# Seventh Heaven - iLok "State restoration has failed" - help needed!



## xanderscores (Jun 5, 2020)

A few days ago internet broke down in my neighborhood and my favorite reverb plug-in went crazy about not being able to connect to the iLok cloud. I continued working on my projects with reverb bypassed, but now that internet is on again, the project when loaded in Studio One prompts an error message (see attached file), reading "State restoration has failed ...".






I tried updating the iLok software, I tried resaving my project, but I can't fix it. I can't remove the plug-in from the main insert chain because when I do there's another error message and a few seconds later Studio One "vanishes", as in shuts down completely. 

Has anyone ever had this kind of problem with iLok plug-ins? Any idea how to fix it? I have quite a few songs and one project which use this reverb, I wouldn't want to lose them all...

There is some kind of procedure described in the error message that I attached, but they can't be serious about resaving something with iLok 2/3 which I assume is the hardware version that I don't own because I'm an iLok Cloud-only user. 

Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!!


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## Robin Wade (Jun 11, 2020)

I'm having similar problems (seventh heaven, clariphonic dsp II). The web form didn't cover this issue so I followed the links for a problem with an order. Writing to [email protected] got replies but they wouldn't create a ticket for me.

The error:

Please insert an iLok with a license for Seventh Heaven or open a cloud session with a license for this software, and then press the "OK" button to continue using this software. Press "Cancel" to stop using this software.
Note that this product is not compatible with the first-generation iLok.
Stall while performing a bulk read from an iLok.

It seems I could be in for a bumpy ride: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.ilok.com

EDIT.. turns out NONE of my iLok licenses work, even though they show as active in the License Manager. Wow. Deadlines flying towards me, no go-to plugins. No PT, no Play. Damn.


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## xanderscores (Jun 12, 2020)

Meanwhile I was able to figure out that - fortunately - only one project has been corrupted by this defect. All other songs work just fine. Seems as if ilok stores the troublesome parameter in this particular instance of the plug in. 
Luckily studio one has great import features, so I could recreate the song easily... 
In the future I will think twice about using ilok plug-ins for projects before getting to the mixing stage...


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## kgdrum (Jun 12, 2020)

xanderscores said:


> Meanwhile I was able to figure out that - fortunately - only one project has been corrupted by this defect. All other songs work just fine. Seems as if ilok stores the troublesome parameter in this particular instance of the plug in.
> Luckily studio one has great import features, so I could recreate the song easily...
> In the future I will think twice about using ilok plug-ins for projects before getting to the mixing stage...




I’m not a tech but I am an ILok 2 user.i have never used iLok via cloud authorization and I have never had a problem using the iLok dongle.
Up until recently I had a router that would crap out between every other day and 2 or 3 times a day,so the thought of having authorizations that relied on the internet for me has always been a terrifying premise,there are too many variables.
On the other hand I feel the dongle as much as people knock it,for me has been rock solid. I have never had a problem.
So what I’m asking isn’t relying on the internet for authorizations in itself a risky approach?
Yes I’m the unusual person that likes the dongle but given the choice I would never consider authorizations that relied on the cloud.


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## Robin Wade (Jun 12, 2020)

Thanks for the update @xanderscores, glad you got it sorted. iLok sent me a script to run, which I did, but it didn't solve the problem. @kgdrum, yeah, been using dongles since they were a thing, and it's been very rare that anything has caused a problem. Unfortunately now could not have been timed any worse. Hoping for a fix asap.


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## jbuhler (Jun 12, 2020)

Robin Wade said:


> Thanks for the update @xanderscores, glad you got it sorted. iLok sent me a script to run, which I did, but it didn't solve the problem. @kgdrum, yeah, been using dongles since they were a thing, and it's been very rare that anything has caused a problem. Unfortunately now could not have been timed any worse. Hoping for a fix asap.


