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  4. Loading times, Syncrosoft etc

  • Loading times, Syncrosoft etc

    H
    H
    Yesterday, it took me over an hour to open the Vienna Instruments, because the demo modes had expired for the extended content.

    (well, i havent even tried that out, because with that 30 start click method it didnt seem to make any sense to me (you open a song, 5 starts are gone, you drink some coffee, 5 starts are gone etc, and when you start to work, your 30 starts are gone, and you have to suffer that syncrosoft procedere once more)


    Anyhow, i had to erase those expired licences manually one for one, than to restart the computer several times, repair the rights and so on.

    After the 4th try i found out, that the spinning ball of logic would have a result, if i wait another 5 minutes: right! it had loaded!


    today, the first start again took me 5 minutes.

    Thats too much time!!!


    Please do something, that really works.

    I want to work with the Vienna Instruments, not kill my time & nerves!!!
    (its hard enough, that that syncrosoft crap is making permanently problems)


    Best:
    HTF
  • G
    G
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    @Happy Tree Friend said:


    you drink some coffee, 5 starts are gone etc,

    HTF



    [:D]
  • J
    J
    Mabe all the instruments are primed to self destruct unless you buy into the extended content [*-)]

    Julian
  • T
    T
    The Syncrosoft thing is the worst piece of junk I've ever seen. For no reason, it will suddenly tell you that "No device found" and you have to reinsert the USB key. Sometimes I load up Logic, try to load a VI and just get the beach ball. Sometimes I can only solve it by reinstalling the software (License Control Center).

    When copy protection interferes with workflow, it is time to change the scheme.

    Long live ILOK.


    TH
  • C
    C
    Is ILOK indisputaly better? (never tried it)

    So far I have had no problems with Sync.Soft. The VI is fairly slow loadup, but I dont know if thats the protection or the program.
  • T
    T
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    @Christian Marcussen said:

    Is ILOK indisputaly better? (never tried it)

    So far I have had no problems with Sync.Soft. The VI is fairly slow loadup, but I dont know if thats the protection or the program.


    ILok never causes me any problems, been using it since it came out. On the other hand, the Logic forum has had many comments about the License Control Software, as has this forum. It seems incredibly buggy.

    ILok has no software program that suddenly tells you it can't find the key, etc. Software vendors transfer a license and you download it to your iLOK and you are done, never hear another peep.

    TH
  • D
    D
    I think that the problem is iLok AND Syncrosoft. One or other is fine. There are people successfully running both but they say that they tend to run one from a powered hub and the other from another "pair" of USB ports. I am happy with Syncrosoft so far and have no desire to put the iLok virus on my system. I have virtually decided that I will use C/R for Altiverb when I get it.

    DG
  • G
    G
    I occasionally get the same frustrations as Tom described but that might only slow me down by 5 or 10 min and overall this will happen 2% of the time. So it's not that dramatic. But I'm also hoping for improvements in that area.
  • P
    P
    VSL is good with honest answers, but I never did get a response on why something as simple as a USB key needs all that time.

    Here's the same question in a different light: when I click on the License Control Center, I get a read-out of my licenses in about ten seconds. Why does it take two and a half minutes to perform the same USB query when I launch Logic?

    Both processes say they're scanning the key for licenses. So why does a Logic / VI launch need so much more time to scan when Syncrosoft's own LLC does it in ten seconds?

    Aye, these are questions for greater minds than mine.
  • cmC
    VSL Team
    cmC
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    let me step in here with some technical details (most of you will get bored about this though) ... USB is one of the worst protocols i've ever seen by design and additionally several *soups* have been cooked regarding the controllers.
    there is USB 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 2.1 - the last two are sloppily referred as USB 2 currently and eg. the first two generations of G5 had USB 2.0 only.
    you probably also don't know there are up to 4 different currency levels allowed for USB, nothing about that to be found in 95% of manuals and descriptions

    so there are 2 levels to take into consideration: the hardware level (how correct has a manufacturer converted the USB protocol for his hardware and taken care of backward compatibility) and the software level (how precise are the drivers for a specific or generic device written) - for both we find really much crap ....

    do you remember the problem with firewire with OSX 10.3 where harddrives have been destroyed? same type of mess. same to be found currently with FW800 PCI-X and PCI-e cards not taking much care on the specification ....

    we can duplicate a problematic situation with almost any USB 1.1 and 2.0 port and USB 2.1 hubs and this is not limited to the syncrosoft dongle ...

    from what i've heard syncrosoft is working hard on a workaround to overcome this issues which are system immanent and we might have to collect information about bad behaving controllers/devices which sometimes even ignore the protocol specifications (eg. to gather more bandwidth as designated)

    i know this is of no help, but intended to point out it doesn't make sense to simplify problems down to a *this or that is the worst crap* or something

    christian
    and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds.
  • T
    T
    Christian...thanks for that detailed explanation!

