My stimulus check came today and so I decided to take some of it and get EWQL Hollywood Orchestra Diamond + Solo for $586. I had one reservation which has stopped me before - I am not a big fan of machine specific security - either software or hardware and I am not a big fan of any sort of dongle. Many vendors understand that their customers are sometimes in the office and sometimes on the road and so they license their products for two machines even if they implement security. So AVID with Sibelius has a two machine license and you need to remove a license to use a third entity (or if you plan to reload your machine/OS). One of the reasons I initially did not look at Steinberg Dorico when it came out was it was licensed to a single machine and as I recollect, you had to transfer the license back and forth between a desktop and laptop. Turns out EWQL (like Vienna VSL which I stayed away from for the same reason) is a single machine license - either security on the machine or via a USB dongle which nowadays most often comes as an iLok3 (I purchased one today for $37.48). You can just use the iLok3 all the time on all the machines and save the hassle of keep moving the security back and forth either to the machine and/or to the iLok3. But if you an all the time iLock3 person, it will taking up a USB and right now I have 4 in the front of my desktop and 3 are in use all the time. My laptop has a total of 4 and 2 are in use.
I lived through this as far back as the old Gigastudio 4 sampler which Tascam required a USB dongle to run the sampler. I often quickly left the studio and forgot the dongle and hence was unable to demo my products. Also, where I go does not always have Internet access (like a plane or a country retreat). So if I give up the security on the desktop, I have to put it on an iLok3 or transfer it up and back to the laptop while still at the studio. Again, an extra 'step' to remember before I leave.
Now samples are data (the 'sampler' is the software) and not software but they are still 'intellectual property' and hence the need for the vendors to have security. My personal opinion is I'm OK with security as long as the default purchase is a two machine license. I am not a large company - I do not plan on using the desktop and laptop at the same time. Vendors are going to implement security to minimize piracy. I am not go to stand on the tracks in front of an oncoming train. But they need to provide a paradigm to provide a two machine license. I willing to pay a bit extra if necessary but not twice as much.
