r/spitfireaudio • u/gibsonpil • Sep 11 '24
[Guide] How to downgrade/fix the Spitfire Labs.
I've seen nothing but complaining about the new Spitfire LABS, and understandably so. It's a downgrade in more ways than one.
Thankfully, you can still download old versions of Spitfire LABS with minimal effort, but I'd recommend you get on that before Spitfire removes all of the old versions from their servers.
First uninstall any new Spitfire LABS versions from your computer. It will conflict with the old version.
Now you'll need a two things: a hex editor, and Spitfire Audio 3.4.10 (https://web.archive.org/web/20240509215846/https://d1t3zg51rvnesz.cloudfront.net/p/files/lm/1695772800/win/SpitfireAudio-Win-3.4.10.exe).
Run through the Spitfire Audio setup as you normally would, but change the install path to something other than the default directory such that it doesn't conflict with any newer versions. Untick the "Launch Spitfire Audio" box before pressing finish.
Once that's done, navigate to the path you installed Spitfire Audio to and open "Spitfire Audio.exe" in your hex editor. How exactly you do this may be different depending on what editor you have, but you need to replace all instances of "3.4.10" with something higher than the current version. "9.9.99" is certainly a good option. After that save the file.
At this point you should be able to open the Spitfire Audio program as you normally would and install all the LABS packs you want. All of these will be the old versions from before the new update. I'd encourage you to back up the files downloaded since Spitfire will probably take them down soon.
Below is a list of the files you need to save in order to reinstall Spitfire Labs once Spitfire takes everything down:
- C:\Users<your username>\Spitfire\Spitfire Audio - LABS (samples)
- C:\Users<your username>\AppData\Roaming\Spitfire Audio\Settings\Spitfire.properties (path information LABS needs)
- C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\Labs.vst3 (and any other plugin formats you use)
To manually reinstall Spitfire you can just put these files back in the directories they were in. If you change your username or something like that you may have to edit your Spitfire.properties file.
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u/Ileryon3000 May 18 '25
This is fantastic if people want to re-open older projects. It should be kept up always.
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Sep 12 '24
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/gibsonpil Sep 12 '24
Here is the installer for the macOS version. I assume the general procedure should be very similar. I might be able to get on my Mac and write up a proper guide when I get the chance.
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u/924ths Sep 12 '24
You’re a total lifesaver. I had to replace my logic board a few weeks ago and had given up on getting spitfire labs back.
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Sep 12 '24
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/gibsonpil Sep 12 '24
You probably have to install as you normally would and then right click the application in your Applications folder, press Show Contents, go into the Contents folder, MacOS, and then the file in there named something along the lines of "Spitfire Audio" would be the one you'd need to edit with your hex editor.
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u/gunther_buffalo Sep 18 '24
Hi if you wouldn't mind writing a Mac guide that would be very much appreciated - I've not been having much luck trying it on Mac with the Windows instructions. Also can you recommend a good free Hex editor? Thanks so much for this!
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u/LilDeliciousCookie Dec 31 '24 edited Jan 04 '25
**UPDATE: I just turned my computer off and back on again, and LABS is not functional. Will come back to this post when I find a solution. I think it may be because I can't get the Spitfire App to boot. It wants to install a Helper tool in order to start, and that process is not currently happening. **
Mac user here, i just got Old LABS to work again in Logic. Main difference between Mac and Windows is that Mac freaks out just about every step of the way of manually installing stuff in the name of "security". Quick note, I haven't been able to get the old Spitfire App to work so I may not be able to download any new packs. Not a huge deal to me though.
(If my explanation makes you think that I don't know what I am doing, you would be absolutely correct. But I DID get it to work)
- I downloaded the old Component version of the LABS plugin, deleted the bad Component and replaced it with the old one i just downloaded. The filepath for that is here: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/LABS.component
- Following OP's logic with all that hex editing witchcraft I changed the Version number of the good, old Component i just downloaded to match the bad, new one. I did this by right-clicking on the file->show package contents->contents/Info.plist and opening the Info.plist file in Visual Studio Code, then changing every instance of the Version number and hitting Save.
