So I’m almost 100% sure I made a mistake by buying the wrong Cubase Artist upgrade, but im hoping im wrong and someone can help me verify this, or that someone can help me with advice on what to do so I don’t end up throwing away the 140 Euros I just spent on the wrong upgrade
Also posting this so hopefully it can help others avoid the same error I made and avoid the frustration I am currently experiencing
First let me say that I absolutely love Cubase. I think the software is super intuitive, there’s tons of great resources to learn and be supported as you create, plus I’m new to music production, bought my first synth at the start of pandemic (~3 years ago) and it came with Cubase AI and so far its been a blast (mainly because the DAW makes it really easy to produce good sounding music even if youre a novice)
Because of this, I decided to finally upgrade to one of the “full” versions (from elements to Artist)
Here’s the background/context:
Friday (2 days ago) I bought a Cubase upgrade from AI to artist from BAX music online store
I assumed this upgrade was the right upgrade for me to purchase because, firstly I want to upgrade to Cubase Artist, and further more:
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I have a valid Cubase AI license (see screen shot, last in cue is my Cubase AI license):
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I currently also have a Cubase Elements 12 license, and I thought I understood from the Cubase upgrade website that an upgrade from a lower version to a higher version would always work (for example if you want to apply an upgrade to Pro, but you currently have Artist, you would only need to purchase an elements to Pro upgrade)
After the upgrade arrived in the mail, I opened the envelop and went to add the new activation code so I could start downloading the Artist version and content
That’s when the download manager informed me (via error message) that I do not have a valid license:
I was confused why I was getting this error because my activation manager clearly states I have a valid license for Cubase AI (see screen shot above)
This was yesterday evening around 4pm, since then I’ve been doing some additional research and am starting to understand that the Cubase upgrade process is very detailed and you have to be very clear what version/licenses you have and ensure you buying the appropriate upgrade
I think my critical error was not having an actual Version of Cubase AI 12 (I believe the version of AI I have is 11, but I cant remember as I got it free with a synth I bought like 3 years ago, also I cant find what version I have as the elicense manager just says its an AI license with no version #/see screen shot), but maybe its also that I upgraded my Cubase AI to elements over the holiday (around December last year), and you cant apply an upgrade to a license more than once (I have yet to find anything on the Cubase website that verifies this)?
What would be super helpful is if someone with a bit more experience could help me:
A) Help me determine what version of Cubase AI will work with my Cubase Artist upgrade
B) Help me find where to get a copy of this Cubase AI
→ I seems like AI is only available as a bundle with Yamaha gear. I’m always in need of new production tools :-), but I find its super confusing and hard to find a product that shows clearly that it is bundled with Cubase AI 12, they typically only say Cubase AI (but no version) and I dont want to make the same error twice (buy another product to get a Cubase AI license that wont work with my Artist upgrade)
→ or does anyone know if its possible to buy a version of Cubase 12 (AI/LE) directly which I can then apply my upgrade to?
C) determine if my assumptions are correct about my error. Did i indeed buy the wrong upgrade or is there perhaps something else that’s an issues (maybe I don’t have a license installed correctly?)
Any help here would be very much appreciated
