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Author Topic: Why eLicenser needed with hybrid keyboards? (EXPERIENCE)  (Read 6169 times)

mikefellh

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Why eLicenser needed with hybrid keyboards? (EXPERIENCE)
« on: May 20, 2011, 11:46:45 am »
(Since there's no search feature, I couldn't see if this question has been asked already, something else you need here!)

When you buy one of the "EXPERIENCE" combination software and keyboard controller, why is this eLicenser nonsense even needed? 

After all, to make use of the software you need the hardware, and without the software the hardware is useless, right? 

Why not have the optional dongle ALREADY embedded in the hardware of the keyboard, so no mater which computer you have the keyboard plugged into it would detect the attached keyboard when you run the software and you'd be oblivious to this eLicenser nonsense!

Example, both my Korg and M-Audio Venom software checks to see if the keyboard is attached when starting up, wouldn't it make sense that Arturia's products do the same as well (if you are using one of Arturia's keyboard controllers)?

Am I making too much sense here?  Even my camera software checks to see if I have one of their camera's attached.  If I don't have one of their camera's attached, the software doesn't run.  It would just reduce the frustration of your customers if you embedded the USB dongle with the specific eLicenser already installed for the specific software.

If the customer wants to run the software WITHOUT the keyboard, THEN the eLicenser nonsense should come into play, but not when I'm already using it with hardware (Arturia keyboard controller) which proves I'm a legit user of the product!

artpunk

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Re: Why eLicenser needed with hybrid keyboards? (EXPERIENCE)
« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2011, 12:17:40 pm »
(Since there's no search feature, I couldn't see if this question has been asked already, something else you need here!)...
Why not have the optional dongle ALREADY embedded in the hardware of the keyboard, so no mater which computer you have the keyboard plugged into it would detect the attached keyboard when you run the software and you'd be oblivious to this eLicenser nonsense!

Example, both my Korg and M-Audio Venom software checks to see if the keyboard is attached when starting up, wouldn't it make sense that Arturia's products do the same as well (if you are using one of Arturia's keyboard controllers)?

Am I making too much sense here?  Even my camera software checks to see if I have one of their camera's attached.  If I don't have one of their camera's attached, the software doesn't run.  It would just reduce the frustration of your customers if you embedded the USB dongle with the specific eLicenser already installed for the specific software.

If the customer wants to run the software WITHOUT the keyboard, THEN the eLicenser nonsense should come into play, but not when I'm already using it with hardware (Arturia keyboard controller) which proves I'm a legit user of the product!



That's a very relevant observation! (& question)
 I'm looking at picking up the factory experience but realise I will need to shell out another (approx) $50 Australian for a steinberg key. (if I wish to use the keyboard/software away from my desktop computer)

P.S. There's a forum search on the left sidebar (at least on my screen) underneath your welcome *username* section...
« Last Edit: May 25, 2011, 12:19:38 pm by artpunk »
Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not truth. Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love. Love is not music. Music is the best…
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Koshdukai

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Re: Why eLicenser needed with hybrid keyboards? (EXPERIENCE)
« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2011, 06:53:48 pm »
but not when I'm already using it with hardware (Arturia keyboard controller) which proves I'm a legit user of the product!

Well... I agree with all you say (I'm a user, so it makes all the sense from a user point of view).

But, keep in mind that this to really work, Arturia would need to embed eLicenser chips or (unlikely and undesirably) their own crypto validation protocol into each controller if they want to be sure that a "middle-man" workaround won't defeat their software protection.

Meaning... if MIDI only comms are used to simply know that it's an Arturia controller (this already works for auto detection purposes), that MIDI stream can be easily tampered with, so they would need to go into a lower level of USB comms to validate this and... here comes the encripted part of the deal, usually dealt by eLicenser drivers+chips.



But yeah, they could do what Line 6 does with their line of Software+Hardware where the hardware works as the "dongle".
« Last Edit: May 25, 2011, 06:55:49 pm by Koshdukai »

 

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