I tried this and it’s hellish. I wanted a closed system, which never changes (once we have the perfect tool for music, why change?), Impossible. After a while, this or that editor asks for a connection. And the moment you log in, it’s total suction. Windows doesn’t even listen to the command not to update. And as soon as a component is modified, it is the sequence. Sad.
I’ve had eLicenser problems that were all in the terrible user interface, not actually technical.
A while back, when I tried to install 10.5, it failed to activate, saying I needed a “cubase 10” license. Which was clearly visible on the dongle! Turns out, I needed a 10.5 license, but that’s not what it told me.
More recently, I tried punching the download code into the eLIcenser activation window. It accepted the code (even though it was shorter than it wanted) and connected to the server, after which it said “the version was too old for that code and a needed the newest version.” But it was the latest version available! That error message should have said something else.
Anyway, human nature being what it is, some kind of license management keeps honest users honest. Cracking users will crack no matter what. I much prefer the low-key approach that Native Instruments uses, where it’s simply a web login. No muss, no fuss. By contrast, Waves relies on a software-only approach, which was incompatible with my Windows Pro setup, and I had to temporarily install a USB WiFi interface on the computer to pass license validation and create a USB disk to keep the license on … That’s crazy, too, so Steinberg is competing for the bottom spot 
Anyway, long story short: Please, just use a web login, like Native Instruments. That has never failed, or given me misleading error messages. There’s no real security in the USB dongle, because crackers will crack anything. It just delays them a little bit, but it adds major hassles to real, paying users.
Looking forward to the day I can take a big hammer and crush my eLicencer into tiny pieces
If you know anything about Steinbergs history, you’d know if there were ever a tragedy it was before eclisencer became unhackable and everyone was stealing the program. Steinberg would be better off today - and we’d have more features we want, if they weren’t digitally robbed and nearly murdered in cold blood.
Two quick comments to it:
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Would it be an option, to make your smart phone to be the license carrier via BT, USB, NFC, WLAN or such means? Can walk from home to the studio; can walk from one workstation to the other and use same license on different workstations, etc. Only limitation is, that you can’t walk away from your DAW when other people should be working on it.
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I think that Microsoft would never be what it is today without the “shared packs of floppy disks” in the 80ies and 90ies.
Cubase’s story is not unique. I’m not talking about not protecting the program. I’m talking about leaving a technology. I already had an eLicencer that died this year. I had to collect my licenses temporarily and send Steinberg a picture of my eLicencer in pieces, after a sledgehammer. Then I had to buy another one, otherwise I had to wait weeks without working. Then then comes that dark night with C11. No C11, no C10.5, no VSL Instruments. Never a problem of this type however with iLok 2. It’s like that.
What happened was not to happen. I’m sure that’s what the president told his troops. I think Steinberg, without publicly admitting his mistake, will soon change protection technology. If many have lost faith in the eLicencer, the first one should be the president of Steinberg.
Actually, unless I’m not up to date, Cubase hasn’t been cracked in many years thanks to their elicenser. That is or perhaps was, the beauty of this dongle because personally, I don’t want to subsidize any freeloaders, unlike many years ago.
With that said, someone here said C10.5 had been cracked. However I could not find any support for that claim. My point is that regardless of this recent event if it indeed is true, Cubase has not been cracked in a very long time, and I like that. I get a similar feeling when I use UAD.
There are plenty of legitimate horror stories with Native Access if you read their forum. And there are several missing features users continually ask regarding Native Access but NI will not allow.
I hope in time Steinberg will change, but I hope not until protection is the same as the dongle has provided for many years.
I am now on Mac and the USB license key does not fit in the USB-C ports. I need the usb-c ports for my sound card, my usb keyboard and my portable hard drive. I do not have free ports for the e-license key. So if I want to continue using Cubase on my mac I have to get a usb hub that also accepts USB 2 dongle - it is like a daisy chain of complete and utter insanity.
I was going to upgrade Cubase for my new mac, but instead due to the insane e-license dongle, I have downloaded Logic. I LOVE Cubase but I HATE the e-license key more than I love Cubase. I am now learning to Love Logic Pro until Steinberg sorts it out. Another Cubase Customer leaves because of this insane e-license key. Please Sort it out - we LOVE Cubase but HATE the dongle.
- “I don’t want to subsidize any freeloaders, unlike many years ago.” - Golden words that should be repeated for themselves by those who “cry” here about the “bad” dongle, each time, buying another update, for their honestly earned money.
Logic has its own dongle. A lot more expensive albeit much more useful 
^ Yeah, look on the brightside @elation, by using Cubase on Mac all these years, you’ve been secretly investing in the dongle which Logic uses, already.
That’s a good one! 
Cubase should be able to use the very same “dongle” Logic uses without needing an additional one…
Logic Pro X does not have a dongle on Mac. I downloaded and installed it - I have Logic Pro X 10.5.0. There is no dongle. That is why many are switching to Logic. Maybe Logic used to have dongles but not any more. I only switched to Logic because my new mac has the new USB-C ports and not enough to run my keyboard, sound card, external drive and dongle. Also the Cubase dongle is USB-2 and I do not have an adaptor - I dislike having to plug in usb hubs. Steinberg really needs to sort out the dongle problem if it wants to compete with Logic. Like I said Cubase has a lot of better features than Logic. It is more expensive, but because of this dongle issue it is simply MUCH easier and cheaper using Logic.
These users refer to the necessary Mac computer as the “logic dongle”
OK I finally get you.
So is it over yet?
Three pages of this and yet the Cubase dongle ‘lives on’.
OK so mistakes were made.
IMHO it is time for Steiny to admit to it (which they did)
and for us to move on and make more music.
The dongle ain’t going away anytime soon.
{‘-’}
Keep the dongle on. Protect our software.
Give no chance to crackers.
Hello, because I have the same problem " version of eLicenser too old…" actually on MAC Mojave / CB 11 Pro update 10.15 → 11, what have you done to activate CB? Thanks. Charles