    But that is even more reason to puzzle at why VSL didn't go with iLOK.

    For instance, Pro Tools is in virtually every major studio in the world. It uses iLOK. If iLOK was crashing as much as this SLC USB thing, there would be a HUGE outflow of complaints, because studios can't be messing around with constant crashes, etc. Why must we keep reinventing the wheel when you already have something out there that works?

    Tom
  • J
    J
    Following the various Synchrosoft issues I'd certainly vote for the "switch to iLok" party.

    Julian
  • cmC
    VSL Team
    cmC
    tom, it is not about to re-invent a wheel. syncrosoft is a very reputable company known for reliable and stable drivers and software - and i'm sure steinberg didn't make their decision for syncrosoft just *bypassing*. i don't know why they decided to step to the 5.x.y.z version (possibly actually VSL was part of the decision) and possibly VSL is even part of the problem ... i really don't know.
    on the other hand i'm sure you all know what is cracked and what not and i could tell you also numerous stories about iLok crashing other drivers - i don't want to.
    for the records: our first idea and intention was to have even the software for the VI on the dongle (to allow an immediate start with vienna instruments) - this has become obsolete very quickly because USB is not reliable enough to allow garanteed bandwidth and latency for anything and no (protection-)device was/is available to meet the needs.
    we'd like to have something like the XSkey (even they can break under several circumstances) and i'm sure we will get to this point again very soon.

    on the side i'm looking for something like a *usb-sniffer* for both platforms to get at least some clue why it happens on some systems and not on others. the only system we have been able to reproduce the issue so far is a mirror door G4 (1.25) and the vienna key attached to a USB 2.1 hub.

    we'll keep you updated and listening to your observations, but - please - keep constructive
    christian
    and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds.
  • N
    N
    In all honesty, cm, I have to say that I've never experienced a single problem with any PACE protection *on Mac* in the decade and a half or maybe more I've been using it. That goes back to the floppy-based protection, C/R, iLok - not a single issue. And as a journalist who writes about this stuff, I've always had unrealistically vast combinations of software on my machines.

    PC maybe different, of course.

    That's not à propos the rest of this thread - I'm not arguing that you should switch to iLok, just reporting my experience.
  • D
    D
    Nick, have you ever had iLok and Syncrosoft on the same system in use at the same time? It would be useful to know, as I'm sure that I read that sometimes iLok was messing with Steinberg products on Mac.

    DG
  • N
    N
    Yes I have. I have had problems with Syncrosoft dongles on one of my G5s just with some Steinberg programs - and none with VSL so far - but removing the iLok didn't solve them. One of the programs I simply couldn't get working (Scarbee Imperial Drums XL) for months mysteriously started working one time and still does. The problems have been very strange, because the same dongle will work with some programs and not others, and all the Syncrosoft dongles I have work fine on XP machines.

    Syncrosoft was very helpful trying to work this out, and I don't want to sound nasty or accusative. It could be something to do with this particular machine, or with Syncrosoft, Steinberg, something else, or some combination of the above.
  • D
    D
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    @Nick Batzdorf said:

    Yes I have. I have had problems with Syncrosoft dongles on one of my G5s just with some Steinberg programs - and none with VSL so far - but removing the iLok didn't solve them. One of the programs I simply couldn't get working (Scarbee Imperial Drums XL) for months mysteriously started working one time and still does. The problems have been very strange, because the same dongle will work with some programs and not others, and all the Syncrosoft dongles I have work fine on XP machines.

    Syncrosoft was very helpful trying to work this out, and I don't want to sound nasty or accusative. It could be something to do with this particular machine, or with Syncrosoft, Steinberg, something else, or some combination of the above.

    OK, next thought. Were any of your Syncrosoft problems happening when the DAW was Synchrosoft protected e.g. Cubase/Nuendo? What I'm wondering is whether the iLok system interferes with Syncrosoft, vice versa or both. I'm not trying to put you on the spot, but you are in a very good position to have tried various permutations over the years. I do know that people running Nuendo have often been fine with the dongle until Altiverb and the iLok entered the system.

    DG
  • N
    N
    No, this applied to stand-alone and AU versions inside Logic.
  • V
    V
    I'm running both Ilok and Sunco now, and no problems... so far. [[;)]]
  • S
    S
    all of a sudden i get a "no licenses installed" when i start VI standalone though the key is plugged in properly, has all licenses installed on it etc.
    the licenses for other vsti which ar on it run fine

    this is all a little pain up the paying users a..

    i have not half as much usb ports as i have dongles lying around here
    some already broken as i constantly hit them with my feet if they are plugged into the front usb port of my G5 which is under the table.

    don't get me wrong but i agree that copy protection sucks if it's a major
    pain in the workflow, be it loading times or other problems.

    what do i do now?