I had it with Wave Plug-ins.

[richard greenidge]

3 minutes ago, richard greenidge said:

https://www.waves.com/support/reactivate-recover-licenses 

It says on their website, recovery is once a year. Their customer service if I can remember was fast and I worked with no problem, I had to send them RMA numbers and proof of payments. But, I want to avoid that if that happens again. You spend days waiting for parts, put everything in and when it works, I have one, and only one company where some, most and maybe all (like now) where I seem to have a problem. The auto installer, tells me everything is there until Cakewalk looks for them the first time. 3 strikes you're out with me. Sept or October, a new CPU is coming out again by AMD, I want to have the option of buying it, but I'm intimidated by not being able to recover my licenses more than a year. I don't keep track of when I recovered last, other software companies I use don't have this restriction. Maybe they'll ask for a serial number the most. Here's the main question? Why should I wait for a year, what is the point in that? Like a kid on punishment. Then after the year is up, I can recover my license again. Bottom line, I don't agree with their EULA, so I'm cutting them loose.    

I just checked Jim. I have 27 Wave Products, and I will miss my Scheps etc. But my other 200-300 plug-ins will have to do now. I'm retired, money is good, and I have no patience with the same problem from only the same people. You learn from life there are people who will take care of you when you spent your money on them, and there are those where those who's hand is always out. 

[Blogospherianman]

2 hours ago, richard greenidge said:

a new CPU is coming out again

Oh I see, you keep your licenses on the C drive.  

It would certainly be advantageous to either simply store the licenses on a USB stick so you can change CPUs multiple times without having to ‘Recover’ your license. Or even use on multiple computers one at a time of course.

Also if you’re completely against the usb stick you could send the licenses back to the cloud prior to changing CPU and then from Cloud to C drive. 

You have to sort of keep up with your licenses. 

✌️

[Brian Walton]

On ‎7‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 1:21 AM, richard greenidge said:

 

I'm the type of person that tries to upgrade my computer almost every year or less if something good comes out that would benefit my Cakewalk DAW. I usually checkout what's the fastest CPU or GPU by going here. https://www.cpubenchmark.net/index.php   On July 8th I just happen to check what was the fastest CPU and it listed the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, for $499, topping out a Intel $8700 CPU. It was launched the day before, and was sold out in hours, I was lucky to Pre-order and get it because it takes almost 9 months to make a 7nm CPU, I had no idea. I ordered a 570 chipset motherboard when they told me it was coming last Monday. Monday morning all I had to do was put in the CPU that morning. Everything went fine, confirmed everything with Windows, all my programs worked without loading anything except Cakewalk by BandLab, but all I had to do was a quick re-load, and Cakewalk worked perfect. There were a few missing plugins when my song loaded, went to the websites of those missing, and there was no problem except as usual Waves. I have bought more Wave plug-ins, than any other. I cannot see me paying for something I already bought, I don't need a upgrade, it works fine. Then they have a limit of 1 download a year. I didn't remove anything from my hardrives or format it.  I changed my CPU and Motherboard. Nobody else does this. I have too many plug-ins from them to join their update program. I'm done with them, they do anything to get you to pay money for products you already bought. If I knew that years ago, I would have never wasted my money. I will not contact them because they need to change their policies. When you upgrade your computer it should be easy. I'm not going through that again. And nothing is more harder than installing a Waves plug-in. It's the only company that has a problem with me upgrading without trying to find a way to get a cut. Their upgrade program is the biggest ripoff. Not a flat fee to keep all your programs updated, but like $30 a piece. And if you have 20 plug-ins or more? Look for my post with the new Ryzen  3900X using Cakewalk.  

I've had problem after problem with Waves authorization.

However, if you upgrade that often, I'd think you would have the deauthorization process that many manufacture's require down to a science.  It isn't just WAVES that requires deauthorization to keep your license intact with hardware changes.   And yes, I think it is annoying.  

As for the once a year recovery, I'm wondering/betting on the fact that you would have to be WUP'd for them to give you the time of day.  I had one plugin that was stuck on v9 which should have kept working along my v10 ones, but it didn't and the only way they would provide assistance was if I WUP'd that one.  So the notion they will continue to work, is false.  

Edited August 6, 2019 by Brian Walton

[richard greenidge]

Brian exactly, first of all I'm not going to say how many software companies purchased things from, and programs, there are too many. Upgrading is one thing, but most electronic and hardware failure which usually comes within in the first week or days. If you put the stuff on your new hardrive, and 2 days later the new hardrive fails, you don't have the option to de-authorize now what? Kontact, was a pain at one time too. All the files that they told me to backup, I did so I don't have to upload them from them again. I had some plug-ins that just asked me for my serial number, and I had to re-install Cakewalk. Right now my SDD boot drive (I'm not a SDD fan, and this is the only one I ever bought) on this computer is failing I have restart the machine a few times before the windows is loaded. I cloned the drive to a portable passport drive. It's coming tomorrow. I will clone that info to the new SSD drive and everything should work with just adding a few serial numbers on one or two programs.  I've been dealing with Cakewalk from DOS, and other programs. I've never seen a company say only: "Once a year", if you know of another, please let me know? Most companies even allowed you to call, to verify it was you, that's all they wanted. Nobody was counting how many times you changed your hardware or it failed.. Some software asked you remove it from that computer on their site that they have registered with you, and then click on the computer where you want YOUR products  installed now. I don't have anybody else sending me warnings that my software needs to be paid for to keep it up to date and current. Every month something is expiring. My next numerous audio effects plug-ins that I have may be from iZotope, never a problem. Again, I can tell the difference between those who honor what you bought, and those using any excuse to get you to pay. And they are the first. I had a website once, and I was told I needed to pay $300 because someone put a file from my end with a virus, and so it wouldn't happen again, they could monitor it for $200. First of all only I could get into my files, second, I haven't updated anything 4 four months, and the only people that could put upload anything to my files were you guys. They just turned off my webpage, never showed me the file or filename. I told them goodbye. I guess $29 a month wasn't enough and their security system is safe, if someone got in my file.  Yeah, my name is John Waters, and you have a Indian accent. I'll be 69 in a few days, and my head doesn't screw off. One thing, I don't screw or mislead my customers. If you don't respect or understand your customers, you may not be there long. Thanks for your input. But I will respect their EULA. I won't miss them with that policy. When Cakewalk stopped, I was really going to miss them, but they never stopped us from using their software. Thank you Bandland! I did waste money cross-grading to another program and I had a program I got free from Presonus  when I bought their mixer, and one from Motu. I didn't like the two, but Cakewalk did not leave a bad taste in my mouth, and they made sure you could continue using what you paid for without looking for compensation. "Hey look, this guy bought about +40 plug-ins from us, and the piano, but that was more than a  year ago. So we'll just let him use the last one he bought". "We don't care if he can't us the others, this is how we do it. But if he wants to pay?" This is a type of digital extortion to me, I am the legal owner of the license to use on ONE computer. There may be nothing to say; "One download a year".  Don't have to tell me twice.      

[Byron Dickens]

Those who live on the cutting edge often end up bleeding to death. 

[Max Arwood]

IMHO - iLok or flash drive or cloud are the only way to use waves - and Backup.  Licenses - Wait till they all expire.  They can all be updated for a fixed Max price $240.00  If you have a bunch of waves plugins its not too bad.  You don't have to upgrade anyway.  I'm a waves guy lol! Great plugins for a good price (only buy during sales)