iLok - Can anyone school me?

duotone

Now that I am getting my head a bit more around Reaper (DAW) I was hoping to get an iLok, so that I would be able to trial & buy some more plugins.

First of all I wanted to trial the LiquidSonics Seventh Heaven reverb plug-in.  https://www.liquidsonics.com/software/seventh-heaven/

But I’m confused with what to buy, it says that I will work with iLok 2 or 3. So as a new user, in my shoes would you buy the 2 or 3 model?

Anything else that I should know about iLoks? as I have never used them before.  Have only bought one Waves plugin & EZDrummer2 so far, which don’t require an iLok.

I’m new to this but appreciate your help...Cheers!

guitarfishbay

I have one of each.  IMO just get the latest one, it's smaller.  

They can both run the same plugin licenses as far as I'm aware.  

andy_k

3 is just the latest, vast improvement over the previous ones, will last a lifetime.--just DONT lose it.
I try and keep a version of reaper on my laptop with no plugins that require an I lok, just less to worry about.
All my paid stuff, pro-tools, slate , and others lives on my macbook, which usually stays at home.
Anything that uses i-lok plugins etc gets rendered to a wav file, which means i can use the track on my mobile setup, works for me.

stuartryanmusic

Seventh Heaven is a stunning reverb, you’ll love it! 

duotone

Thanks @guitarfishbay , @andy_k ;

duotone

stuartryanmusic said:

Seventh Heaven is a stunning reverb, you’ll love it! 

Yeah, from the website & Youtube videos I’ve seen it looks very good.  Most likely will go for the cheapest model $69, it should be more than enough for my use.

Heartfeltdawn

duotone said:

stuartryanmusic said:

Seventh Heaven is a stunning reverb, you’ll love it! 

Yeah, from the website & Youtube videos I’ve seen it looks very good.  Most likely will go for the cheapest model $69, it should be more than enough for my use.

It really is. I bought the full version last time Liquidsonics had a sale. Astoundingly good reverb, sold it because it's way more than I really need. I'll pick up the smaller version at the next sale as it'll be down to $49 for owners of Reverberate like myself (which works beautifully alongside Seventh Heaven). 

octatonic

I have a bunch of iLok 2's- I had a 3 when I was at SSL but I won't use them on my own system.

I'm going argue against the 3rd generation iLok if you are going to use it with a portable.
They are really, really strong, way stronger than the 2nd generation.

So when it gets any sort of impact damage it won't break, but your USB port will and this will cost more money to fix then replacing the iLok and having your iLok licenses reissued.

If you do get an iLok 3 then avoid plugging it directly into your laptop- use a dongle or a USB hub.

I would definitely go for Zero Downtime and TLC.

duotone

octatonic said:

I have a bunch of iLok 2's- I had a 3 when I was at SSL but I won't use them on my own system.

I'm going argue against the 3rd generation iLok if you are going to use it with a portable.
They are really, really strong, way stronger than the 2nd generation.

So when it gets any sort of impact damage it won't break, but your USB port will and this will cost more money to fix then replacing the iLok and having your iLok licenses reissued.

If you do get an iLok 3 then avoid plugging it directly into your laptop- use a dongle or a USB hub.

I would definitely go for Zero Downtime and TLC.

Cheers!  I'll only be using it at home, but I'll have a look into it.

Looks like BAX Shop is the cheapest atm (£39)... https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/dongle/pace-ilok-3-usb-dongle-license-manager . I assume thats its exactly the same product as ordering direct from (USA based) https://www.ilok.com/#!home ?

wave100

I have a couple of plugs that use iLok - for some reason I seem to be able to do software authentication so no dongle required - lucky as I don't have any spare USB ports!

guitarfishbay

I think some software can be authorised to a computer with an iLok account.  But it's not all software, some require the physical key.