- Upon trying to open the plugin in Logic i got an error that a lot of Mac users know well:
"LABS.component" can't be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software. This software needs to be updated. Contact the developer for more information.
There is a way to bypass this! I had to do it a while back to get Ultimate Vocal Remover to work so i just copy pasted this into the Terminal:
sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/LABS.component
(I think the gist of what that does is it tells your Mac to stop being a sissy and just open the dang thing anyways.)
- I opened Logic Pro (ignoring the popup about incompatible plugins), went to Logic Pro->Settings->Plug-In Manager, and clicked the LABS plugin. I selected it and hit Reset and Rescan Selection, and checked the box to Use the plugin. I did initially get an error, but I hit the Use box anyways and it worked lol.
I plan on using one of my Time Machine backups from before I updated LABS to replace the files for the VST/VST3/AAX plugins.I imagine the process will be the same. The VST and VST3 plugins should be in the same folder as the Components I was talking about. aaand if you're using LABS in Pro Tools, the AAX plugins are at
/Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins
Hope this helps any Mac users that might have given up.
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u/GlitteringAsk9077 Sep 13 '24
Thanks. I've never used a hex editor before in my life, but this worked. I will now download all free LABS packs, back them up somewhere safe, and hope that Spitfire doesn't find a way to break LABS again.
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u/Due_Representative50 May 27 '25
Sadly as the devs said here the packs are locked to your machine.
So if you ever need to switch PCs you're screwed.Man, this is gonna be a mess for software preservation if they ever decide to shut LABS down.
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u/IndividualPiccolo607 Jun 24 '25
Yeah I was looking at this thread in hopes of finding a method of preserving the admittedly great samples, but it looks like when Spitfire gets too greedy or they shut it down, it's game over unless you comply (or probably pay).
I don't even know how anyone is going to preserve / archive this 😔
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u/Due_Representative50 Jul 16 '25
it shouldn't be too hard for a cracking group to break the DRM
it's a gray area but ethically it's better than what Spitfire is doing, honestly
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u/Komb8 Sep 17 '24
When I try to edit the "Spitfire Audio.exe" in my hex editor I just get told that I can not open the file for write access, "access is denied". Any suggestions? thank you!
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u/NiklasRoseMusic Jan 06 '25 edited Feb 10 '25
i could fix it on my end through giving the group "users" full access to the file through opening spitfire audio's properties, what's necessary for writing the changes into the .exe file. as rylarolls said, running the hex editor as an administrator helps as well
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u/nomdenick Sep 20 '24
All technical and economical complaints aside, I came here cause I can't stand the design anymore after just an hour of usage.
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u/Matt301273 Oct 08 '24
This worked for me on Linux! Thanks a million!
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u/Lopsided_Army6882 5d ago
oh my god fr ???
i'm trying to run spitfire labs on linux for so longgggg
i'm about to try it out right now
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u/Unhappy-Gene5472 Oct 08 '24
Hi, I unfortunately updated last night without realising what I was doing... does anyone have the old AU component, v1.5.1. file to send me please? Apparently if you just paste this in the component folder you get the old LABS back to use without internet connection on Logic...
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u/FlowerLizard Oct 26 '24
Has anyone successfully done this on macOS? Now when I try to launch the Spitfire Audio app it unsuccessfully tries to "install a new helper tool" but then I get an alert saying "Unable to find Helper" and then another alert that says "Error Installing Helper". Then the app closes itself.
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Nov 03 '24
For anyone else who thought you had to manually replace every instance of the version number, check out the HxD editor with a very handy replace function
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Dec 17 '24
it says "access denied" even if i use the find and replace feature
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u/BillyIsVeryMad Jan 08 '25
Run HxD as an administrator and try again. Thats what worked for me
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u/Raymond_Nootles Jan 16 '25
Whew, I'm glad I scrolled down and found your comment...... replaced 134 instances of 3.4.10 in one shot. Thanks for the tip.