This is the thing about dongles (or any copy protection). It works until it doesn't and if it doesn't then it can be difficulty to get fixed in a timely fashion. Back in the days when I was using East West stuff I had a dongle error at least once pretty much every session. It's what turned me so negatively against dongles. On the other side, I haven't had an issue with the iLok now for several years, aside from it telling me—when the computer restarts for unexpected reasons (like a power outage)—that I can't use the iLok on multiple computers at the same time. That error never seems to have any consequences though.


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## xanderscores (Jun 15, 2020)

kgdrum said:


> So what I’m asking isn’t relying on the internet for authorizations in itself a risky approach?



I rely on the internet for activation, and that works just fine. Studio One, Kontakt, Orchestral Tools - everything is licensed and activated over the internet, no problem. 
The problem arises when there's an always-on connection required to USE the software. This is ridiculous and so far I've consciously stayed away from using iLok stuff, but in this instance I had no alternative.
I WOULD see the advantage for people who want to use the software on more than 1 machine, taking their cloud licence with them and preventing them from using it on multiple devices at the same time. But other than that, the concept is flawed imho.


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## kgdrum (Jun 15, 2020)

Activation in my opinion is not the issue, I want to see developers protected from thieves.
The problem as I see it’s always having to be connected to the internet based “cloud “ that’s the problem .
That’s why I actually prefer the dongle it’s extremely reliable.
Of course if you lose or break the dongle that another can of worms but I will always trust a key over trying to rely on an internet connection.


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## lpuser (Jun 15, 2020)

jbuhler said:


> This is the thing about dongles (or any copy protection). It works until it doesn't and if it doesn't then it can be difficulty to get fixed in a timely fashion.



Absolutely know what you mean, however ... having hard disk authorizations can be a pain too, especially when some companies are not setup to help in a timely manner (which I have already experienced a lot). Probably EW, Native etc. are doing the best they can to keep their users up and running in cases of emergency.

On the other hand, without my iLok being broken, older iZotope plugins (StutterEdit and BreakTweaker) just refuse to read the license off the iLok. They claim that there is no valid license, although iLok Manager shows the licenses and the plugins themselves report that everything is being licensed to iLok.
iZotope support was as slow as one can imagine and in the end, their solution was to use a remining HD authorization instead. Now that´weird, really ...

Oh ... and don´t get me started with CodeMeter  some of my least favorite copy protections ever.


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## jbuhler (Jun 15, 2020)

lpuser said:


> Absolutely know what you mean, however ... having hard disk authorizations can be a pain too, especially when some companies are not setup to help in a timely manner (which I have already experienced a lot). Probably EW, Native etc. are doing the best they can to keep their users up and running in cases of emergency.
> 
> On the other hand, without my iLok being broken, older iZotope plugins (StutterEdit and BreakTweaker) just refuse to read the license off the iLok. They claim that there is no valid license, although iLok Manager shows the licenses and the plugins themselves report that everything is being licensed to iLok.
> iZotope support was as slow as one can imagine and in the end, their solution was to use a remining HD authorization instead. Now that´weird, really ...
> ...


The only thing I don't like about machine authorizations is that you can lose licenses if the machine breaks and once upon a time you had to remember to deactivate your licenses before your upgraded the machine (like put in a new system drive), but I'm not sure if that's the case any longer. 

I've always had good experiences with Native Instruments and changing machines. That's a good thing because their support is almost non-existent these days. The last time I had a license error was when I tried to install Phoenixverb. For whatever reason, it wouldn't work in some programs, and it didn't matter whether it was installed on the iLok or on the machine. And I don't understand my current iZotope installation, since some products (Breaktweaker and Iris2) no longer show up on my iLok (either on the dongle or the machine), but they show as authorized to the computer in the iZotope Product Portal. So the machine authorization from iZotope seems not to install on the iLok machine authorization. I suspect they changed something with their licensing scheme some time ago and in typical iZotope fashion neglected to tell customers. (I have a number of iZotope products that were once installed but then at some point became uninstalled according to the Product Portal even though they remain on my system. I haven't bothered sorting through it yet, because I haven't had use for those products since it happened.)


