The buildnumber of Cubase 12 isn’t changed for more than 3 weeks?
I voted Feb. 23rd because it is my birthday… Wasn’t meant to be, I guess…
23rd march 2022
Finally a date!
Where did you see this?
I read that, too. But when I asked Support about it they said I could just wait for the release of Cubase Pro 12. Don‘t even have an eLicenser but I bought the Black Friday competitive crossgrade and thought that can‘t be too difficult… Can someone confirm that it‘s not possible to activate Cubase without an eLicenser?
If you get your info from a Steinberg rep, or an authorized dealer it is authoritative. If you get your info anywhere else, it’s not.
You can wait either wait until 12 comes out, or you can buy an elicenser and and activate Cubase 11. When 12 comes out you get that, plus you keep Cubase 11 on the USB key, meaning you have access to all previous versions, and an extra license for Cubase 11 as long as you own the USB Elicenser key.
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Thanks a lot! I hope Support really understood my question - the source for my doubt is the helpcenter article on the grace period 
. But I guess I‘ll find out soon.
I would not risk that – if I were you, I’d get a USB-eLicenser ASAP and activate the Cubase 11 license before Cubase 12 is released. But that’s just me …
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The helpcenter article only states that the license has to be activated after November 9, 2021.
Ok, maybe I‘ll just do what you propose. I thought I could still buy an eLicenser after Cubase 12 is out if it does not work without one.
That’s correct. There is no expiration for a Grace Period. It’s exactly as simple as what it says.
If you buy a USB-eLicenser now and activate the license on it, you’ll be able to use that to run Cubase 11 and all prior versions of Cubase on any computer, Windows or Mac, forever, or as long as the device lasts, in addition to the Cubase 12 you have on any other computer.
If you wait until Cubase 12 is released, my understanding is that Cubase 12 will not use the eLicenser at all. If all you want is Cubase 12, then wait.
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I went that route. Bought the crossgrade and immediately bought the eLicenser too. I switched over to Logic Platinum after VST32 was released, so I figure, I get a head start relearning Cubase with 11 Pro, and once 12 comes out, that learning curve will be completely gone. And if 12 turns out to be a headache I got 11 I’m getting very comfortable with to fall back on until its nice and smooth to move ahead.
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Surprised a betting pool hasn’t started yet
So uh… I read here somewhere that we’ll need the dongle to update to Cubase 12. Looks like I lost mine… took it to my workplace several times recently. Perfect timing, huh?
Thank you Steve for clarifying this!
You cannot activate Cubase 11 Pro or Artist without a USB eLicenser. If you want to activate before the release of Cubase 12, you must follow the process as I said.
I suspect that Steinberg will make unactivated Cubase 11 Download Access Codes valid for Cubase 12 once Cubase 12 releases. In that case, you will activate in the same way as a new Cubase 12 purchase or upgrade - you put the code into Steinberg Download Assistant, which activates your licence and installs the application. For new purchases (including crossgrades other than a Cubase to Nuendo crossgrade), eLicenser is not involved. For updates from an eLicenser licence, it works the same way as I previously described.
Definitive information will follow from Steinberg once Cubase 12 is released.
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I don’t think many of us would bet against it being the day after Mardi Gras …
Yeah, I know about this service. I’ll be really really surprised if there’s no way to upgrade to v12 without the dongle, after I activated license on it and used it a lot.
I suppose, in a case where someone doesn’t have their USB key, Steinberg Zero Downtime would still work, since the system gives an activation code. Those work in the system.
Worst case scenario, the user contacts support to ask them to help.