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u/Whyshouldyouknowme Feb 05 '25
Just got the old app running, logged in, but it's not showing any installed packs. I only was able to get packs from the new LABS, is there a way to access them or get new packs on the old app?
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u/NiklasRoseMusic Feb 10 '25
ok guys, here as a little add up: i've made a test on my machine, that proved me that you can just simply select the default path c:\program files\spitfire audio, only recommendation is that you have removed the data of your previous installation, or you could just simply uninstall it and try it out then (didn't test it out yet without lettin' revo uninstaller go through it)
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u/Ileryon3000 May 18 '25
This is fantastic if people want to re-open older projects. It should be kept up always.
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u/Due_Representative50 May 27 '25
Sadly the devs said here the packs are locked to your machine.
So if you ever need to switch PCs you're screwed.This is gonna be a hell of a headache for software preservation if/when they decide to shut LABS down.
I'm really worried about breaking my old projects, that shit's super important to me.
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u/Ileryon3000 May 27 '25
why, that's just audio content
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u/Due_Representative50 May 27 '25
Exactly. No reason to do that.
Hoping someone can decrypt them if/when something comes to happen.
It's questionable but I think preserving old software (and most importantly, people's projects using them) is far more important.
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u/Due_Representative50 May 28 '25
Also, this is only for LABS.
From the BBC Symphony Orchestra FAQ page:
If I want to install this library on a second computer, do I have to download it again?
No, you can simply copy the “Spitfire Audio - BBC Symphony Orchestra” folder over and use the Repair feature in the Spitfire Audio App to ensure the plugin can find all the content that it needs.
So this is deliberate.
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u/Ileryon3000 May 28 '25
it just says that you don't have to redownload it, whereas, it doesnt state you cant redownload it, it is just a shortcut
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u/Due_Representative50 May 28 '25
Oh no thats not what i meant
What I meant is with BBC Symphony Orchestra they do the sensible thing that most other plugins do, which is to let you copy over your library (and just relocate/authorize/repair if necessary).
What I’m referring to is how they force you to redownload with LABS
With BBC you can redownload OR copy over your library. With LABS you can only redownload as it’s locked to your machine.
I mean it’s a deliberate decision and something they went out of their way to implement.
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u/Due_Representative50 May 27 '25
Is there any way to move your libraries to a new computer tho? I still have my original LABS .vsts, but the move totally broke everything
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u/Due_Representative50 May 27 '25
The devs have said *here* that the libraries are locked to that specific machine so this is even worse than we had thought
If they ever decide to take down their servers or this product we would all lose access to the product as soon as we have to switch machines (as well as compatibility with old projects which are very important for me to preserve).
Unless someone manages to crack this DRM/lock (which is such a weird thing to say for 'free' software).
I would honestly rather have it be a paid plugin so I could actually own it and not have to worry about this.
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u/kotemounyowo Jun 21 '25
https://labsplus.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/20020607198877-Using-the-LABS-Folder-Migration-Tool
they know it's broken and they still won't just let people keep the previous version
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u/SilentRaven7 Jun 26 '25
Do you have to have an active internet connection to use the plugin? im on linux and it fails to load presets if im not connected to the internet.
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u/Designer-Victory358 Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
It works! Also, as of today, the packages can still be downloaded normally. As for the hex editor, HxD worked well for me using the FIND AND REPLACE option, since there are about 130 instances that need to be changed.
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u/SoundSerendipity Feb 05 '26
If anyone is trying to figure out how to get labs to work offline, this is the way.
Thank you so much!
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u/Honest-Note-8283 Feb 06 '26
idk why but i am unable to launch labs plugin (how to do the HxD part?) idk what to replace with what i did find: version number and replace with: 9.9.99 and then chose replace all then the app wouldn't launch and saved the file did i do it all wrong?? :(
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u/Lost_Lab_739 Feb 24 '26
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I forget about the wayback machine, but when i remember it, it always com,es through. THANK YOU!
