Anyone have Ilok failure?

[Mark Haliday]

There are two ways to make reliable electronic products : spend millions in r&d because you know you are going to sell millions of them (think Gameboy [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ), or make it high quality hand made with top grade components and thus expensive.
The combination of low cost and low volumes usually means reduced reliability (unbranded low cost modems...)

If iLok is somehow in the latter category or in between, however nice looking, it will *never* reach the level of reliability we expect from a device that "protects" tens of thousands of dollars or euros worth of investment.

The only reason why this problem has not been adressed properly is because plugin makers are scattered across dozens of companies. Had it all been one company I can imagine it would have been sued to death for this.

So Digidesign should take this issue very seriously, and NOW. Plugins are ESSENTIAL for all Pro Tools users, and even more for those set up as 100 % virtual studio. No plugin, no studio !

A foolproof system for storing / Managing authorizations should be made available right away
BY DIGIDESIGN, not by some obscure company nobody really knows much about.

I don't mind paying ten times (I really mean this)the value of an ordinary iLok for a PRO version, with PRO grade components and connectors, surge filters, expanded memory etc., even subscribing for a modest fee to some quick repair or exchange system.

Let's hope somebody hears all this...

[MartinC]

I lok-schmi lok. It's DP or logic for me. No pt6 till they get rid of these tricks...hey I'm a rapper.

[ODC]

On a past Aquarius thread about his Ilok crash, I remembered it took him 2 1/2 weeks to get a new one !!!!
You should read it, very funny by the way !
Can you BELIEVE it ?????
We need more support from this obscure company...Blame the hackers, not the loyal customers (buyers) [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img]

[PTLance]

So Digi.... Can you PLEASE comment on this thread and this incredibly IMPORTANT issue??? [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

[The Chinese]

Ok, Here's the latest.
I am now utterly disgusted with PACE. I received my replacement Ilok today, and to my disappointment and disgust, discovered my McDSP authorizations were NOT on it. I explained in the RMA forms, via email, and phone that I was a registered user of McDSP Filter/compressorbank, and that i had not updated my Ilok.com account, before the Ilok died (the McDSP stuff was brand new). I feel utterly ignored. I did everything they asked. I called Digi, I called McDSP, I sent My CC info to them, I answered their questions, I did it via Email, I didn't ever lose my temper.

Until now.

I gave the benefit of the F------ Doubt, and have now gotten BIT IN THE A--. and I am not OK with it.

while Digidesign has been very good about talking to me, and offering me some solutions, I still hold Digidesign responsible for the fact that I even have to DEAL with PACE. I realize that I have no voice, but Digidesign does, and I ask that Digidesign use it.
If not, then I seriously question further reliance on Digidesign stuff.

-Todd Anisman

[froyo]

Hello. Let's be clear about something. If anybody ever has a problem with a third party product, you deal with that third party. Hopefully, they deal with the problem in an appropriate manner. If they don't, in the long run, they don't stay in business. It still affects Digidesign, because it leaves a bad taste in the user, who may or may not look elsewhere. That's more or less the norm in the business world, right?

This however has an infuriating variable. The dreaded fourth party. Here Digidesign, and in Todd's case, McDSP get screwed. Really mostly the third parties get the shaft it would seem to me, because it was Digidesign's decision to implement this. McDSP for example can sell their plug ins to work in other software programs. Todd can't use his! Through no fault of his, Digidesign's or McDSP's!!

William Shakespeare once said there is something rotten in the State of Denmark. I don't know what state PACE is in, but the stench is growing every day.

[PTLance]

It is still Digidesign's responsibility to have plug in authorizations that work for every one involved. When it was floppy disk, you had a back up you could use right away if something went wrong. Because Digi decided to go with Ilok it ain't happening. I feel that leaves the ball in their court to get it right for their customers.

[The Chinese]

Ok, I have now calmed down and solved my problems. i simply tried to re-auth Filter/Compressorbank using the old license cards....AND THEY WORKED!!!!
This is how this should be done-Like McDSP does it-
A)Be helpful and courteous
B)Return phone calls.
C)Care about the consumer.
D)Put a second license on the cards


Digidesign was excellent as well, and I won't hold a grudge, but I will speak to Digidesign at NAB to see if we can find a way to resolve the situation.

Thanks to everyone who offered support, help, and whatever else. Your help did mean something to me.

I am still not sanguine about PACE, and I still hold them accountable for their lack of service, and I won't let it rest.

Peace for now-
-Todd A.

[markjohn]

Digi we need a solution to this, I haven't had the displeasure of dealing with PACE yet but I was about to shell out a few thousands more to my current digidesign investments (PT6, plus all the Plug in upgrades involved with some new plugs I've been considering) but after reading this needless to say I've come to a screeching stop. How is this professional behavior on PACEs behalf ??? how can our whole investment/career be reliant on such an unreliable product/company. I've put in all the effort to be registered and in good standing with all the vendors that pertain to my PT rigs, this is unacceptable. I think we should all unite and retain legal counsel !!!

[AvidCS]

Thank you for your input on this subject.

Todd, I'm glad to hear you are up and running. I don't know all the details of your situation but I have sent an email to PACE and will follow up with a call to them first thing tomorrow and look into what happened and how we can make this better moving forward.

To answer the above questions, yes we are working with PACE on an ongoing basis to address customer service issues and future feature additions to iLok.com.

I did want to clarify one thing. Third party plug-in manufacturers are not required by Digidesign to use PACE developed copy protection.
Individual third party plug-in producers are responsible for implementation and management of their own copy protection schemes. They manage the registration of their products and determine policies regarding distribution of copy protection authorizations.

Given this, while we are responsible for our in house plug-ins, and plug-ins that we are contracted to manufacture and distribute,
Digidesign really is not involved in the implementation, management or dispersal of other third party authorizations or plug-ins.

For those plug-in vendors who like Digi utilize PACE iLok technology, authorizations residing on an iLok key are similar to authorizations residing on a system hard drive or other dongle. Catastrophic failure of the storage system (hard drive or iLok or dongle) means loss of authorizations. Quality control measures to
minimize catastrophic failure is the first step to providing a solid system. PACE has done well here as Digidesign's internal tracking of iLok failures associated with our plug-ins show a failure rate of less than 3%. We consider this well within accepted norms.

Any failure in the studio can mean downtime. CPU, hard drives, console, monitor,
outboard equipment, iLoks. They all can and do fail on occasion.

What can be done in the case of iLoks to minimize downtime? We are working with PACE to identify possible ways to offer immediate delivery of temporary authorizations via iLok.com for customers who have registered their iLok and associated multi-vendor authorizations on iLok.com and who experience an iLok failure. This would allow them to use these temporary authorizations to continue working while they send the non-functioning ilok in for repair and return.

In the meantime we have been instructing customers concerned about downtime to keep a
backup iLok on hand as insurance. Make sure that your plug-ins are properly registered
with the vendor and that you have an iLok.com account and you have captured your iLok
authorization information there. If your iLok should fail, you can contact your nearest Digi
office and we can deposit temporary authorizations for your Digi registered plug-ins to use while your iLok is being RMA'd and repaired. I believe from discussions with PACE that other vendors using iLok can and do offer this service as well.

Digi believes that the iLok and iLok.com offers many advantages in a copy protection system, from easy portability to web based tracking and delivery of authorizations. We are committed to working with PACE to address customer concerns
as they arise and to continue to develop iLok.com support and services.

Bob Langlie
VP of Customer Service
Digidesign