Looks like every couple months
1 Like
It seems to be about every six months.
I experienced this with the most recent set of plugins they released and it was a big part of why I decided to move away from them. Not to mention the specs on their machines can barely run more than a couple instances of the plugins before running out of resources anyway.
Iām done with Akai. I sold my Live a few months ago and my Force not long after. The company is great about updating products but the updates are fairly unstable and the foresight just isnāt there upon release, which means they try to shoehorn features into one of the most convoluted interfaces Iāve ever used which makes accomplishing anything beyond basic a huge hassle.
The Force is like trying to use Ableton Live through a Push hooked up to a Leapfrog Tablet.
1 Like
thats not that bad, pointless, but not bad enough to write a petition.
I obviously disagree.
I own plugins that donāt run anymore on newer computers/osāsā¦ while not great, itās understandable and Iāve made the choice to upgrade my computer/os.
None of those plugins will āexpireā if I maintain said computer and os.
However, if Akai stops maintaining those servers, stops supporting this current line of MPCs or Plugins or just closes itās doors all together, these paid for plugins will stop working all together with no recourse and no options for the supposed owners of these plugins.
You donāt need to agree nor sign, but I definitely think this is worth creating a petition so I did.
6 Likes
maybe i have resigned myself to accepting that this is the tech landscape that has been adopted and theres no point in fighting it. the only way to win is to not participate imo
1 Like
No, itās more frequent than that. I bought the plugin suite and had this issue w/in 3-4 weeks of installation.
The Akai Support rep didnāt exactly confirm but he said he believed it was every 90 days. Iāve also read on some forums that the āexpirationā certificates found in the plugins (this dude was hacking in via SSH and a custom firmware) seem to reach out around the same time frame.
So, itās possible you could buy the plugin on day 88 since the last ācheck inā and after 2 or so days, your plugins will deactivate.
I canāt personally verify any of this but if the latter is true, it just shows (imo) how poor the planning for this new policy was. You would think having all systems check in around the same time would put a lot of stress on the serverā¦ but again, this is all hear-say at this point.
A couple of people who have a bit of sway (maybe) or at least some direct contact with Akai have tried to reach out to them. Iām waiting to hear if they have received a response.
At the very least, I hope the petition gets Akaiās attention and forces them to at least clarify the policy in some formal way.
Just signed! Thanks for making the petition. What a stupid moneygrab
3 Likes
No, but every now and then you have to.
1 Like
Oh ffs, thatās incredibly bad.
I mean what AKAI does is horrible, but Roland basically invented synthesizers with DRM with their zencore patch/model licensing system on hardware. So Roland should get as much heat as AKAI/InMusic IMHO.
These manufacturers are crazy, they are willing to put in jeopardy future growth with short term profit schemes. I hear people claim āwell this isnāt a subscriptionāā¦ yetā¦ itās obviously a slippery slope.
I think it makes no sense to sign a petition. this is not a mistake, this is a crazy company you donāt want to have any relationship with
Buy an Octatrack, itās successor might be evil too, the world is getting crazy
1 Like
I donāt wanna jinx myself but this is just the kind of corporate shenanigans that NI would pull and is probably scheming to do.
If my Maschine+ requires checking in over internet or monthly payments, Iām f*cking OUT of that ecosystem.
Subscriptions and micropayments are the thin end of the wedge and Iām not some sort of Info Wars Q Anon Shaman for merely wanting to own that which I pay for once.
2 Likes
They have been pretty good about giving the customers what they want, I believe this issue will be changed pretty fastā¦ thru know word of mouth is the bread and butter of their business. Thru are about to try and sell new mpcās as well as plug ins, so they need to get on this quick if they want them to be a successā¦ and Iām sure they doā¦
3 Likes
For any other audio hardware and software manufacturers reading this thread: I will never buy your product if it requires an internet connection for ongoing use. I can live with one time authentication, after that I should be able to use my tools in my studio, off grid, in a submarine or on the ISS as I see fit, without having to check in with nanny.
No cloud, no SaaS monthly rental fees. No exceptions.
12 Likes
THIS.
i considered adding some Akai groovebox to my collection, but wonāt anymore.
5 Likes
Lack of licensing faff is one of the things that I like about hardware. Even with my modest collection of DAW plugins I still often find that I need to reactivate something, or I deleted something without realising and need to find login details so I can redownload it - and of course many plugins have a limitted number of downloads or seat licenses. Thatās one of the major draws of hardware, is itās tangible and without such a ballache.
An MPC that requires license management is like an April fools joke.
8 Likes
Youāll realise you fucked up by purchasing hardware that uses activations, thatās what 
Correct, so perhaps you should crowd-fund a prosecution to deal the bastards a reality check?
1 Like
Reason has gone the reasonable route and allowed their users to choose between SaaS, stand alone product with internet connectivity or stand alone product with one time activation. I imagine weāll see more companies go with this model.
1 Like