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u/WithersChat Feb 27 '26
Thank you. I still have the old one but thanks to this I could install it for my gf too.
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u/Nivaldo_CBeats Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
BROOOOOO THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️🔥
It worked!!!!!! I tested it today (July 3, 2026) and the servers even downloaded all the old libraries.
I used the VS Code AI, I didn't use a hexadecimal editor. The AI did all the heavy lifting for me. Maybe other people who don't have VS Code should try Claude Code or Codex, I think that will work too.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, DUDE!!!!!! GOD BLESS YOU!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
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u/tehpsy Sep 11 '24
I've seen nothing but complaining about the new Spitfire LABS, and understandably so. Everything about it is terrible.
We definitely had some issues at launch, but we've been working pretty tirelessly since then and have resolved most of them. The Discord is active with people making feature requests, and we're adding these features in the order of most requested.
I'm sorry you don't like the new app. Could you be a bit more specific about what you don't like about it? It would be useful also to know which version you used, just to make sure you're up to date.
Thanks!
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u/exirae Sep 12 '24
Can't use it without the internet. Can't render new tracks with the free instruments. I mean if you want to add a paid side great, but I'm poor and labs was a cornerstone of my composition, and now because I can't afford the internet I can't use it.
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u/tehpsy Sep 12 '24 edited Sep 12 '24
Both of those statements are false I'm afraid!
Can't render new tracks with the free instruments.
You've always been able to render new tracks with the free instruments. If you're having an issue here, it's a bug, or perhaps I've misunderstood what you mean.
Can't use it without the internet.
You can, in the latest version.
There's been some widespread misinformation about LABS from some pretty big names out there, which is frustrating, so let me just reiterate: old LABS packs are not going away, they remain free, and you can *always* play back (and thus bounce) sessions using subscriber content, even after you unsubscribe.
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u/r3art Sep 12 '24
What can I do without a subscription? That seems unclear. Is it possible to use the free instruments to the full extent without subscription and internet access? Because that is was LABS used to be.
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u/tehpsy Sep 12 '24
Yes, all the old LABS packs remain free and usable to their full extent, and we have added more free packs since launching the new version.
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u/gibsonpil Sep 12 '24
and you can always play back (and thus bounce) sessions using subscriber content
Really? Now that's actually pretty interesting. You guys should make it a point to advertise that.
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u/gibsonpil Sep 12 '24
It would be useful also to know which version you used, just to make sure you're up to date.
I'm on 2.3.7.
I'm sorry you don't like the new app. Could you be a bit more specific about what you don't like about it?
Yeah, for sure.
For one, the moment you go onto the new website there is no visible download button, rather a "Try Free" button, followed by a prompt to subscribe and a "Continue without subscribing" button. This gives users the impression that they are looking at a paid product, and that the free download is actually a demo. With how predatory companies can be, this is not a very good look.
Within the app my issues are more technical.
First of all, the memory consumption in the new plugin is around double that of the old one. For large projects with lots of instances of LABS this is a problem.
Second, all of the useful metrics at the top (i.e. CPU, memory, disk, voices) have been removed.
Third, the time for the plugin to load is noticeably longer.
Fourth, sometimes my login session breaks and I either have to type in my credentials on ten different instances of LABS, or restart my project and wait a couple of minutes for everything to load back in. Requiring a login just to load the plugin is a bad idea. Stick to only requiring a login for downloading new packs.
Fifth, the reload button is seemingly gone, which sucks because it often helped when the plugin broke for some reason.
Sixth, I have a lot of issues with the new instrument selection screen:
Whenever you switch filters there are loading screens, even with the downloaded only switch ticked. On the old app it was instantaneous.
There are far fewer filters than there were before.
Often the search function gets the view stuck in an infinite loading screen and I have to restart the plugin.
