I bought a CD full of TDM, RTAS, and VSTs along with a few Pro Tools installers from eBay years ago. I have no idea where this disc originated, but it contains a ton of plugins (some cracked), like Lexiverb and some Aphex plugins. It also has versions of stuffit and toast, which are useful when restoring the floppy images of authorization disks (also included on the CD).
I currently only have a Pro Tools III system (waiting for the Mix Core card in the mail) and a G4 without a floppy drive so I am unable to test all the plugins to see if they work with the included authorization images. I would be more than happy to upload an iso image of the disc, but I cannot guarantee that everything on it is functional.
I will upload this on the condition that other users embrace a willingness to share. It is safe to say that there is no other way to obtain these obsolete plugins for the Pro Tools Mix platform. You have to ask yourself, "When was the last time a professional in the recording industry bought a TDM plugin designed specifically to work with a PT Mix system?" I'm very sure that answer can be given in terms of years if not decades. The PT Mix has been succeeded by three generations of PT hardware and is no longer an industry standard. Forums like this are not tailored to provide the top-of-line software that producers are paying $1,000s for, rather, they exist to provide resources for us enthusiasts with small budgets who simply want to utilize old hardware. I see no moral wrongs being committed by sharing outmoded software.
Software is an art form. It should be preserved as such.
What happens if the last CD or floppy authorization disk becomes corrupt and no one had shared the contents? It is lost...FOREVER. A great amount of artwork that had been destroyed in World War II only exists as photographs. If a person wasn't aloud to photograph those paintings, they would be lost FOREVER. Some musical works by great composers such as Bach only survive as copies. I cannot imagine losing those works in time because of an unwillingness to share. It is logical to conclude that more copies and wider distribution of those copies can insure the preservation of a work of art. Software that has aged past its profitability and is no longer under the protection of a parent company is endangered. I have a feeling that historians hundreds of years from now will look fondly upon forums of this type because of their integral role in preserving this volatile art form.
