Updated: A PACE Anti-Piracy official has officially requested that we remove an image of the iLok product. While they asked not to be publicly quoted, they have challenged the technical accuracy of Adam’s blog post, saying they don’t believe their product caused the Blue Screen of Death. If PACE chooses to release an official reply, we will share it.

The debate over copy protection in music software and anti-piracy tactics continues to heat up. Now Adam Schabtach of Audio Damage, the popular plug-in developer, has fired off a call for a boycott of products that use PACE and the iLok hardware dongle. And that means that Waves is again a target, in this case because Adam himself had technical difficulties resulting from the copy protection scheme. But here’s his argument: the problem isn’t copy protection per se, it’s that developers have to cede control to a third party when the technology breaks.

This points up the biggest problem with PACE: if something goes really wrong, the maker of the PACE-wrapped product can’t help you. They didn’t invent PACE, they can’t fix bugs in PACE, they often don’t even know enough about PACE to troubleshoot it (which is not so much a reflection of their ignorance but of the sheer arcane complexity of PACE and the amount of information about it which its makers do not release even to their customers). Their only recourse is to tell you to wipe your hard drive bare and start again. This is one of many reasons that Audio Damage doesn’t use PACE: we want to help our customers make music, and we don’t want to be in a position in which we have to say “sorry, can’t help you” if something goes wrong with one of our products. Of course, unlike Audio Damage, Waves doesn’t offer a money-back guarantee for their products, so in the end I was stuck with software I’d paid for but couldn’t use.

Adam just doesn’t like copy protection, right? Well, no, in fact. The issue is that while PACE fails to stop piracy (something admitted by Waves themselves as they sue studios around the world for millions of dollars), PACE did succeed in stopping Adam from using his software:

I went to the Waves website, logged in to my account, downloaded the latest installer, and retrieved my iLok from the shelf upon which it was gathering dust. I backed up my hard drive (”once bitten, twice shy” and I’ve been bitten way more than once by PACE), launched the installer, and held my breath. The installer almost immediately informed me that it had to restart my PC, so I let it. It launched itself automatically after the PC rebooted, started the installation process, and then my good faith and efforts were rewarded with [a Windows Blue Screen of Death].

… A PC running Windows puts this up when something goes really, really wrong and the OS makes the unilateral decision to bring all proceedings to a halt in order to prevent further mishap. Seeing this screen is the computer equivalent of seeing your car deploy its airbags.

The final analysis:

PACE doesn’t stop piracy; any copy-protection system can, and will be, defeated. What PACE does do is prevent legitimate users of software products from using products which they’ve paid for.

Why I Boycott Products That Use PACE/iLok (and Why You Should, Too)

PACE/iLok is the leading provider of this kind of copy protection, so I expect we may hear a response. If I can get a statement from them, I’ll post that soon. But I will say, Adam is not alone in his frustration. Developers will continue to make the choices they feel are right for their business, which is their prerogative — but it’s likewise the choice of their customers to vote with their wallets. I do know users who are perfectly comfortable with iLok. Let us know how you feel, and whether copy protection has influenced your purchasing decisions.

Updated: Note that we’re talking about two different kinds of copy protection offered by PACE. One is the PACE software protection, which does not use a hardware dongle (or “hardware key” as PACE prefers to call it). The other is the iLok.

Already, readers are split: we’ve got Max/MSP users (myself included) who haven’t had problems with PACE software protection, and even some iLok hardware users who haven’t been bothered. But there are some strong arguments against the hardware dongles, to the point of cutting into sales, something developers may want to watch closely. Keep the feedback coming.

I’ve been hearing a number of reports that the Mac OS X 10.4.9 update causes significant issues with some Audio Unit plug-ins, including those from popular developers Audio Damage and Ohmforce. (See Analog Industries blog for a comment thread and reports on Audio Damage; there’s also discussion on the Core Audio developer list which I hope will yield some revelations. Update: Note that Audio Damage is having only development issues; their plug-ins will work just fine if you’re a user.) This update apparently installs yet another version of the AU validator, which could be one clue. Apple has also made significant changes to QuickTime in recent releases, which can also cause issues with audio software in some cases.

Your best bet: don’t install the updates the Software Update recommends unless you can easily go back to the previous version. And hold off on 10.4.9 for now.

Users and developers are understandably angry with Apple: rather than bundle updates together, Apple has been making lots of minor changes in successive updates, and developers too often find about changes after things break. That’s especially problematic when the changes are being made to an API like AU — the whole point is supposed to be providing a solid platform for developers. Apple either needs to adjust the way it rolls out updates or communicate better with its developers. Be aware, as well, that the upcoming 10.5 upgrade is an enormous release; I expect you may want to wait for updates to catch up with that when it comes out (when that is, no one knows).