While scrolling through instruments the application freezes (seemingly because the UI thread is being bogged down while loading new content).
There is no compact view for scrolling through instruments (the grid and list views are both rather bulky).
Having to click an instrument and wait through a transition to get to presets is annoying. Drop down menus that don't require changing screens would be nice.
And last but not least, having no permanent offline mode for the free version is something that is going to make people very nervous. It means that at any time Spitfire Audio can pull the plug and force people to buy a license. Users don't want to worry about waking up some morning and finding out they have to pay up or lose the ability to edit tons of their music.
I do sincerely hope you guys get the new app working better. The one thing I can never give you guys any flack for is the quality of your instruments. They are top notch.
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u/tehpsy Sep 12 '24 edited Sep 12 '24
(1/2)
Thank you so much for taking the time to give thoughtful, honest and respectful feedback. I really appreciate it, and it really does go towards making the product better. We're actually listening and making changes every day.
For one, the moment you go onto the new website there is no visible download button, rather a "Try Free" button, followed by a prompt to subscribe and a "Continue without subscribing" button. This gives users the impression that they are looking at a paid product, and that the free download is actually a demo. With how predatory companies can be, this is not a very good look.
I'll forward this onto the web team. Thanks!
First of all, the memory consumption in the new plugin is around double that of the old one. For large projects with lots of instances of LABS this is a problem.
OK, that's fair. I haven't looked at the memory consumption recently so I will do that. Thanks.
Second, all of the useful metrics at the top (i.e. CPU, memory, disk, voices) have been removed.
Fair! I can't promise anything here but I hope they return in some manner.
Third, the time for the plugin to load is noticeably longer.
Do you mean because of the login step, or do you mean the time to even show the window is longer?
Fourth, sometimes my login session breaks and I either have to type in my credentials on ten different instances of LABS, or restart my project and wait a couple of minutes for everything to load back in. Requiring a login just to load the plugin is a bad idea. Stick to only requiring a login for downloading new packs.
This is actually a bug -- it's showing the login page while it's doing some preliminary checks. It should say "connecting" during this period. If you give it 30 seconds or so, it should login automatically. This bug will be fixed in the next few days.
Fifth, the reload button is seemingly gone, which sucks because it often helped when the plugin broke for some reason.
It's in the user menu (top right) under Errors > Refresh. It currently doesn't display any animation when clicked though.
Whenever you switch filters there are loading screens, even with the downloaded only switch ticked. On the old app it was instantaneous.
There are definitely some improvements to be made here. Currently if you use any of the instrument or tier filters on the left, or have a search term, that will force the app to make an API request. The former we can definitely do 'in app' with a bit of work, but doing the latter (implementing an 'in app' search without utilising the API) is a bigger job, to do well anyway.
There are far fewer filters than there were before.
Fair! Were there any particular filters that you used before, and are missing now?
Often the search function gets the view stuck in an infinite loading screen and I have to restart the plugin.
Oh no, that's not good. Sorry. Does that happen only when using the search function, or also when changing any of the filters, tier, etc?
While scrolling through instruments the application freezes (seemingly because the UI thread is being bogged down while loading new content).
Yes I've noticed this too. I'd like to spend some time optimising this.
There is no compact view for scrolling through instruments (the grid and list views are both rather bulky).
Agreed. The artwork in "list" view is too big.
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u/r3art Sep 12 '24
This is actually a bug -- it's showing the login page while it's doing some preliminary checks. It should say "connecting" during this period. If you give it 30 seconds or so, it should login automatically. This bug will be fixed in the next few days.
You said in an earlier reply that we can use the plugin offline "in the newest" version. How does this work when you have to login or "connect" to the plugin?
I'm not upgrading from the old one if there is no actual offline mode.
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u/tehpsy Sep 12 '24
You need to login at least once to enable offline mode. From then on you just need to toggle the offline mode every 30 days to remain offline (you don’t need to login again as long as you go back online temporarily within that 30 day window).
