Trouble downloading Virtual Instruments Express...

[krm27]

I got PT express w/ M-Audio purchase. The process to install it is HORRIBLE. Like, they must have the stupidest, or most inconsiderate, programmers on the planet working on this. I was instructed to go to a website to follow eight step instructions on how to do this. However, when I followed the first instruction, it forced me to reboot, so... and it does not take me back to the instruction page, so I have to type it in again, go to step 2...what do you know, another reboot, and not taken back to the instruction page, so...type it in again, move on...oh, another reboot, spendid...now I practically have the instruction page website memorized...oh, joy...

Considering they sent me this iLok dongle, which is basically a flash drive, AND an installation CD, it's just inexcusable that I ALSO have to follow such ill-thought instructions just to install a friggin' DAW. This is LITERALLY twice as complicated (or more) and taking more time than when I did a clean install of Windows 8 over my old laptop's Windows Vista. Why installing a DAW is more complicated than wiping a computer hard drive and installing a whole new operating system, I have no clue.

I also note that the video instruction on their instructional webpage does NOT match up to the written steps. Specifically, the video skips step 5 and goes from step 4 to step 6. Considering I was watching the video because I did not understand step 5, this is particularly STUPID. (Turns out in writing out the "steps" the Avid people neglected to mention when you have to plug in the iLok dongle, which makes step 5 impossible to understand unless you have magically thought to do this yourself rather than waiting to be instructed to do so, like a normal person would.)

And though they give me both a flash drive and a DVD, they still make me DOWNLOAD the virtual instruments. Okay, I'm a big boy, considering how absurdly complicated they made the rest of this process, this should not be a big deal right? Wrong. Though I have a VERY fast internet connection, and can download the largest files in less than 10 minutes... my computer tells me it'll take over an hour to download this software... WTF?? What, do they have this program hosted at the slowest, most remote proxy in the world?! I finally went to bed last night frustrated after spending over an hour on this stupid installation process, leaving my computer on to complete this download while I slept... Alas, my computer apparently went to auto-sleep before the one hour mark, so I have to start over this morning. Not that I have an hour to waste, since I gotta' go to work.... So I'm just going to cross my fingers that the download completes while I'm at work today. Or else I'll have to find a block of time when I can do nothing but sit in front of my home computer and make sure it does not go to sleep to download something that should have been on the DVD to begin with, or should simply download faster.

I heard nightmare stories about PT's poor customer service, lack of customer responsiveness, and it seems like maybe there was truth to that, if they make the customer jump through all these hoops rather than design a simple, one-click auto-install function for their software like, oh... EVERY other software company on the planet.

Not a good start, Pro Tools, get your heads out of your ass. Do you even market test your own software? Cause if you had picked just one random person and had them try this install while you looked over their shoulder, you'd have heard them swearing under their breath, tearing their hair and raising all these same issues. Guess what? If you only ask YOUR OWN PEOPLE if you did a good job designing this crap, what do you get? Biased, self-congratulatory feedback. Which is really the only way I can fathom this software being distributed in this manner.

Ken

[musicman691]

Dude:
Take a deep breath and chill. It's not that bad.
First off the iLok is NOT a flash drive, although it may seem like one. It is a specialized device that contains only license assets.

Second just because you got a disk that may have the PT on it doesn't mean it is the latest version. You have to download that as we all do. Companies have dvd's (PT is too big to fit on a cd) mass produced and can't be expected to update them each time a new version of a program comes out. Suck it up and download the newest version of PT11 as well as the latest version of the Instruments specifically for PT11.

As to the download being slow - hey it happens. Something a lot of us have learned is to NOT use the download manager from Avid but to click on the direct link to download anything. Remember that the Instruments file is over 2 gig in size and so is PT itself in the Windows version. And you should have been smart enough to set your computer to not sleep. That's something you're going to have to do anyways when running PT - never ever let the computer sleep while running PT.

Don't forget to setup your iLok account before doing anything with PT - you're going to need it during the activation/registration process. Also take sometime to read the optimizations needed for PT to run smoothly.

[Bruce Paine]

Originally Posted by krm27

I got PT express w/ M-Audio purchase...

See this sticky thread in the Pro Tools Express forum:
Pro Tools Express software - Start Here!

If you have questions about Pro Tools Express, please check out the Pro Tools Express FAQ

For help with Activation or Installation see the Pro Tools Express Installation Overview

Akai Professional & M-Audio Interfaces
Support and downloads for all of the Pro Tools Express software included with the InMusic Brands M-Audio and Akai interfaces is provided by InMusic, not by Avid. You can get downloads and help from their website here:
Installing and Authorizing Avid Pro Tools Express
www.inmusicbrands.com/ptex

On the M-Audio site, you can also find some tech help with this Knowledge Base article:
M-Audio M-Track - Setup with Pro Tools Express