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## paulmatthew (Jun 19, 2020)

jbuhler said:


> The only thing I don't like about machine authorizations is that you can lose licenses if the machine breaks and once upon a time you had to remember to deactivate your licenses before your upgraded the machine (like put in a new system drive), but I'm not sure if that's the case any longer.
> 
> I've always had good experiences with Native Instruments and changing machines. That's a good thing because their support is almost non-existent these days. The last time I had a license error was when I tried to install Phoenixverb. For whatever reason, it wouldn't work in some programs, and it didn't matter whether it was installed on the iLok or on the machine. And I don't understand my current iZotope installation, since some products (Breaktweaker and Iris2) no longer show up on my iLok (either on the dongle or the machine), but they show as authorized to the computer in the iZotope Product Portal. So the machine authorization from iZotope seems not to install on the iLok machine authorization. I suspect they changed something with their licensing scheme some time ago and in typical iZotope fashion neglected to tell customers. (I have a number of iZotope products that were once installed but then at some point became uninstalled according to the Product Portal even though they remain on my system. I haven't bothered sorting through it yet, because I haven't had use for those products since it happened.)


Ilok needs to change this! Allow users to deactivate a license from any computer or smartphone if need be. I don't understand the logic behind this move. Plugin Alliance should start their own separate plugin piracy activation system for vendors because with them , no dongle is needed and you can deactivate a license for any computer from any computer at any time. This is the only downfall to the ilok manager system.


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## kgdrum (Jun 19, 2020)

I have always avoided the iLok machine authorization,if your drive dies your screwed .
Ilok key is preferable for me that’s why I use the dongle 🔑


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## paulmatthew (Jun 19, 2020)

kgdrum said:


> I have always avoided the iLok machine authorization,if your drive dies your screwed .
> Ilok key is preferable for me that’s why I use the dongle 🔑


But then what happens when your Ilok dies?


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## kgdrum (Jun 19, 2020)

At least you have the ZDT option,I have it automatically renew every year.
While it’s not the perfect remedy it’s not as dire as a drive die without warning with Pace machine authorizations without a way to recover.


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## paulmatthew (Jun 19, 2020)

kgdrum said:


> At least you have the ZDT option,I have it automatically renew every year.
> While it’s not the perfect remedy it’s not as dire as a drive die without warning with Pace machine authorizations without a way to recover.


Like I said , there should be a way to deactivate a license from any computer for all activations regardless if the license was activated for the computer that failed.


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## kgdrum (Jun 19, 2020)

Of course there should be but unfortunately presently there isn’t so from my perspective the 🔑 with ZDT is the best option.
There’s a reason Pace is as “loved” as much as they are in the community.
For me it’s a company with strange policies,they offer little in the way for customer support or a way for a customer to contact them easily so from my perspective you have to pick your poison.


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## Soundlex (Jun 19, 2020)

If any of you have this problem, just email Matt at [email protected] and ask for the current beta update (v1.3.3).
It fixed everything for me and a ton of others apparently...
Good luck!


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## lpuser (Jun 20, 2020)

jbuhler said:


> And I don't understand my current iZotope installation, since some products (Breaktweaker and Iris2) no longer show up on my iLok (either on the dongle or the machine), but they show as authorized to the computer in the iZotope Product Portal.



I know ... don´t get me started about iZotope. I hope I don´t offend anyone here, but these days, I have the feeling that "some companies" are more interested in pushing their political opinions rather than taking care of their software.
iZotope has ALL my plugins authorized to iLok and even shows that in the Product Portal, but the plugins simply don´t load. After nearly a week of waiting for a reply and talking forth and back without any solution, the support guy asked me to have a remote session to my machine. Since I am reluctant letting anyone connect due to alpha- and beta-software being available, I asked him what he would like to do.
Now hold tight: His answer was "I would authorize your computer". Errrr ... what?
I told him that I could do this myself without any remote session but wanted to know why my iLok holds valid licenses and cannot use the plugins. No answer of course.