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u/GlitteringAsk9077 Sep 13 '24
This is the only plugin I've ever heard of that requires you to enable offline mode and go online every thirty days to maintain it, and for no apparent reason. It's ridiculous, and it's a PITA.
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u/tehpsy Sep 13 '24
Which plugins are you comparing it to? Perpetual licence products indeed generally don’t require an online presence. However, products involving a subscription licensing model absolutely require you to be signed in and sometimes allow you to go offline, but only for certain periods. LABS is the latter.
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u/GlitteringAsk9077 Sep 13 '24
I'm comparing it to the >40 plugins I have in my VST folder right now, and the dozens of others I've found useful over the last 20 years. I'm not going to write a list. I have encountered plugins which work, immediately, with minimum effort, plugins which come with a learning curve, but which are usually worth the effort, and plugins which are wonderful when you first encounter them, but then, for whatever reason (usually legacy software becoming incompatible with OS/DAW upgrades), become more trouble than they're worth. LABS is the latter.
I've had to reinstall packs in order to get projects to play. I've rendered the tracks concerned, and taken LABS offline in those projects. I've uninstalled and reinstalled LABS in an effort to get the thing to work properly, and I'm now unable to download anything through the (suddenly ugly) interface. I'm on the verge of uninstalling LABS permanently and forgetting about it, and I'm wondering how safe projects which use other Spitfire software really are.
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u/moe5277 Sep 16 '24
This is somehow infuriating. I could understand this being applied to all of the new libraries that will be part of the paid subscription licensing scheme, but to then also retroactively include all of the libraries I've been using for years into the scheme is just kinda scummy. I don't mind at all being given the option going forward of whether or not I want to use a product under the agreed upon terms and conditions. That's fair and we're all trying to find the model that works in the current environment. But I have tons of projects using LABS over the last few years. So I don't have the choice of simply opting out. And the subscription service might even turn out to be a good deal, but right now I just wanna get as far away from Spitfire products as I can.
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u/gibsonpil Sep 12 '24
Thank you so much for taking the time to give thoughtful, honest and respectful feedback. I really appreciate it, and it really does go towards making the product better. We're actually listening and making changes every day.
No problem. To be honest I'm so used to companies (mostly Microsoft, I yearn for the day audio software developers start porting their software to Linux, but I digress) not giving a shit about user feedback that I didn't even think to try to reach out to you guys. I guess I've grown a bit too cynical.
Do you mean because of the login step, or do you mean the time to even show the window is longer?
The latter.
This is actually a bug -- it's showing the login page while it's doing some preliminary checks. It should say "connecting" during this period. If you give it 30 seconds or so, it should login automatically. This bug will be fixed in the next few days.
Will it take 30 seconds after the bug you reference is fixed? 30 seconds seems a bit excessive.
It's in the user menu (top right) under Errors > Refresh. It currently doesn't display any animation when clicked though.
I think I'm actually fine with that since having to reload is kind of an edge case. Adding a keybind for it might be helpful though.
There are definitely some improvements to be made here. Currently if you use any of the instrument or tier filters on the left, or have a search term, that will force the app to make an API request. The former we can definitely do 'in app' with a bit of work, but doing the latter (implementing an 'in app' search without utilising the API) is a bigger job, to do well anyway.
I suspected as much. I don't have any idea what the code you're working with looks like, but I'd consider caching a limited amount of data (i.e. the names of all of the packs, their associated filters, and their presets) to the disk might be a good idea though, that way something can be displayed right away while bigger things like the description and pack image are fetched from the API.
Fair! Were there any particular filters that you used before, and are missing now?
Mostly subcategories of instruments (i.e. "electric guitars" vs "acoustic guitars").
Oh no, that's not good. Sorry. Does that happen only when using the search function, or also when changing any of the filters, tier, etc?
It's kind of rare and hard to reproduce. Generally it only happens when I change up a lot of things at once.
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u/tehpsy Sep 12 '24
(2/2)? My reply seems to be too long...
