What is an iLok?

The iLok is a hardware dongle, much like other dongles you might have got when you bought other software. The difference is that the iLok dongle supports different products by different manufacturers, so that you will only need one iLok instead of separate dongles for each manufacturer.

Do I need an iLok?

Yes. All Softube products (except the PowerCore versions) are currently protected by iLok. This means that you will need an iLok in order to buy or try Softube's products.

Where do I find the iLok drivers?

Click here to download the drivers.

Do I already have an iLok?

If you have bought plug-ins from other manufacturers that use iLok, such as Digidesign, TC Electronic, or Waves, chances are that you already own an iLok. In that case, a small (usually blue), key-formed USB-thingy about 6 cm should reside in your USB port.

How do I get an iLok?

You can buy the iLok from music stores (such as Thomann or Sweetwater). They cost about $40 or €45. Sometimes they come bundled with software or hardware you buy, such as the Pro Tools|HD system.

Ok, I have an iLok. How do I use it?

First of all, you should have an iLok.com User ID.
On www.ilok.com you can find a Quick Start Guide which explains how you sign up for an iLok account.

The basic steps are:

Get an iLok
Get an iLok account
Install the iLok software
When you buy or try iLok protected software, the licenses will transferred to you iLok account.
Go to www.ilok.com to transfer the licenses from your account to your USB iLok dongle.

At this point, the iLok dongle is everything you need in order to authorize the software. If you would like to use a Softube product on another computer, just install the iLok software and the Softube product on that computer and use your iLok to authorize it. This way, the software won't be locked to a single computer, and there won't be any hassle when you decide to buy a new MacBook...

What is the iLok.com User ID/Account ID/Login etc?

It is the username you use when you log on to http://www.ilok.com. It is not printed on your iLok (unless you did it yourself...)

This ID is the only thing that we (or anyone else) need in order to authorize licenses to your iLok.

Why isn't the iLok drivers included in your installers?

To be sure that all your iLok protected plug-ins work, you should always have the latest iLok driver. Installing an older iLok driver could cause plug-ins protected with a newer version of iLok to stop working.

We don't want to include the iLok drivers in our installers since that could mean that the user installs an older version of our plug-in bundled with an obsolete version of iLok, and that will make your newer plug-ins to stop work.

Never overwrite a newer version of iLok with an older version!

Does it have to be blue? I hate blue things!

No. We don't recommend the use of spray paint but an ordinary permanent marker should do the job.