How does ASC work with offline or intermittent network computers?

Utilities Arturia Software Center
#1

I have recently purchased the complete V collection. However it feels like there are some functionality that seemed a bit off for me. Now I don’t know if this was somerthing with my MacBook or if this is a known issue. The MacBook is used on and off network connectivity. I had initially installed ASC and loaded AnalogLab, Piano 3 and Mini 4. When directly connected to the internet it works fine. But when the laptop is offline, loading any of the plug-ins either failed or took 3-5 seconds to finally decide to load…

Is this considered normal? I remember that the ASC is supposed to work with offline setups. Is it that I am installing the software wrong? Should I be forcing the laptop to be offline with no internet possible connection to setup the software so that it will work in this mode properly, and during the times that I am connected to the internet that we just hope it just ignores that no online part and doesn’t break a working setup?

Is this a sort of issue that I need to get Arturia support involved with or is there some good working method to get acceptable results?

1 Like
#2

Thanks for bringing this up, this made me really angry over the past week :rage:

Same here, and I can’t really figure out a pattern behind it.
There’s things like you said (“… loading any of the plug-ins either failed or took 3-5 seconds to finally decide to load…”) and what I’m having very often is that standalone versions aren’t launching, I got a blank white GUI and it stays like that forever. All I can do is to manually kill the process via TaskManager (I’m on Windows 10).

As mentioned I can’t see a pattern, how it’s really related to if or when you’re connected to the internet (or not). What I know for sure that it’s driving me nuts :crazy_face:
And what I think is relatively safe to say is that it’s only that crazy since I’ve updated ASC to the latest version (think I did that on Monday).
Before that I only had occasional issues, but it was far away from what’s going on right now.

For my part I decided to do this:
Uninstall everything (that isn’t related to Arturia hardware) and de-activate the licenses (via the account, using a good old browser)
Then reinstall while offline and treat it if it was a computer that is completely offline. In other words using the offline activation and run ASC only in offline mode afterwards.
Having the licensing locally stored on the computer will hopefully stop that crap.

Now, I have to mention that I don’t have that many Arturia plugins (around 10). Doing a complete reinstall with the V collection (and possibly more plugins) surely is a different beast…
That said, doing it with around 10 plugins is already a procedure that takes some time and effort, hence I haven’t done it yet.
So at that point I can’t tell if it’s going to work out well and fix that stuff.

#3

PigmentsNoLoad

#4

Hi,

Have you tried an OFFLINE activation?

It can take time for Arturia Software Center (ASC) to load. But it’s not needed to open ASC to validate products that’s already activated.

#5

actually we are not really
talking about ASC at an application. but all the arturia instruments require asc to run. you cannot install for example V_Piano3 on your computer then uninstall asc.

the issue we are talking about is that with the most recent update to ASC that now the instruments in my on my mac running both internal at an AU plugin or using the external loader now take much longer to load and sometimes just fail to load.

Now if i do something off the books like delete ASC and then reinstall an older version of V_Piano build 45xx (rather than the current build 51xx) that will install an old version of ASC, then go into my system settings and turn of ASC from having permission to run in the background., then it works fine. won’t work with the new Keylab mk3 and might be missing features and bug fixes but loads without a hiccup.

but it’s not just Piano that does it. every one of the arturia instruments have random issues so it is likely the one common element between them is the new ASC copy protection scheme that is overly aggressive and perhaps not very well written.

#6

I hope there are some optimizing going on at Arturia, that deal with load time, activation windows at load and close time. I think mostly around 3-4 seconds.
We are some that have reported issues like this in the community for some time, if that’s what you mean.

I can suggest you contact Arturia for more info and to report your issue.

#7

Perhaps I’ve misunderstood the problem (and I’m on a Windows PC), but when offline all my V-Collection X plugins load almost instantaneously. No matter if I load them into DAW software, or run the standalone plugin.

Hopefully Arturia will sort out the Mac side?

#8

That’s exactly one of those points…

Example:
I think it was on Wednesday when I was creating some patches with Augmented Strings, using the standalone version. Then it was time to call it day, I was connected to the internet and had a browser opened. I closed the browser and disconnected from the web (I always do that when shutting down the PC).
I “finished” the patch in Augm Strings and closed that. Then realized I quickly wanted to try something on the patch, opened the standalone again and guess what?
It greeted me with the plugin activation dialog, “login to your account and activate” or “run the Demo”. LOL. I had it running and activated like one minute before. And didn’t even remotely touch anything related to the ASC.

And that’s just one example, those kind of things happened permanently the whole week. Not to mention the white GUIs like with Pigments I posted before…
(I’m somehow suspecting it just doesn’t know what to do lol. “Is Pigments licensed? Is he online? Should I display the Demo prompt? Is ASC running? Screw it, I’m just showing blank white…” )

#9

Please read my previous post.

#10

Referring to this? Contacting support?

If not: Please read my previous post(s).

#11

I mention some reported observations.

#12

good night

#13

Good nigt.

I can add that i on Windows also have the activation popup window issue. It take a coulple of seconds and the it’s gone here. But it should not be there at all.

EDIT: And yes @deepspace - i have seen you you found a solution/ workaround involving offline activation. EDIT END

#14

I don’t think there is a clean solution to it. Like some people swear up and down and will never touch an application using iLok because I gather they have had a bad experience with it. Personally I have had no issues what-so-ever and would be happy if Arturia moved to an iLok solution as any of my other plugins work just fine.

Arturia has their own solution and it seems for some it works fine and for others like me it seems to not want to. I understand Arturia wants to protect their intellectual property and sell products to people as illegitimate users of their software do not make money.

Now I don’t condone illegitimate use, I do wonder if this is worse than upsetting paid users who want to but can’t without hassle use what they have paid for. And I also wonder if in some cases cost is more a factor for artists to take the illegitimate route for instruments. I know for myself personally, if it wasn’t for the past two cross-upgrade/Black Friday discounts that I wouldn’t be owning their software instruments.

The sad reality is that now Arturia has your money does it really effect their bottom line if the software doesn’t work sometimes or pops up a dialog box telling you your licensed purchased software thinks its not anymore? I use the instruments inside a studio with a DAW and so although it is a tick-me-off when it stops working, if I don’t loose data then that is all it is. But I am sure if you were live playing and suddenly your instrument cuts out even for 4-6 seconds, you could be done for in your chosen profession.