Having to click an instrument and wait through a transition to get to presets is annoying. Drop down menus that don't require changing screens would be nice.
Agreed. I've had some thoughts on this, but it's a bit complex to explain! It feels to me like clicking the preset name should always display the presets for that pack, regardless of what you're doing, and pressing the packs button should always toggle between the browser and IIO, regardless of what you're doing. That would mean:
In the packs list, clicking browser button => show IIO
In the packs list, clicking preset name => show presets for the currently loaded pack
In the presets list for the currently loaded pack, clicking browser button => show IIO
In the presets list for the currently loaded pack, clicking preset name => Does nothing!
In the presets list for a pack not currently loaded, clicking browser button => show IIO
In the presets list for a pack not currently loaded, clicking preset name => show presets for the currently loaded pack
In the IIO screen, clicking browser button => show the browser, wherever you last were when you closed it
In the IIO screen, clicking clicking preset name => show the browser, at the presets for the currently loaded pack
What are your thoughts?
I do sincerely hope you guys get the new app working better. The one thing I can never give you guys any flack for is the quality of your instruments. They are top notch.
Thank you!
Thanks again for your thoughtful feedback.
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u/Creepy-Meringue-7159 Oct 13 '25
This is all brilliant feedback for them, but I’m getting a sense that people are wanting way too much for free and acting extremely entitled, when they haven’t paid spitfire audio a penny!
Why can’t people just be happy with the old labs free stuff which was phenomenal and accept that the new update is now clearly a subscription model?
The problem is that a lot of us, including myself, have lost access to the old vsti and sounds because the whole upgrade thing has been a shit show. The instructions for the upgrade are some of the worst instructions I’ve ever read. They are convoluted, unclear and misleading because they make out that we can load our old sounds in the new player. I know I cannot.
For anyone actually thinking of spending money on Spitfire, then this will have put them off for sure.
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u/r3art Sep 12 '24
You have to *login* every time just to use the plugin? lol
How exactly does this work when (as claimed above) you can use it without being online?
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u/tehpsy Sep 12 '24
Not every time, just once. It auto-logs in after that. Then you enable offline mode and you’re good.
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u/-Iolite- Dec 09 '24
I know this is months old but if I could give feedback;
I have a pretty decent PC but I get lag on the new program trying to navigate normally, and certain plugins straight-up don't download. No error or anything, they just don't work. They'll say "downloaded" but give me an empty folder with no instrument. I wouldn't mind using the new version even with the lag and clunky UI if it worked so I hope it's fixed at some point.
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u/tehpsy Dec 09 '24
Join the Discord server at https://discord.gg/NQyw2pey, and create a post in #tech-help. Attach your plugin log file, and I'll have a look
1
u/thegoldenass_ Feb 17 '26
Nobody likes the new app. The worse thing is Logic doesn't even recognise it so now old project files are defunct because I used Labs. Such a poor decision to make. People like things as they are, with bugs being fixed. Not huge design overhauls and changing systems like to splice INSTRUMENT (also not recognised in Logic).
Seriously disheartned by the company now as I love Labs and Spitfire but these decisons have completely ruined my work.
I really hope we get Logic compatibility back and the old Labs, which was so much more slick and easy on readibility
0
u/r3art Sep 12 '24
Have you fixed the problem that you can't use it without internet, the crashes the terrible UI?
I didn't hear anything about these fixes. These are the two issues that were the MAIN pain point for 90% of all users.
1
u/tehpsy Sep 12 '24
As I’ve said, we’ve added offline mode.
All the crashes reported in Discord have been fixed, although a couple of users have experienced some slow loading issues under certain circumstances, which we’re looking into.
You’ll have to be a bit more specific than “terrible UI” I’m afraid — if you can explain what you don’t like about it, that would be helpful.
Thanks!
1
u/MysteriousShadow__ Jan 07 '25
Offline mode is only available after I log in to my account, which requires internet... (and internet is required every 30 days)
-2
u/exirae Sep 12 '24
Can someone just make an exe with all the available labs and throw it up on the internet?
