Can't find Prologue / Mystic / Spector in Cubase 12

Beats me. I suppose it’s highly dependent on what the specific technical issue is.

In any case it’s probably a good idea to start phasing out the use of these VSTi’s in new Projects and Rendering them to Audio for older Projects.

If you upgrade, you also keep a non upgradable version of cubase 11 with all those vsti.

So can still create the tracks in one version and save the Wav for use in any later version.

Also the work around on moving the VST3 and VSTSound files to same location as suggested further in this thread (on a Mac these files are in the Application contents VST3 and VSTSound folders) may work. However we don’t know what the “technical issues” Steinberg refer to are so later problems may be encountered if trying the workaround.

I have managed to get Mystic, Prologue, and Spector working, but they don’t have any of the factory presets. Does anyone know if there is there any way to access them?

As far as I can see, the presets in Cubase 11 were in these files:
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In Cubase 12 there is also this folder with files of the same name, but the files have been changed and the presets of the discarded synths are no longer included.
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Probably the only way to make the presets available in Cubase 12 is to save them as user presets.

Most likely it is a lack of Apple Silicon compatibility. Prologue, Mystic and Spector were produced for Steinberg by a third-party developer; I’m not sure what the situation is for Loopmash.

A secondary issue is likely that the licensing has not been updated to Steinberg Licensing. I presume that those copying the files over from Cubase 11 are relying on a Cubase 11 licence being present on their eLicenser.

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Ah. Apple is the weak link perhaps.

Did the licensing for Cubase change with the new system? Previously your Cubase license authorized you to use any older version. The license just told which max version could be used. You could use any other older version if you pleased.

Cubase 12 is the second product release to use the new Steinberg Licensing system (Dorico 4 was the first). Steinberg Licensing gives you three computer authorisations per licence and is totally separate from the old eLicenser infrastructure, other than a one-time eLicenser transaction for those upgrading from a previous eLicenser version of the product.

Those upgrading from a previous version get their existing Cubase eLicenser licence replaced by a Cubase 11 “not upgradeable” licence on eLicenser, which authorises previous versions of Cubase. Those who purchase Cubase 12 outright only get a Steinberg Licensing licence for Cubase 12.

I expect that those who only have the Steinberg Licensing licence (or whose eLicenser licence is not available) cannot use the unofficial work-rounds to use the discontinued plug-ins.

I’m not referring to that. What I’m referring to is the fact that on the old licensing system if you had (for example) a Cubase 11 license, that same C11 license also allowed you to use Cubase 10.5, 10, 9.5, 9, etc. The same license worked for older versions of the software.

The point being, if this hasn’t changed under the new licensing system, then it doesn’t matter that they had a C11 license because they still have C11 access under their C12 license.

It will not and cannot work as you say.

A Cubase 12 licence is on Steinberg Licensing. Cubase 11 and earlier only look for eLicenser licences - which an outright purchaser of Cubase 12 will not have and an upgrader will have, subject to the limits of eLicenser. Any components copied across from Cubase 11 will have eLicenser checks in them if they contain any licence checks.

A future step in decommissioning eLicenser might be that Steinberg re-licences recent versions of their applications that are still in maintenance to Steinberg Licensing, but that is not guaranteed.

What is ‘it’ ?

Because how I explained the old system is how the old system functioned. You could jump back and use any older version of Cubase with a higher version license on the eLicenser. The check was for max version. So it was possible to install and pull files off older version installations.

From comments above ours, it appears people are able to pull C11 files from their old installations and use them their new C12 installation. Which would invalidate your claim if true.

I suspect those copying Cubase 11 files to a Cubase 12 installation are upgraders from a previous edition of Cubase who will have a Cubase 11 (not upgradeable) licence on eLicenser. If those copied components are carrying out a licence check, it will be against that Cubase 11 eLicenser licence.

No Cubase 11 component can carry out a licence check against a Steinberg Licensing Cubase 12 licence, as there is no public build of Cubase 11 that uses Steinberg Licensing. It seems unlikely that Cubase 11 will be relicensed under Steinberg Licensing in the near future, though it is possible that will be done before the old eLicenser server is turned off.

No, C12 license covers only Cubase 12. You cannot run older versions.

Hmm. That’s a negative of the new licensing system, if true.

That’s why your eLicenser now says “non upgradable” If you have the dongle, you can run C11 just fine.

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I suspect that Steinberg Licensing will allow you to run a version lower than your licence. The problem is that Steinberg Licensing cannot authorise a version that uses eLicenser.

At the moment, the only version of Cubase using Steinberg Licensing is Cubase 12. You can use Cubase 11 and older if you have an eLicenser licence for at least the version of Cubase you want to run. Those upgrading to Cubase 12 will have a “not upgradeable” eLicenser licence for Cubase 11. Those buying a new licence for Cubase 12 are not given an eLicenser licence for Cubase.

When the next version of Cubase is released (Cubase 14? Steinberg will probably skip version 13), you will almost certainly be able to run Cubase 12 with that licence.

There are always going to be edge cases when changing a licensing system. The aim is to close eLicenser down, which is why new Cubase 12 purchasers (as opposed to upgraders) are not given a Cubase 11 eLicenser licence.

I barely used the plugins they removed over the years but I hate this removing policy. Now you can’t get backward compatibility with stock plugins too? I fear about the future of my projects. Will I be able to open them in future versions of cubase? Who knows……I can understand the VST3 only support question but not developing stock plugins is a huge shame.

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Superrrrrr Thank Youuuuuu :star_struck:

Ah. I was under the impression once you upgrade your eLicenser-held C11 (or older) license to the new C12 and new online system, that the old eLicenser-held license was invalidated on the eLicsenser thus the eLicenser no longer worked with Cubase.

Essentially that the license transferred from the dongle to the online system. And the online system doesn’t support older versions of Cubase lower than v12.

So one was either stuck using C11 (if they wanted to use older versions of Cubase) or moved on entirely with upgrading to C12.

And the eLicenser (regardless) system has a future end date regardless.

The C11 eLicence still works once you’ve upgraded it, you can use it, in actuality need it, with C11 or earlier just as before. I think it just can’t be upgraded a second time - which makes sense, though I thought the entitlements would be stored on the back end anyway, so it seems a little redundant to rename the licence locally IMO.

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Groove Agent One also works with C12. Place Groove Agent One.bin and Groove Agent One.vst3 in the Cubase 12 VST3 folder.

However, I will do as Raino suggested by forgetting these VSTs for new Cubase 12 projects and I will keep version 11 for my old files that used these VSTs.