UVI Listens, iLok Dongle No Longer Required

ilok-optionalWhen UVI recently released a free Mellotron virtual instrument, Mello, Synthtopia readers spoke up and said they didn’t want to use software that required an iLok dongle.

UVI has responded by announcing support for computer-based authorization across its entire product line.

Effective immediately, all sound libraries and effects purchased from UVI will support both computer-based and dongle-based authorization.

According to UVI, the new authorization system provides users with the greatest balance of security, flexibility and convenience available. Product licenses may also now be freely moved between computer and iLok dongle at will.

Kudos to UVI for listening to customer feedback and responding with a more flexible solution. See the UVI site for more info.

18 thoughts on “UVI Listens, iLok Dongle No Longer Required

  1. well done UVI, hate those damn keys .. they have always been shit on a stick. i wont actually buy anything that uses them any more. fundamentally , companies save costs by out sourcing the privacy to ilok, but in the long run with the ilok system, it breaks & that shouldn’t cost you when u have already paid for the software. u end up having to pay ilok !!! its ethically misplaced from the consumers perspective, while remaining the best option for developers & manufacturers. Horrid.

  2. I wish protools would do the same retroactively, I have pro tools 10 which is completely useless because the ilok hasn’t been working for most of its nine month life.

  3. I’ll still be using the iLok system – single machine authorisation is an awful solution. If your system fails unexpectedly you’re left without your software until the company’s support department reviews your case. I’ve been stung by this method with several companies and it’s much more hassle than dealing with an iLok.

    1. ” If your system fails unexpectedly you’re left without your software ”

      Matt.. in 29 years of studio work, ive never had a system fail on me. but 4 out of the 8 ilok keys ive owned have broken. ( & im talking about never moved, or unplugged.. just switch on 1 day & its dead. )

        1. Waves have stung me four times for this. I had 3 laptops go bad, and then one got stolen. Maybe I’ve just been unlucky, but all the same I don’t like machine authorisation. It’s different if you have a system that sits in a studio and never gets moved, but with a laptop it’s just an accident waiting to happen.

          If it was as simple as punching in the serial again I’d be fine with it, but it’s never that simple. Usually it involves emailing the support department and then waiting a week or 2 for them to decide if they’re gonna let you use your software again, and in the case of Waves and Arturia they refused to help. Arturia eventually backed down and sorted it, but Waves wanted £10 just so I could use my own software.

    2. why not use something like carbon copy cloner or super duper (assuming osx, but sure there are solutions for windows as well)… I have had systems fail, or appear to fail, and swap out drives and continue puttering along fine!

  4. Yeah, Arturia’s selling their V Collection at 50% off thru 1/14 or so, but I won’t touch it because of their stupid licensing system.

    1. Not only do they fail, they are horribly coded … more like a virus on a stick. I need every single one of my usb ports so I will not buy anything that needs an ilok.

  5. My only problem with any copy protection is that I always buy my goods. I could just sample the hell out of the demos I try, but I don’t; instead, I’ve bought three of those instruments. Its a drag to be penalized for *other* peoples’ dishonesty. Kracked material is frozen where it is, with no forthcoming tech support, community or price breaks. The thrill of stealing it seems pale when it comes pre-hobbled. I can’t see it, myself. The tools are too inexpensive to remotely justify it. I keep buying from Camel Audio because they get it right from stem to stern. Too bad there’s no app that instills ethics in the user. 😛

    BTW, the iLok I use for MOTU’s Symphonic Instrument has worked perfectly for 4 years. I choose not to accept any more iLok’d gear, but I can’t join the chorus against it when mine has been super-stable. Just my 2 cents for things that *do* work.

  6. But, isn’t iLok supposed to prevent these products from being cracked? I sincerely believe
    that from now on warez sites will start uploading UVI products, which is a shame.

  7. I think as someone already stated, the benefits of buying the product far outweigh the benefits you would get from pirating the software.
    I’m just glad because I lost my old uvi.dll file when I did system cleaning, where my nice free sample libraries actually worked (which are not available anymore for free). Now I don’t have to spend money just to use a free sample player — I can re-download and use the stinking program for free, as they advertised it. Now, as I get some money, I may actually consider shelling out some money for paid libraries since I don’t have to deal with i-lok anymore.

  8. It seems that UVI yet stayed with iLok, since there isn’t a need for a dongle anymore. So to everyone who has hopes of getting rid of iLok – that’s not happening. But the dongle isn’t needed anymore.

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