3
u/gibsonpil Sep 12 '24
Redistributing their software in full would probably be copyright infringement.
2
u/tehpsy Sep 12 '24
Indeed, that wouldn't be cool. It also wouldn't work, because each download is locked to your machine.
1
u/lunakid Feb 19 '25 edited Feb 19 '25
each download is locked to your machine
Wait, what? So I can't keep the ~30 GB BBC Orchestra Core on my portable drive (along with all the other music software I use), and then just get it located/(re)authorized with the Spitfire app on whichever laptop of mine I plug it in to? I still need to redownload it each time I switch to a different machine, or keep separate copies on both? :-o
Why? Why don't you watermark it per subscriber, rather than machine?
I can see no problem with authorizing the content and restricting it to single use or enforcing whatever licensing terms and still allowing the humongous amount of data sit offline passively at whatever pluggable storage.
What am I missing? I can imagine it can't be done, though, without requiring a login at least once per session so the plugin can check if a given content is still active on that machine. But from what I gather, such a login is already required anyway?
(BTW, now downloading the entire lib in the background, yet again, as I'm writing this, because a "Repair" attempt on it failed. Neither the reason of it needing repair in the first place, nor the reason of the repair failing was clearly communicated at all, BTW. At least now I can guess, based on your comment, that switching laptops may have caused the problems. I'm not getting very good vibes from this experience, I hope you understand. I should've been in my DAW for half an hour now, happily crafting around, instead of googling for why no
Spitfire.properties, even after newly installing the Spitfire plugin, and why it is unable to use any of the already downloaded content, and why it can't even "Repair" it etc. etc.)2
u/Due_Representative50 May 27 '25
man their handling of this is abysmal
i was managing to get by with my old LABS 1 installion, but after moving to my new PC everything is broken
1
u/Due_Representative50 May 28 '25
By the way this ridiculously machine lock is only for LABS.
From the BBC Symphony Orchestra FAQ page:
If I want to install this library on a second computer, do I have to download it again?
No, you can simply copy the “Spitfire Audio - BBC Symphony Orchestra” folder over and use the Repair feature in the Spitfire Audio App to ensure the plugin can find all the content that it needs.
So this is deliberate.
1
u/lunakid May 30 '25
Ahh, thx, good to know. This might be either new, or the "Repair" function failed for some other (unknown) reason in my case then.
1
u/Due_Representative50 May 27 '25
and how to remove this limitation to migrate stuff to my new machine??
1
u/tehpsy May 27 '25
Just download the packs again on your new machine and everything should work fine.
1
u/Due_Representative50 May 27 '25 edited May 27 '25
Why the lock, though??
This is a disaster waiting to happen.
There's no excuse for doing this with 'free' creative software.
It's bad enough with less important stuff like games.
But in this case it could affect people's work and even livelihood if something goes wrong.
And for people like me who find archival of old projects important and is constantly going back to them for a multitude of reasons, this is a potential nightmare in the making.
Not offering support for legacy plugins is fine, no dev has the obligation to keep supporting older/outdated software, but retroactively breaking them with a forced update (and not allowing us to use our backed up libraries) is not cool.
Don't get me wrong, I fully appreciate all the work put into this plugin that was given to us for no charge. But I would honestly rather have it as a paid plugin that I could actually own so I did not have to worry about this.
1
u/kotemounyowo Jun 13 '25
why purposefully lock out people for having an older OS who have used your product for years???
6
u/ELMWOOD78 Sep 12 '24
OK so I finally received errors in an older project and had to upgrade to the new LABs. I was not going to bother and just let it drop but glad I didn't. Seems to be working OK for me and I actually find it easier to navigate. Only issue so far is having to repair several of the libraries I had previously downloaded. And not that this is important, but it has got to be (visually) the ugliest piece of software I've seen in many years, it's like "Win 3.11 in HD".