Copy Protection: Dongles, Authorizations, Passwords, and mor

Louie lou wrote:who wants to really buy all of these pieces when you already have the most buggy (REN) available.

nukai wants you to want that!

It will be better if the software could act without the controller. When the Studio comes out, don't you think it would be convienent to leave the Ren in the studio and take the Studio on the road using the same software instead of buying two. Ren users will only have to buy the Studio controller. All Akai has to do is implement registry within the hardware.

Ill-Green wrote:It will be better if the software could act without the controller. When the Studio comes out, don't you think it would be convienent to leave the Ren in the studio and take the Studio on the road using the same software instead of buying two. Ren users will only have to buy the Studio controller. All Akai has to do is implement registry within the hardware.

You don't have to buy the software twice, you have to buy two pieces of hardware, there's no extra payment for the software....though it will be interesting to see how authorization works when interchanging the two (as i believe they have been intended to be used this way)

This is the one thing that annoys me the most about the MPC Ren at the moment.

It's a great device that will only get better with software, but being chained to the hardware only makes me use it less on commercial sessions.

Please sort this out Akai, I'm sure you can use another form of copy protection?, heck even Pro Tools doesn't do this anymore.

You're directly competing with Maschine and even that allows me to use it with or without the controller which is convenient for editing on the fly with my laptop.

Please offer up a better solution as this restriction is seriously hampering my workflow as I cannot bring my work with me when I'm traveling between my home and commercial studios, I'm tired of firing up a Pro Tool session and clicking on my MPC drum track only to receive a "Hardware not connected error" which is a bummer as my MBP is always with me??.


I'd gladly take a password, iLok or Service Centre type deal over your current dongle paradigm.

I know you're protecting your software, but for the love of Roger Linn and all things holy please stop this DRM abuse it's Evil!!.

Retrofreak wrote:
Please sort this out Akai, I'm sure you can use another form of copy protection?, heck even Pro Tools doesn't do this anymore.

Pro Tools 10 uses a USB dongle + product registration. And if you don't register the product, that annoying registration popup will appear periodically even when you are not using Pro Tools. Even if you click the 'Never Register' option, you will still get that pop up.

JAH wrote:

Retrofreak wrote:
Please sort this out Akai, I'm sure you can use another form of copy protection?, heck even Pro Tools doesn't do this anymore.

Pro Tools 10 uses a USB dongle + product registration. And if you don't register the product, that annoying registration popup will appear periodically even when you are not using Pro Tools. Even if you click the 'Never Register' option, you will still get that pop up.

He's talking about hardware dongling, meaning your Pro Tools interface. Before Pro Tools 9, there was no iLok usage unless you used HD or M-Powered. I believe earlier versions used iLok, but versions 7 and 8 did not for the LE versions.

Just pointing out that Pro Tools 10 today uses a dongle. I seriously doubt any company that uses dongles for their products will reverse course and eliminate them.

JAH wrote:Just pointing out that Pro Tools 10 today uses a dongle. I seriously doubt any company that uses dongles for their products will reverse course and eliminate them.

Yes, but Pro Tools also doesn't have a computer limitation. You have infinite installs. Just needs an iLok to launch. Another product made by Avid is Torq, which has a 4 computer limit, but the software is not dongled to the hardware interface. I've never seen a piece of software use both of these protection methods on a single product like Ren does.

On another note, limiting the amount of computers on a version 1 of software is senseless anyway when the software is being dongled to the hardware. It's obvious that since it's still on v1 that everyone who has a Renaissance has a legit copy of the software. But like I said, I say keep the computer limits and scrap the hardware dongling!

Also, I shouldn't have to use the controller I bought with the software I registered it with. Meaning when I plug in a new Renaissance, it shouldn't tell me that the hardware is not the same one I used to register with. Who gives a shit? It's a legit piece of hardware. Shouldn't matter if it's not the same exact one I originally used. Just launch and let me work!

Personnally i don't mind too much the 4 computers limit but i'd like to be able to use the software without having to power on the hardware. I'd consider using a cracked version if needed.

It isn't the dongles or USB sticks that bother me in a software environment! It clicking around with a mouse that sucks! I bought the Ren cuz I want to use a dedicated hardware with the software. If it was about software then I would have gotten Geist or some other software with a mpd32. I mean ableton drum racks and a simply pad controller is so much more stable, advanced and well made it's a no brainer. But I wanted the mpc's sequencer with a dedicated controller for the workflow and the feel. I work in logic with dedicated controllers from composing, mixing, to mastering and tweaking without knobs, playing without keys, and drumming without the pads with software kills creativity for me no matter how powerful the software is. I prefer to have everything premapped to so I just hit power on like my hardware mpc and bang out.

I prefer the dedicated hardware/software combo. It keeps akai focus on the integration. Besides ableton and apc40 really showed me what a really well matched combo could do. And remember that maschine is the standard now the Ren has to match it at least.

Blue Haze wrote:It isn't the dongles or USB sticks that bother me in a software environment! It clicking around with a mouse that sucks! I bought the Ren cuz I want to use a dedicated hardware with the software.

+1

I want to be able to sort, chop and edit my library from my laptop without being enslaved to the hardware.

Yes the hardware is the ultimate controller and by far the best tool to use for performing and laying down my music, but for preparing my initial kits it is not.

Akai should at least give us the choice and in this respect the MPC REN could be considered standalone.

Blue Haze wrote:It isn't the dongles or USB sticks that bother me in a software environment! It clicking around with a mouse that sucks!

Way off topic. Can we please keep this thread dedicated to copy protection? Every other thread in this forum is dedicate to what 'sucks'.

JAH wrote:

Blue Haze wrote:It isn't the dongles or USB sticks that bother me in a software environment! It clicking around with a mouse that sucks!

Way off topic. Can we please keep this thread dedicated to copy protection? Every other thread in this forum is dedicate to what 'sucks'.

I beg to differ without the dedicated hardware virtual mpc would be no better than actually not as good as geist or any other software with third party controllers. But that is my two cents. Like others said before I tried it without the controller and it wasn't the same. Without the controller the whole project would suffer. But to each his own.

Yeah....but what does this have to do with the pros and cons of copy protection?