UVI workstation

UVI workstation boasts: "free"

but it seems like its free to get the framework, but what use is it if the soundsets are not free? i mean, is it a kontakt killer? can you use it as a sampler? what's it for?

asking since falcon looks so interesting and oh yeah forgot UVI has that workstation thing.

and another thing, it wants me to install PACE etc, and I never finish the install because I want to try UVI, not install all this random other secret crap on my computer. I have downloaded UVI no less than 10 times over the years, and forgotten why i never used it once: because of all these elevated permissions and this 3rd party crapware I don't need.

so i ask:

what the hell is UVI workstation good for?

it sort of reminds me of downloading a music shop catalog on my computer for my shopping convenience, like IK's custom shop or similar junkware.

It's the UVI equivalent of Kontakt Player - free host for their instrument collection like the Player is for Native Instrument's stuff (and other paid-for packs)

not that i feel 'entitled' to the fruits of other people's labours and what not.

but its sort of a red herring to emphasize 'here is a free software' but it doesn't do much at all for free, especially if you refuse to install the spyware required to get it to work. who knows what on earth is inside the PACE algorithm? I generally like to avoid installing software that does mysterious things to my computer asking for admin permission TWICE during one install attempt.

waste of bandwidth for UVI, I've downloaded 2 GB worth of their installers over the years and never gotten through the installation once due to this.

i mean, they could at least write a warning next to the installer link, showing the alert dialogs that pop up for PACE during the install.

Think you're worrying 'bout nothing - The Pace installer isn't obtrusive at all, and definitely preferable to having to buy an iLok key (which is what you previously had to do)!

IIRC it only runs during the product activation, and when you're installing further soundbanks. I don't think it's a continually active process.

There's a free pack with 250mb of instruments too so it definitely isn't completely worthless for free - http://www.uvi.net/dwl.php?p=pack

Like I say, it's just a player for their sound packs - If you don't want to use or buy their packs then it's not really of any use to you ! Maybe go for something like Plogue's Sforzando: https://www.plogue.com/products/sforzando/