Hey all! So I was using ArtsAcoustic's Big Rock normally and all of a sudden it has become a dummy plugin. I can turn it on or off, load presets, turn knobs, but the signal just passes through the plugin without any effect whatsoever. Has anyone been there?

 

Certainly. This is often what happens when a plugin timebombs, demo expires, etc. Sometimes it will do what you mention, sometimes it will stop all audio signal flow in/out of the plugin, and sometimes you will ask yourself what the new annoying noise in your project is. Sometimes you will get an authorization screen, it just depends what the developer programs it to do.

You can try removing it with Revo Uninstaller Pro and reinstall the plugin, with it blocked by firewall. On Mac, you can try using something like Buho Cleaner to remove the plugin and all remnant files. Blocked with firewall. You can also edit your hosts file to try to block traffic to the developers website. Obviously, try rebooting first. If there is another program like iLok manager or other, sometimes it just needs to be reauthorized by running that program.

Or something you did which seemed unrelated to the plugin has caused it, but that is the least likely scenario; especially on Mac. We do not have to do anything like Windows users with all the underlying dependencies such as dll, ocx, etc.

 

Last edited: Sep 9, 2024

Yeah, I was using one of those 'no install' versions, you know? It was from 2017. Wouldn't work even after clean install. Got one from 2012 (with installer) and now it's working again.

 

I recently read in Coding Timez Monthly that depending on the font used to create the plugin, the data structure will literally begin to corrode over time. That just might be your issue, and that's why a fresh install is your best option. Though, because the code is the same, youll need to possibly do this again sometime in the years to come. My suggestion is to also make copies from time to time in order to keep the installer in the healthiest unspoiled state.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Nothing at all. The only thing I did do was plug my phone in the wrong port and get a bizarre notification about phantom power by Windows, and had to reboot.