Knowledgebase


Repeat Authorizations on Windows

Repeat prompts to authorize Spectrasonics instruments on Windows computers typically have three potential causes: permissions, security software, and host programs (DAWs) using an old plugin file for the instrument. 

To resolve those issues, please follow the steps below: 

Permissions

To resolve permissions issues with authorization, follow these steps:

  • Close your DAW or the standalone application.
  • Right-click the application and select "Run as Administrator", and select Yes to allow the app to make changes to your device.
  • Complete the authorization steps on screen.

If you are prompted to authorize again upon reopening the instrument, continue to the next section. 

Security Software

All PC's come with some type of security software built-in and running by default. Most commonly, this software is part of Windows and is called "Windows Defender". Alternatively, your computer may have come with third-party security software. Some popular examples of those would be Norton, McAfee, and Avast. 

These programs can sometimes tamper with the authorization system our instruments use.

To resolve this, you’ll need to add an exclusion to your security software to prevent it from tampering with this location:

C:/ ProgramData/ Spectrasonics

For example, hereare the steps for adding an exclusion to the location above for Windows Defender:

1. Open Windows Security, click on the Start menu, and select “Settings” (the gear icon).

2. In the Settings window, click on “Update & Security” (for Windows 11, choose “Privacy and Security”) from the left-hand menu, select “Windows Security.”

3. In Windows Security, select “Virus & threat protection” from the left-hand menu. Under Virus & threat protection settings, click on “Manage settings.”

4. To Add Exclusion, scroll down to the “Exclusions” section, and click on “Add or remove exclusions.”

5. Click on “Add an exclusion” and choose “Folder.” Browse to the Spectrasonics folder location listed above and select it. Once you’ve selected the folder, click on “Select Folder” to confirm the exclusion.

If you're using a different security software, you can find the steps online to add an exclusion to the Spectrasonics folder in that specific security software . 

Once you've added the Spectrasonics folder location above as an exclusion to your security software, try authorizing your Spectrasonics instrument again. 

If you still see a prompt to authorize after completing that process, move on to the last section.

DAW Using Old Plugin File

If you were unable to authorize using the steps above, your DAW is likely referencing an older plugin file for your instrument. 

To confirm this, open the standalone application of your Spectrasonics instrument. If the instrument opens normally and does not prompt you to authorize, you'll know the problem is specific to the plugin file your DAW is using. 

To solve that issue, it is best to remove all the instrument's .DLL files (for example, Omnisphere.dll) from your computer and run the latest software update for the instrument from the "Update" tab of your Spectrasonics.net user account.

During the installation process, pay close attention to the location where the 64bit DLL file is being installed to.  

We recommend using the default locations for Spectrasonics plugin files. 

The default plugin location file path for all current Spectrasonics instruments is:

C:/ Program Files/ Steinberg/ vstplugins

Once you've installed a new plugin file at that location, you also need to ensure that the same file path is being used by your DAW to scan for plugins. 

After you've installed a new plugin file for your DAW to use, you should be able to authorize normally. 

Note: If Omnisphere continually prompts you to authorize Keyscape or Trilian libraries, please note that all instruments must be registered to the same Spectrasonics user account to be authorized for use within Omnisphere.