Legacy Products: Absynth, Vokator, Spectral Delay

Mark Wesse · 2024-11-17T22:47:36+00:00

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As a long time user of NI beginning in the last century and supporting with actual payment (not cracks), I spent a lot of time using and making NI stuff part of my "sound" on a professional level…not toying.
I know software is diff from hardware but the above are absolute essentials to that sound and speed, hence creativity when producing for clients.

This is so painful because Kore was an absolute masterpiece and there is nothing like it to replace (maybe Freestyle but its a long way behind)…I spent months mastering that and learning how to really integrate it…it was just soooo wild. Komplete Kontrol is a joke for serious professionals…just try a layer with more than one engine :(

Needless to say, because of this, I have not upgraded NI Komplete for a long time as im interested in art and not just preset surfing for the dopamine of a new discovery…although that can be fun, it wastes to much time rather than learning the tools deeply

So I understand it fully, esp in regards to absynth, how will use of that be implemented into the future (I dont upgrade often so will be using w10 for at least the next 4 years)

Has anyone else been able to keep using vokator and spectral delay? I have found nothing close to the calibre and uniqueness of these plugs

Posting here because they were parts of original Komplete bundles in my instance.

Cheers

EDIT: I have successfully JBridged Vokator, ran activation in NA and is confirmed but is still asking for activation when I try to open (in Cubase12/W10)?

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Scoops

So,

Whatever the NI sez, your best bet is to copy off whatever you need, and take the machine off line. Save the machine.

NI will do their best to make sure products offered in the past are not offered again.

NI is totally f'd, so protect your investment.

All comments

Vocalpoint

All of these products - including Absynth have been long retired. Including the authorization tool as well

Your screen cap is Native Access v1 which is also about to be shutdown in Feb 2025.

You may need to reach out to NI and see if they can somehow get you an offline authorization going somehow.

Mark Wesse

Thanks

So Ill go a ticket then to find out…

I still use MS20 and polysix…its amazing what you can still get out of them with some fx…the old NI stuff is still the same.

Kubrak

@Vocalpoint

@Mark Wesse

Absynth is not long time retired, it is just a bit more than 2 years. I haven´t tried, but Native Access should be able to authorise it. At least on Win.

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/191979#Comment_191979

Yes - Absynth still can be installed and authorized via NA 3.14+

But it is VST2 only.

Mark Wesse

Thanks

Sorry if not clear

Yes I'm still running absynth atm...I mean what about in 2 years?

Would be nice if, at end of life, products were 'freed' and had licensing removed

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/192116#Comment_192116

While it would be cool if old stuff were suddenly freed of licensing - that is not realistic.

Absynth had a very complicated history - one that was well documented if you look around the Internet. At the end of the day - it's business and only NI can decide what the end game looks like.

As far as 2 years or 5 years or whatever the future holds for any retired product - all I can say is get a solid machine with a solid (non-updatable OS), get the products you want authorized and then leave it alone like a time capsule. As long as you can keep it running - you should be good.

But do not make assumptions about being able to authorize any product at any time on any OS - especially ones that went dark in 2014. Companies retire software daily - that just the way it is.

If you want to stretch your investment to the max - that will be on you to maintain.

Mark Wesse

Of course its unlikely. I bought wizooverb, to this day still the most optimal solution...I purchased. When avid purchased and killed it, I was forced, against my conscience, to get a crack which is still powering today. Min CPU, flexible and absolute brilliance for mixers in surround. Sire there are lots of others but I don't expect vendors to give me something free...I paid for it. They are professional tools that only develop with time and become valuable..thankful I still have hardware.

Some peeps actually do this as a paid job and arent sitting siloed in a bedroom somewhere

Business has changed for ni and komplete kontrol is the very epitome of that..."live" keys that are useless (although at least Freestyle is decent 3rd party)

II had a closed box for 10 years with sx...you are right; prob my only choice

Cheer's

iNate

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/192116#Comment_192116

They don't do this because it can cannibalize newer [or even existing] products.

Valid business reason to let them die. That's what I would do.

If a product is out of development, discontinued and not open source… it's actually pretty dumb to continue to use it.