This - and the current copy protection used for the Avenger Synth by Vengeance / Keilwerth Audio - are probably the most frustrating methods I had to deal with since quite some time. Vengeance even goes so far to force users to renew their license every 90 days.


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## jcrosby (Jun 20, 2020)

lpuser said:


> I know ... don´t get me started about iZotope. I hope I don´t offend anyone here, but these days, I have the feeling that "some companies" are more interested in pushing their political opinions rather than taking care of their software.
> iZotope has ALL my plugins authorized to iLok and even shows that in the Product Portal, but the plugins simply don´t load. After nearly a week of waiting for a reply and talking forth and back without any solution, the support guy asked me to have a remote session to my machine. Since I am reluctant letting anyone connect due to alpha- and beta-software being available, I asked him what he would like to do.
> Now hold tight: His answer was "I would authorize your computer". Errrr ... what?
> I told him that I could do this myself without any remote session but wanted to know why my iLok holds valid licenses and cannot use the plugins. No answer of course.
> ...


Can't imagine what you have to be concerned about, it's not like support's out to hack you. No it's not an ideal solution, but if that's the way they have to resolve this particular issue why not just get on with it? Seems like the only thing you're accomplishing by not allowing them access is drawing out the process, when it sounds like they could have resolved it right then and there.


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## MartinH. (Jun 22, 2020)

lpuser said:


> I know ... don´t get me started about iZotope. I hope I don´t offend anyone here, but these days, I have the feeling that "some companies" are more interested in pushing their political opinions rather than taking care of their software.
> iZotope has ALL my plugins authorized to iLok and even shows that in the Product Portal, but the plugins simply don´t load. After nearly a week of waiting for a reply and talking forth and back without any solution, the support guy asked me to have a remote session to my machine. Since I am reluctant letting anyone connect due to alpha- and beta-software being available, I asked him what he would like to do.
> Now hold tight: His answer was "I would authorize your computer". Errrr ... what?
> I told him that I could do this myself without any remote session but wanted to know why my iLok holds valid licenses and cannot use the plugins. No answer of course.
> ...



For what it's worth I hadn't had any trouble with iZotope _yet_, using only the alternative authorization method that doesn't require iLok. If they switched to iLok only, I'd simply stop buying new versions of their plugins.


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## lpuser (Jun 24, 2020)

jcrosby said:


> Can't imagine what you have to be concerned about, it's not like support's out to hack you.



As I mentioned, I am beta tester and NDAs explicitly forbid external access to machines with beta software on them, no matter from where or what. Maybe that´s not a big deal for you, but for me, it is. I also pointed out WHAT the tech person wanted to do on that machine and it was NOT looking why the plugin does not read the iLok license, but he simply wanted to help by authorizing my hard disk - which I could do in a second without anyone connecting to my machine. So I stick to what I wrote - and think that iZotope does have a problem here.


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## jcrosby (Jun 24, 2020)

lpuser said:


> As I mentioned, I am beta tester and NDAs explicitly forbid external access to machines with beta software on them, no matter from where or what. Maybe that´s not a big deal for you, but for me, it is. I also pointed out WHAT the tech person wanted to do on that machine and it was NOT looking why the plugin does not read the iLok license, but he simply wanted to help by authorizing my hard disk - which I could do in a second without anyone connecting to my machine. So I stick to what I wrote - and think that iZotope does have a problem here.


I'm a beta tester too. Have been for quite a few years. I'm not saying the situation doesn't suck, but if you compose for a living priority one is always going to be getting on with work. Beta testing can be risky, especially if you test on your primary machine. Unfortunately this is the gamble we take when we test software. Hope you get it sorted...


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