Difference between HD and LE licences

[Anarchy87]

Hello there,

I'm new here to DUC, and I've got an important question.
I'm looking to buy some plugins here from the people at DUC, but I've seen a major difference in what people are offering. Behind the name of the plugin they type TDM, RTAS or TDM/RTAS. It doesn´t make sense to me. Is there any difference when buying someones ilok licence if it will only work with HD or LE, when the plugin is both TDM and RTAS compatible?

Greetz,
Jeroen

[John_Toolbox]

TDM plugins will only work with HD(or an older pci system like a mix core) as they use DSP chips from an HD card. The amount of TDM plugins you can use is dependent on the number of HD or HD accel cards you have.

RTAS plugins will work with either LE or HD, they use CPU power from the host computer. The amount of RTAS plugins you can use is dependent on the overall speed of your computer.

[Anarchy87]

No thats not what I mean.
People put on serveral plugins for sale. Plugins which the name says TDM and RTAS. For instance BF Fairchild bundle is made for both HD & LE, and the ilok licence being offerd says TDM/RTAS. Will this work on my LE system or do I need to find someone who´s offering an RTAS version. Is there any difference between HD licence and LE licence when you buy a plugin?

[John_Toolbox]

If you get an RTAS version, it will probably work with LE. THere is a plugin compatibity grid somewhere on digidesigns site that tells you exactly which plugins will work with your system/software version.

If you're buying something that is TDM/RTAS, you will pay more for the TDM version, generally the TDM version is about 4 times as expensive, so you should only buy the RTAS version if you can. It differs with the manufacturer, some TDM versions come as TDM only, some you get the TDM and RTAS versions together when you buy the TDM version. Some of them have 2 separate licenses, some don't. It all depends on the manufacturer.