Divorce your emotions from these software applications. Absynth 5 (or whatever) not your wife.

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/192139#Comment_192139

Agreed with iNate.

Yes - we all "buy" these things - but all we are really buying is a "right" to use the product while it is viable and usable.

If (as iNate quite rightly describes it) - a product is out of development, discontinued and not open source… and you insist on continuing to try to score value from it - all you are doing is swimming against a rapidly tiring current - especially if the product activation mechanisms are defunct.

I look at software as a fleeting (AND very temporary) tool in the box and that's it.

It is truly worse that buying a new vehicle - as soon as you install it - it does not appreciate in value, retain any value and it's clock is ticking towards it's 100% guaranteed retirement until the next thing comes along.

This business (software) - is (and always has been) about the "next" thing - not the existing thing and most certainly not the "old" thing.

We can always try to extend our software investments as long as we possibly can like staying on a specific computer with a specific OS for as long as it will run.

But know that no vendor wants to devote any time, talent or resource to maintaining anything that has been retired or is close to it. It makes no sense as it takes them away from the next thing.

Mark Wesse

Yeah I get it

IIts just the point of always new is somehow better which as illustrated above is def not the case but I understand its about money and the context has gone from people mostly playing as vs mostly isolated peeps going for product and ego but ai has just about solved both. Over time I was still able to use generator models in realtor as well as stuff from eg 2001 so that has been satisfying.

Good idea about the time capsule...forgot about that

Im not emotional about it...they are paintbrushes that work so well and have years invested in them which as mentioned = creative extensions of the user/artist. That is the travesty, the negation of someone's (life)time.

Btw, it was my understanding that many esp earlier products at least came from/prototyped in generator/reaktor first?

I guess a diff in personal developmental history...one day I hope you might actually 'see' what I'm saying...but usually seeing the valuing of time doesn't happen until u become aware of eg your 60th birthday ahead. I have been passionately doing this since I was 16 and it all comes to an end. Make something memorable with the most artful expression of your DNA...just copying and following will bury you in the mire of mediocrity and the ocean of ai…

Kubrak

@Vocalpoint
Yes - we all "buy" these things - but all we are really buying is a "right" to use the product while it is viable and usable.

No, licence purchased is eternal, not till EOL. And NI is legaly obliged to provide authorisation or provide universal authorisation key. It is explicitly stated in older EULAs. In current EULA it is not so clear, but if NI stops authorising Absynth one day, I will go to legal battle.

I have Absynth licence with old EULA, so ….. No, go. Absynth forever.

Vocalpoint

"I guess a diff in personal developmental history...one day I hope you might actually 'see' what I'm saying...but usually seeing the valuing of time doesn't happen until u become aware of eg your 60th birthday ahead. I have been passionately doing this since I was 16 and it all comes to an end"

Oh trust me - I get it AND I see it. And I really value "time".

Been recording since I could get my hands on a Portastudio back in the very early 80's.

But with all that experience from then to now - I learned that my "art" is simply an expression of the way I am feeling on a given day using what I have at my disposal that given day. I have no idea whether I will use this same specific tool 5 or 11 years from now. Nor do I care. I do not get emotionally attached to anything in the toolbox (except maybe my DAW) and of course my guitars - but those are the only two true constants.

Everything else (software wise anyway) is already known to be expendable and will be retired. I would rather focus my energies on what I can/will create on a given day using what is available - rather then expend energy trying to justify an old purchase from 2014 or try and fight the inevitable passage of time by wasting it trying to authorize some dinky app I used 8 years ago.

I am just fine with letting things go. I would rather just be creating to be honest.

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/192672#Comment_192672

Have fun reading old EULAs and funding your legal battles - no one is going to stop you.

Kubrak

I have read EULA. And so did you. I have posted it here some time ago, when we had discussion on similar topics.

And concerning the legal battle. No problem to use Consumer's protection organisation legal service. It is for free.

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/192678#Comment_192678

I could care less about the EULA - pretty much none of them hold any water anywhere - especially in Europe.

In Germany, EULAs are only valid if known to the customer before purchase. Have fun proving that.

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