Apple stole them from the PC community and refused to give anything back, that was pretty unethical IMHO. They fall under the abandonware category I guess since you can't even authorize them anymore without a crack, the servers are gone.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandonware https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries'_copyright_lengths Technical Apple can sue you But practically very unlikely
in most cases though, the original developer doesn't get "bought out". (or whatever is the case with Camel/alchemy)... usually its just someone who loses interest, or money issues, outdated platform, or any number of reasons people go do something else.
Best way IMHO would be to buy https://apps.apple.com/de/app/mainstage-3/id634159523?mt=12 Alchemy is included If every anyone asks, you can say you have a License If you don't own a Mac As a Friend to lend it to you for creating an account and buy it or build a very cheap hackintosh Last edited by a moderator: Nov 7, 2021
If you want to use it legally on Windows, Polomo's solution is the one. Also, maybe you could by an old windows license second hand.
Exactly @clone, we buy a product, the company goes bankrupt, zero support and no further development. We need alternatives for the future. I'll go into that in my posting, maybe you still have a few ideas on how to design this system differently. Ben, the programmer of the Alchemy Software Synthesizer, programmed the Alchemy for over 4 years. And had very little money to live on during that time. When he finished he had a website with an online shop and it did very well for a few years. Then he had to close his Alchmey website for cost reasons. There was also no more support and no further development. Then at some point Logix X Pro came along and came to an agreement with Ben about the deal and the money. I think you should always accept copyright. After all, a company has taken the risk and risk of bringing a product to market, with all the advantages and disadvantages, if you fail nobody comes and gives you money or takes the losses. The company Camel Audio could also have been converted into a cooperative financed by donations or private grants. The current company model is actually flawed. if they don't sell enough of your products, they'll go broke. You should ask yourself why that is and what alternatives are there. Caring about Music, Software, and the Planet - Interview with Ben Gillett from Camel Audio from 24 Jun 2013 www.kvraudio.com/interviews/caring-about-music-software-and-the-planet---interview-with-ben-gillett-from-camel-audio-22614
This was very knowledgeable, it seems best to just leave abandonware be unless someone's so obsessed with a particular flavor it can offer i guess
Unethical... well, I don't think that term really applies here. However, I can give an example that echoes the basic idea of @justwannadownload. In my country, the law states that a user may make up to 7 copies of a copyrighted work for private use. In the case of music, for example, these copies may also be given to friends. However, in the case of software, copies may not be given to others. Software copies may only be made for personal use or as a backup copy. However, cracking copy protection is punishable by law. So if a software developer introduces copy protection measures that prevent me from making 7 copies for simultaneous use, e.g. by specifying via ilok that I may only use 3 licenses, this developer is interfering with my rights. If I circumvent this protection, e.g. by using cracks, I make myself liable to prosecution. The same problem existed at that time with music CDs. At that time, these often had copy protection. So, in order to get the purchased music onto an mp3 player or hard drive, listeners had to commit a crime, because they had to download mp3s or rip the music from the CD (if it was readable at all !!). In the end, copy protection on music CDs almost caused the music business to collapse, because at some point users didn't even buy the CDs anymore, but - with the advent of ISDN and DSL - got the stuff directly from the internet. And contrary to what the music industry likes to propagate, this has not been the fault of the users, of emule, or other file sharing networks, but simply their own. Last edited: Nov 7, 2021
Sorry for ressurect this topic... I believe the ones from Camel Audio that are safe to use without rely on keygen or cracks are the Camel Crush and the Player version of Alchemy from Computer Music.