Now, no Windows vs. Mac arguments, please: the bottom line is, developers are having a rougher time than they should on both platforms. (On the Vista side, what I’ve heard from developers is that they had the same difficulties the rest of us did — it was tough to get test systems up and running because of new compatibility and driver issues, so it was hard to test in advance.) Updates and the resulting bugs are a necessary evil, but there’s clearly room for improvement on both the Apple and Microsoft side that could result in a healthier, happier platform for everyone.

Audio Damage, the indie plug-in developers who keep churning out some of our favorite plug-ins, do love to tease their fans with screen shots of their software in-development. The latest is something called Replicant:

Teaser… Pt. 3

Like Beat Repeat in Ableton Live , Replicant performs some automatic slicing and dicing of incoming audio with randomization, so you can stutter, shuffle, and scramble drum tracks and other audio material. Unlike Beat Repeat, Replicant will have “a much more comprehensive timing mechanism, resonant filters, pan position, bit reduction, and more sophisticated randomization features.”

Beat Repeat certainly has its detractors. I happen to be a fan — not initially, but after I spent some time sorting the interface. But I’ve been longing for another tool to do some of the things Beat Repeat can’t. This could fit the bill. It also inspires me to spend some time with Reaktor working on other audio processing ideas.

And, of course, we love replicants. (I think I’ll name my next Reaktor patch Cylon Hybrid.)

[tags]previews, beta, software, plug-ins, Mac, Windows, Audio-Damage, effects[/tags]

Despite the embarassment of riches that is available effect plug-ins, sometimes an effect is special enough that, on its own, it becomes a favorite. If you feel like there’s a gap in your reverb collection, Audio Damage’s new Reverence could become one of those plug-ins.

Classic vintage digital reverbs were capable of unique, rich plate simulations unlike any other kind of reverb. (Yes, digital hardware is now old enough to be called vintage.) You’ve probably already used a preset that attempts to recreate this sound, but if you’re using the typical reverb bundled in your DAW, the results are often downright awful. Many convolution reverbs include lush sampled plates, some of them even recorded from impulse files of digital gear, but a convolution interface is rarely the best way to control these effects and this technique is tremendously CPU costly. There’s hardware like the Lexicon MPX series, but most of us want plug-ins.

Reverence is the new plug-in from Audio Damage built specifically as an emulation of digital ‘verbs of yore. (The front panel recalls the Lexicon 200.) I’ve been throwing it into mixes since a pre-release version came out last week. While I’ve generally trimmed down the number of plug-ins I use, this one has fast become essential.

Audio Damage is continuing to do its bit to recreate classic vintage effects that fall under the radar of the larger plug-in developers. The Phase Two, an incredibly accurate recreation of the Mutron Bi-Phase, may be its most ambitious yet.

The Bi-Phase is the sound of the seventies, known for its stereo phasing capability, and has been used by everyone from Frank Zappa to Smashing Pumpkins. Phase Two features two separately controllable 6-stage phasers that can be routed in series or parallel, for everything from subtle phasing and flanging to the sound of a jet aircraft leaving the runway.

The cel-shaded interface is accurate to the original, including the footswitch and, as usual from Audio Damage, everything is MIDI controllable and learnable. An extra CC, which takes the place of the “Opti-Pedal” in the original unit can be used to manually sweep phaser frequencies with a MIDI controller, such as a mod wheel or aftertouch.

Pricing: US$49
Compatibility: Mac VST/AU, Windows VST

Ed: Just got my copy and will be playing with it while I’m on the road at NAMM — more soon! -PK

One of our favorite plugin developers has just launched a recreation of one of the greatest filters of all time. It’s the 907A Fixed Filter Bank, which recreates the classic filter bank on the Moog Modular synth’s 907A module. If you haven’t had the chance to play with a real 907A, there are plenty of reasons to appreciate this elegant design with or without the nostalgia factor. The 907A is just a simple array of useful filter knobs: high pass, low pass, and eight 24 dB filters at fixed points. The design was so useful that many Moog Modular users patch external audio through the 907A module, just to take advantage of its great design and sound.

As usual, Audio Damage has been nice enough to make all of this MIDI controllable and learn-able. Fixed knobs + MIDI learn = easy performance with filters. It sounds great, and the price is right. What are you waiting around here for? Go enjoy it!

Pricing: US$29
Compatibility: Mac VST/AU, Windows VST

Suffering from effects overload? Effects, effects everywhere and never quite the one you need? Check out Ronin,
the new multi-effects rack from Audio Damage. The idea is to combine
everything you might need into a single, "bucket brigade" package for
analog-style delays, chorusing, flanging, and destruction, with:

• Synced delays with pitch, infinite loop, reverse, feedback modes, for subtle delays or wild tape echoes
• Multi-mode filters
• Sync-able LFOs
• Tube saturation
• Powerful routing matrix
• Envelope follower
• MIDI control of everything
• Optimized performance

Sadly, no AU yet. I'll report back once I get my grubby hands on this.

Compatibility: Mac/Win VST
Cost: US$69
Availability: Now; demo available