CSistine

It's because they want you to buy a Mac (surely they get some profit from that)! 😆 No, joke aside! Read the comments above and you will manage! I had the same problems as @Pragi above (both cases), though I could work it out myself after some tries.

This is true for me if there are only install managers, because each time I open the IM, first, it has to update itself, then I have to search the thing to install, then most of them install very slowly, then they install to locations other than I use or they install things that I don't want, i.e. I have to do changes manually, then I have to do the whole thing on my 2 other pcs, too, what a pain!

I just noticed that SSL supports now only installation with their IM (they're not the only company doing this). That's quite crazy for an iLok company IMHO! This 10-doubles the system resources (and time) required to install one single plugin. Why do the young generation university people always make our life so troublesome and elaborately? That's why I had to assemble my own zip files for installation on my offline system! Mad!

IMHO it is strange with both iZotope and NI Komplete upgrades: If you own the last or 2nd last version often you pay the same update price as someone else that has a very old version of the product! For me Komplete 14 (I have 13) had only 3 new products that I was interested in, so in the end I decided to upgrade Kontakt 7 alone. Maybe when there is Komplete 18 it will be interesting to upgrade again! 😆

Frankly, this kind of customer milking is sad. It's the same with NI (Komplete) and others. I would accept a reasonable update price from a last version. But if I look at the poor improvements and the price, I think these are ridiculous upgrades. Usually no one is interested in all the additions and for 1 or 2 small additions that you really use the price is not justified.

Yes, I have used it. IMHO it works without issue (although it's another method as usual) and it's faster than e.g. Melda's input method.

For me the possibility to enter values immediately is worth the update alone. 😉 But it's minimum the 4th method to enter values (double click on labels, double click values, left-click values and right click values). It is a real challenge to know for each plugin how to do it, a standard would be a great thing!

I think EW have very special, interesting products. That's why I have purchased another product. But what a mess with their installation/activation! With iLok it should be very easy and without trouble. Yesterday it took me almost one day to get it installed. Still it doesn't work in all my daws. Today I will try Play instead of Opus. I hope that helps! EDIT: Cool, the last version of Play works without issue! It proves that updates and new versions don't always make compatibility better (as plugin developers claim and some people believe).

What a positive surprise! I was already thinking that there are no more updates to the older PA plugins (most are dated to the end of 2023 and this was Apple/Mac stuff).

Frankly, I don't like their installation and authorization theme. It made me a lot of headache to put their stuff on my usually offline pc's. Also their intransparent installation without a target path for the sound blobs is ridiculous (you have to move them afterwards) and their installation app ... ! All in all such stuff keeps me from making music and converts me into a plugin plumber as it takes so much time and resources. Hence I guess I pass on this sale, even if it is tempting!

Frankly, at Harrison it has become almost impossible to find out what authorization is valid for what? Whether offline authorization is still valid or not? I have given up this company. It's a pity, because they had good authorization once. I only regret that I did not purchase Mixbus 10, the last good version!

Top tier companies? Most companies supplying simple authorization that I know are small!

The only problem with all these Nomad V2 is that they require a) online authorization and b) online re-authorization after a time period. Therefore I uninstalled all of them and still prefer to use the old versions! Sad! By the way it's the same with the Plug & Mix plugins! The old versions have a user friendly offline key authorization and the new ones are only online!

IMHO they only update the plugin manager, not most plugins anymore! What a farce!

Frankly, I was aware of this before. But I assume that the re-activation for the new Free Sonar is the same as it has been for CbB in the last months, i.e. re-activation each month. But I don't know if there is still an offline (re-)activation available as with CbB.

As far as I have seen, in the beginning of this deal there were more exceptions, but they have dropped some!

Sadly they have also taken away the possibility to download installers by yourself. Frankly, I still prefer to install manually, especially if there is no information in the Installation Manager what has changed on a plugin! There are so many PA updates that I could skip, because they only effect Mac, Apple, other daws or trivialities. But YMMV. By the way most of the time I just had to download 1 single installer. Now the IM has to update itself, I have to search after the appropriate plugin and the IM has to download and install. Also, it misses a configurable download path.

I think nowadays there are so many warnings and nag screens that almost no one (not only fools!) reads them all. Be honest, have you always read all of them (nag screens, EULAs, terms of service ...)? By the way it's the same with those modern European cars with 1000 warning sounds: Almost no one will take them seriously! Sometimes less is more!

But in this case there is no automatic re-activation as someone mentioned above. IMO the offline re-activation is quite cumbersome (if it still exists at all) to do each month on 2 systems (in the past when it had been after half a year I accomplished it though).

Note: This is only true if you are always online! I don't think that the majority of users are always online or can always guarantee that a connection is possible all the time (whether it's on their end, at the internet provider, somewhere in the internet access path or at the provider (BandLab) side).

IMHO that's a misconception that subs go to updates and fixes that the users really want. But it is true that it supports the developers, but they are free to use it for whatever they want (fancy ideas), i.e. they don't have to follow the customer demands. It is like with state organisations, mostly it leads to dissipation, they get lazy in this way. I think it is better if a developer has perpetual major versions and then the customer has to pay again for a next major version. With this concept the customer has the last word whether the new version is worth it, i.e. the developer has to implement asked requirements to get new payments. Also the customers have more control over their budget. But YMMV.

This is exactly the point that many don't understand! Especially re-activation is a PITA! I've had a lot of software turning suddenly to non-authorized, even if I did not install any new hardware! I am a fan of the old authorization way (like Sonar X3) as some probably have understood. 😆 IMHO it's the only fair way to the customer. But nowadays there are many companies that try to enslave their users using some kind of obscure, murky online authorization and installation to manipulate them, to snatch their money and to force them updates. This is even true for so called "free" software. Just look how many don't clarify on their sites how authorization is managed, nor what is going on behind the scene! This is also the reason why I prefer iLok over online authorization, it is definitely more transparent and clearly only used for authorization!

I like it. It seems to be something similar like DeEdger of Tokyo Dawn Labs. Though if you don't like iLok authorization (Sonnox Soften), then DeEdger is for you, because with this one you get a simple authorization file (it can be used without internet connection! 👍). By the way DeEdger is currently on sale at AudioDeluxe ($29.00).

I advise everyone to ditch the new Sonar exactly because of such reasons. It is very risky, especially if you want to use projects in a longer term. But YMMV, use it to your own risk!

Strange, that never happened to me for Sonnox plugins neither in offline nor in online usage.