Hello. I’m an old user of Cubase Elements and I’ve bought all the versions starting from 8.
Until 11 the passage from one version to another wasn’t a problem, even if I actually never installed a new version on top of a preceding one. Since I perform a full OS installation, usually when the main updates of Windows are ready, I install the new Cubase version after that. I experienced problems only the last time, with 11, but they were solved.
Now, with the 22H2, I started installing Cubase 12, happy that finally the eLicenser has gone.
Wrong!
That damn piece of software installed itself and searched a code, which obviously it can’t find.
I opened a ticket in the Support and after two weeks I had my answer: that process is necessary because you bought an upgrade.
No, Steinberg, wrong!
I bought Cubase 12 at an upgrade price, so you must give me the software as if I am a new customer.
You must verify if I’m eligible to buy an upgrade price before sell me the new version, not when I’m ready to install it.
This is the how those things work with any SW. Corel, to name one.
And in the case of 12 this is quite complicated and definitely disturbing.
Yes, the Support gave me instructions and codes, but this method is not acceptable.
There’s another thing that bothers me: is it fair that people with 8 pays the same upgrade price which pays people with 11? I don’t think so.
The verification process is necessary because of the switch to the new Steinberg Licensing system. This is the only way to check if you physically still have access to a previous eLicenser-based license to upgrade.
It has to be done this way due to limitations in the old eLicenser system. You would be able to sell your Cubase 11 license, then buy Cubase 12 at upgrade price otherwise, which is not allowed.
None of this will be necessary when upgrading from Cubase 12 to Cubase 13 or any other future version. Since the license is now bound to your MySteinberg account, you won’t even need access to your computer to perform a Cubase upgrade. If you want, you’ll even be able to upgrade Cubase from your phone. (You still have to download the new Cubase version first to use it, of course)
Good to hear that this will be the last time I see the eLicenser . But its codes too are tied to my Steinberg profile, thus I doubt to be able to sell it, provided i care to do that. But I can be wrong.
There is a support document describing the process of selling licenses. However, your eLicenser now contains probably a Cubase 11 license that has been marked as being upgraded to Cubase 12. That can’t be sold, because of the upgrade, but it still allows you to run all previous releases of Cubase as well.
depends what licences are on the elicencer ? Lots (most ?) of Steinberg software hasn’t made the transition yet so you may still need it if you have anything else on there.
Cubase 12 licences won’t allow you to run older licences so if you need to use v11 for any reason then the dongle is needed.
I think that the Steinberg Download Assistant installs the elicencer software automatically so I suspect the software is still going to be hanging around for some time to come.
yes - it’s interesting point - you can sell the other licences because they haven’t been upgraded but ideally you’d move them onto a fresh dongle (can you still buy them?) as the V11 one is effectively ‘legacy’.
I’m sure you would be breaking the licence agreement and I DO NOT suggest anybody does it … but it would be impossible for Steinberg to stop you ‘passing on’ an upgraded v11 licence…still quite a valuable bit of software IMO.
Well, since I own Cubase Elements I don’t think that sell it would deserve any effort.
But I’m conviced that Steinberg can have set up a system which disables older licences, if their problem is to avoid a sort of black market of older versions, which can be interesting for more expensive SW.
