalk brand, and a program (DAW) called "Cakewalk" from the Bandlab brand. The first two programs are paid, but the Cakewalk by Bandlab program is totally free, the only one condition is activation through the official website. But after activation, no one encroaches on the results of your creativity, you can check. In addition, there is a special "offline" activation method especially for those users who do not have the Internet.

In vain you are so emotional about a completely typical state of affairs, hundreds of other programs are now created and activated according to the same scheme, in this regard, Cakewalk by Bandlab is absolutely no different from them, and it has been completely free since the release of the very first version in 2017 or 2018.

To be honest, since the re-activation time has been that short, Cakewalk by Bandlab cannot be used offline in a reasonable way anymore! This was the reason I dropped it and I regret that I had invested so much time for it. It would have been better to stay with Sonar Platinum! Today I mostly use another DAW and for the old projects I have Sonar Platinum that does its job quite well. For me BandLab was a real disappointment, but YMMV.

On 3/17/2025 at 12:19 AM, Joakim said:

You can move them to ilok, that’s why I do be use I anyway need to use ilok.

Can you de register a machine on their site though? 

Thanks for your suggestion! But there are caveats in the details, first with iLok there is only one single activation available, second it is not possible to use iLok for all your plugin ownerships (I don't know why)! So that's why I don't get warm with this company at all, but YMMV!

I don't buy anything of this company again no matter how cheap it is, because I always have trouble with their activations if a machine is usually offline! There are not many companies that are that bad in that area! IMHO this is kind of a cheat, 'cos most of the time I cannot use their plugins (and thus I avoid to use them)!

If your system is always online, then it maybe different!

Several of those well-known companies like IK have landed on my blacklist the last year, because of installation and authorization issues!

This saves me a lot of many, I have rarely purchased anything this year!

1 hour ago, kitekrazy1 said:

Sub only is probably a greater death than when Gibson stopped development.

I totally agree!

1 hour ago, kitekrazy1 said:

I would imagine most of the subscribers are not western based.

I would more emphasize that most of them are surely no professionals!

On 2/28/2025 at 10:51 AM, GTsongwriter said:

Well.. I don't need it as I don't use EQ very much.  If it ever comes down to $29, I would buy it out of GAS.

Do you never mix?

IMO for mixing EQ is the 2nd most important thing after the DAW, but YMMV!?

On 3/3/2025 at 1:29 AM, Esteban Villanova said:

is it any good? I remember people not liking a previous eq of them.

IMHO the big drawback is that the EQ does not have Q values. Usually I am very interested in plugins that have "good" authorization (offline), but the missing Q's is a real shortage for me!

Frankly, to me the new update does not sound interesting at all!

And the last update mentioned above brought only trouble for me, because on my test laptop I could not see the whole plugin interface anymore (too large) and also the new flat view is not as eye-friendly IMHO!

I want to have the same version on my computers. But thanks to the very good customer service I could reset the last update on my test laptop (another big disadvantage of many installation managers: you cannot downgrade yourself)! So I am glad to skip both of these updates without regret! There is really nothing I am missing!

Many years ago I paid 95 EUR for the previous version! So yes, this is a really good deal.

IMHO it is mandatory to have a tool like this even for mixing and Insight is one of the better ones!

Frankly, nowadays I pass on "free" products that require a license! Too much trouble with it (I fought with free Overloud Rematrix stuff years ago, not worth the effort!).

Regrettably it is not really free! You get a key for online authorization. I definitely prefer v1!

You must have almost all plugins to get such a big discount!

I am disappointed by the discount! I have almost half of their plugin range and the discounted price is only about the same as at JRRshop (with code group and without any PSP plugins required)! I'll pass!

10 hours ago, ZincT said:

Incidentally, I never heard back from SynchroArts support re what happened to "VocAlign Ultra" 🤔

It seems its their new standard response: No response! 😒 Had the same with my recent question about authorization (22-jul)!

7 hours ago, Kirean said:

It should  not reduce the user's options and chances to use the software.

This is exactly the point!

I have a couple of plugins nowadays that I cannot use anymore, because of auth changes (i.e. they cannot be used offline anymore)! Sure, I could for each provider dismount my pc in the recording room and carry it to the house, do the authorization(s) and then reinstall the pc in my recording room! What a hassle!

Also all these "inhouse" authorizations are a real pain, if you exchange a system, because first you have to find out:

• Is it necessary to unauthorize the old system, can it be done, how?
• How many authorization seats are available (very difficult to find out for most providers)
• Does the new authorization require iterative activation, what is the period?
• Is offline authorization supported (also for new versions)? How does it work?
• Is permanent internet access required?
• How are upgrades handled?
• What hardware changes impact the authorizations?

And the worst is that if you ask for something like this, several providers give you only a cheeky answer or no answer at all! (SynchroArts, Slate,  Nugen, Antares, ...)

Today I got an email saying that my Synchroarts product activation has to be changed for future use (former iLok to online)! Is this legal?

I bought the product because it was iLok authorization! Regrettably, of late I bought an upgrade in the prospect that my iLok license gets upgraded! Then I found out that new versions are no more iLok. Asking the support how I can change the upgrade to iLok authorization I simply got no answer! What a sh.. company! I will never more make business with them and I recommend anyone to stay away from such companies!

In general I've noticed several activation changes with different brands in the last few years. The major problem is that the companies don't give transparent information what is valid! What kind of authorization, how many seats, is offline available, if there are different auths - which products does it apply to! On the internet you find a lot of old information and if the plugin producer does not have open information, where should you get it?

Many vendors protect their products with such methods from pirates, they say, but they themselves pirate the consumers IMHO! Shouldn't it be vice versa?

More and more I get cured by price increase and "technical evolution". Installation, authorization and updates get worse and worse, take more time than making music (it's especially true if you sync some systems)! What a world! Luckily there are some exceptions, but the list of plugin providers that are on my black list has increased dramatically in the last 2 years! 

9 hours ago, Promidi said:

The Meldaproduction plugin manager is fine.....

... if you're online! (NOTE: It rhymes!)

A new plugin manager: They scare me to death! 😄 Frankly, if they do not reinstall the full offline possibility, then I will stay forever on the old version (and will not buy any Melda plugins anymore)!

4 hours ago, Kirean said:

I thought Moog got rid of ilok activations with their latest versions in order to push their own drm.

It's the new trend coming from universities (younger developers): Reinvent the wheel! Or the Tower of Babel ...!

Sadly a couple of plugin developers went on this route lately!