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RealBand
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I recall some discussion quite a while back in time -- more than two or three years --, where somebody of PG Staff said something like: "We don't mind a second installation if it is the same user." The wording was definitely different and acknowledging that one is working on a desktop at home, but away from home, like on a stage or in a hotel room, it might be used by the same individual on a second computer. Sometimes it is inconvenient to carry an extra external disk, like if you're working on battery these things consume quite some time's worth of energy. that makes sense, and it would be in PGMusic's advantage to allow this on the same person's machines. Having said that, it would be less confusing if the very first line in the EULA did not say something that is intuitively interpreted to mean something else. (I'd be surprised if their lawyers would endorse the idea of changing the EULA's wording) Getting back to the idea of 3 installations: lets say you have BIAB/RB installed on 3 different computers, because you can. If any one of them needs to be replaced, you've already used up your 3 installations. Hard drive failures don't usually give you the opportunity to unregister software first. Technically, you'd have to purchase another 3 installations. For the person who upgrades every year, probably not a big deal.. but the likelihood of this scenario happening increases once you skip an upgrade and you're trying to keep 3 installations going as long as possible without spending new money.
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RealBand
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Joined: Dec 2000
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From what I understand when the authentication feature was introduced, if your computer crashes and needs to be replaced/reformatted/re-installed/etc, and you don't have any other authorizations, you can call PGMusic and they'll take care of you. If your computer happens to do that every week, I imagine they'll probably be less forgiving after the 2nd or 3rd time.
John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)
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RealBand
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Joined: Apr 2009
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I've had and still have a number of programs and VST's that have a limited number of authorizations. Between crashes and other issues through the years, I had used them up.
A simple call in one case to the tech support folks and an email to the other got me a reset on the registrations. The one company was working with me to sort out some problems and had to reset the 2 auths several times throughout the process.
Often a simple request to the tech support dept will get you back up and running.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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RealBand
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Joined: Oct 2008
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whereas all that's true... most companies have little incentive to play hard ball with their repeat customers... the intent of my post was to determine the letter of the law... for my own conscience's sake. Mission accomplished. Power Tracks is now bought and installed. I'm a happy camper. I like this company a lot and I am happy to buy their products.
If PGMusic wants to interpret the spirit of the law in the most gracious manner possible, That's great.
I think this boils down to "don't ask, don't tell"
If they reply to this thread and publicly make a statement that undermines their EULA in any way, it could come back to bite them later. I sincerely doubt that people who have 2 simultaneous installations will be getting a cease and desist letter from PGMusic's attorney.
But I think its worth noting that after YEARS of having NO registration or copy protection of any kind, they have recently made the decision to add a registration process. Why would they do that?
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RealBand
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Joined: May 2000
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As the world progresses and bitTorrent gets bigger, along with the undernet, security/accountability becomes more and more of a concern. Prior to required activation many versions of BB could be posted and downloaded/ran by hundreds of users. That is not a good business practice eventually.
Having PatX activate it on 5 machines sharing a single IP (obviously your home network) is much different than 50 copies all reporting a different IP (all 100s of miles apart).. or an establishment running 30 copies on various machines .. or ..
They needed to implement 'something' just to keep track.
PGMusic figured 3 was fair. I have no problem with that. Yes the old license said 1, but there was no enforcement.
They've also stated they can assist if more are needed. What more do you want?
I'll be honest; prior to activation I had PT/RB on 4 machines here, and one at the studio. They never ran at the same time, which implies I could go through the trouble of uninstalling it on system A to use on C, then removing it on system C to use on B etc
PGMusic is very gracious in license use .. they don't want to force you to remove/re-install constantly. So if you are honest with them they are very likely to accommodate.
None of the above is sanctioned by PGMusic, only rharv personal experience in the many years I've used their products.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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RealBand
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Joined: Jun 2012
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Great points you make rharv.
I also want to make it clear that I am in no way wanting to challenge PGM or their EULA.
I just want to know if they are either comfortable or uneasy that one licensed user could install it on two different computers, and obviously only use one or the other at any given time. That's the model that works for me, and to uninstall / reinstall would be quite ridiculous.
Our company sells several software products. One of them is most commonly used on a laptop/portable device as it's used in the field. The software has to be registered for all functions to work. We have no problem with the same user installing and registering on a desktop also. It makes for a convenient and versatile way to operate. We know that and they know that. Accordingly, even though they purchased one copy, we have never knocked back a request for additional registrations. Everyone's happy.
I'm hoping PGM see it this way also.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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RealBand
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Again, I can't speak for PGMusic, only from my experience ..
In my experience their basic stance is the same as you described. The activation was meant to counter abuse, not inhibit use by regular everyday (legit) users.
If you are a legit licensed user I wouldn't worry about it. And if you have an issue, talk to them. They are very reasonable.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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RealBand
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RealBand
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I've written to PGM Support asking them to clarify once and for all if simultaneous activations for the one user are allowed or expressly denied.
Will provide feedback here.
Trev
All I can advise at this point in time is that I have received no response from PGM. Will let you know if that changes. FYI Trevor PS: And apologies that this thread inadvertently got hijacked...
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
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