Frequently Asked Questions

Yes your license includes three activations, so you can authorize your library on three devices at once if needed, computers and/or iLok USB keys. For example, you can use the library both on your main system and laptop plus keep an activation as a backup. Activations are easy to manage using the iLok License Manager app.

Yes you can install the library on an external drive, but the drive should be fast (7200rpm or SSD) and use a USB3 or Thunderbolt connection for best performance. Slower drives or drives using USB2 or Firewire may limit polyphony or number of active mics. However, the UVI Workstation has to be installed on your OS drive.

No, once your serial number has been authorized to your iLok account, it is yours and there’s never a need to authorize again. If installing to a second or third computer, just activate the license to the computer using License Manager after UVI and the library are installed. You can install the library on as many computers as you want, and the activation is managed with the License Manager app. Deactivate your license in License Manager from your computer if you want to reinstall the OS, sell the computer, or change the hard drive or logic board.

The license to use the library must be activated to your computer or your iLok USB key before the library can be loaded in UVI. You may have authorized your serial number to your iLok account, but you need to activate the license in order for the library to detect it. This is done in iLok License Manager and is covered in the installation guide.

Installation Guide and Video

With the latest iLok system, you no longer need the USB key as you can activate the license to your computer hard drive. As a benefit, you get three activations with your license so you can use your library on up to three machines at a time. You can also use the iLok USB key if you choose. Simply create a free account with iLok.com and that's all you need to use our libraries. We use the UVI engine and sample player and all authorized libraries for the UVI Workstation use the iLok copy protection system. It's a secure platform and allows easy use on more than one machine or as many as needed if using the USB key. Once the license is activated on your computer or iLok key, it stays and doesn't cause restrictions associated with challenge/response systems.

The download may be corrupt or incomplete, so go to your account and download the installer again and confirm it’s the correct download size for your OS. Download sizes can be found on each product page under Technical Specifications. Unzip the fully downloaded file and run the installer again. It should take a bit of time to fully install the library file to your hard drive, as seen in the installation video.

Verify your iLok account ID is being entered correctly. You have to enter it twice so make sure you’re entering it correctly in both fields. Do not enter your iLok password. Please make sure you’re using the iLok account you intend, otherwise your license could be sent to someone else’s account.

Our libraries are designed to work with any MIDI controller keyboard and offer great results. Many controls are available to tailor the response to whichever keyboard you use. The response will only be as good as your controller though, and piano-style weighted key controllers will give a better piano feel. Most newer keyboards have USB MIDI connections which makes connection to any computer very easy. If your keyboard has only the round 5-pin jacks, you may need a MIDI/USB converter or use the connections on your external audio interface to get the MIDI signal into the computer.

Yes you can set these samples to respond to any MIDI CC including your mod wheel, data sliders, or you can use the graphic mod wheel in UVI Workstation. Simply set the CC value for that feature to the MIDI controller you're using right on the main interface. For example, you could set the Una Corda pedal CC to a value of 1 for mod wheel, then use your keyboard or UVI graphic mod wheel to activate the soft pedal. This is also a great way to use Mute Strikes in the Ravenscroft 275 library if you don't have extra pedals.

Yes UVI includes over 50 effects including EQs, reverbs, phasers, rotary speaker, etc. Effects can be added with the 'fx' button at the top right of UVI and then switching to the Part tab (this is important!) and then the 'add fx' button shows all available effects. Do not change effects on the Preset tab. Refer to the UVI Workstation manual for complete directions.

Everything is included on our website including the free UVI Workstation. The UVI installation also installs iLok License Manager which you use to activate the license to your computer or iLok USB key. You only need internet connectivity for the downloads and to activate the license to the computer. After that, the computer does not require an internet connection to use your library.

We accept all major credit cards as well as Paypal. Your payment information is not stored on our servers and is processed directly with your card bank or Paypal. Any other forms of payment are not accepted. All of our products are download-only so no shipped version is available. Please make sure you have an internet connection to download the UVI and library installers as well as to activate your license.

Yes UVI Workstation allows you to save a ‘multi’ file which will save all settings (mics loaded, knob settings, etc.) and then the file can be loaded to recall all settings. If you're using the standalone version of UVI, you can save your Multi file to any folder or desktop and simply double-click it to launch UVI and load your preset. Refer to the UVI Workstation manual for complete instructions.

Flac is an efficient form of lossless compression which result in huge reductions in our sample library file sizes. The codec is truly lossless. Sound quality remains exactly the same as the library in uncompressed wave format, but the loading times and disk streaming needs are reduced. Most of all, the space needed for the library file is rather small for libraries containing thousands of samples. Sample libraries are usually large and take up your hard drive space quickly. Not VI Labs libraries.

You'll get the best results with our libraries if a high quality external audio interface is used along with its audio drivers. For Mac users, the on-board audio usually works fine, and because the Mac OS uses the low latency Core Audio driver the on-board audio offers good quality and low latency. For Windows users, you'll need to use an ASIO driver for low latency as the MME and WASAPI drivers in Windows aren't suitable for virtual instruments and have more latency. External audio interfaces will come with their own ASIO drivers, but if you want to use your on-board audio output, we recommend the free ASIO4ALL driver found at asio4all.com.

A sample rate of 44.1kHz will give the best results. Since the library is delivered at 44.1kHz, using other sample rates will require resampling which uses additional CPU resources. If you're using our libraries in your DAW and need other sample rates, this is perfectly acceptable. But for standalone use, we recommend a sample rate of 44.1kHz.