One other interesting aspect of Logic licensing I would like to see for Cubase is the “Family Sharing” option where I can share my Logic license with Family members.
I really hope Steinberg can implement a dongleless approach in Cubase 9 !
Ok, but how much fuzz is it really to physically take out a usb dongle out of a hub and inserting it into a different one? I honestly don’t understand how this is a big hassle, one so big as to choose a different application. If I move mine from my desktop to my laptop it takes me about 10 seconds, literally (and I’m using the word “literally” literally).
Are your band mates considered family members?
Family Plan… That is a great idea. I always wanted the ability for my pets to create. And NOW I have IT!
I don’t understand the hassle either. These threads pop up 3-4 times a year. It is really hard for me to take them seriously. I can, however, understand drorh4 the thread starter. I would be out of my mind too if I was away and needed to do a quick edit for print. Nuendo is also really expensive to be carting around on holiday.
The question is: drorh4, you are out of the studio without your dongle, but you brought your audio workstation with you? Are you working off the cloud?
That is strange - I do have a few of them, and i have not found any Steinberg policy that does not allow me to.
I think he probably meant he cant have one license on multiple dongles. I could be wrong though.
Yea - I have multiple dongles (the long ones) but can only put my Cubase 8.5 pro on one of them. One dongle is on an iMac and the other on a USB hub hanging off a MacBook Pro. Using the hub/dongle when the laptop is on my lap is not comfortable. And if I am on the machine that has the Cubase 8 Elements license, I then have to switch dongles. I also have Groove Agent 4 and some additional content. That too cannot be on multiple dongles. Sometimes I am close to one machine and want to sit down and open a song - maybe tweak a drum part. But then I realize that the dongle with my CB8.5 Pro and GA 4 is on the other machine in the other part of the house.
A note about sharing my Logic license with the Family. I have 2 sons that can use the same license. It saves me a lot of money.
Thank you, I thinkl I had understood it in that or a similar way 
, But phrasing it that way, is just like saying “Neumann won´t let me do stereo recordings”…
Obviously sharing a license with you family saves you a lot, and takes away from potential profits of whomever makes the software. In the case of Logic it’s obvious why that works; Apple is a hardware company and that’s where they make their money.
Now, once we consider that - and I know this won’t come off well to some people - let’s just consider something here:
- You’ve got two sons
- You have a house (which I’m guessing you own)
- You probably have at least one car
- You have at least two Apple computers, which is the expensive brand, and possibly your significant other and/or kids have more computers…
…and the ‘issue’ here is that the dongle is “in the other part of the house”???
Re-read the posts in this thread, then read a real news publication’s section on world news, and then consider just what level of inconvenience it is you’re facing when you walk from one end of the house you own to the other to detach a little dongle and then go back and reattach it in a different computer.
I know that sounds harsh probably, but let’s put things in perspective here.
And just for the record: I would have been on board with a complaint if this was something that Steinberg had promised and then didn’t deliver on.
Sorry but the dongle is not my cup of tea. If I had to have a dongle for every professional software product I own - and because I am a software developer I own a lot of S/W, I would have dozens of dongles hanging off multiple hubs on my computers.
Believe me, I know that paying for software is important and I do my part for Steinberg - but all I ask is to find another or alternate way to validate that I am a licensed user. Maybe using the internet like many other modern s/w products do.
As for Apple’s sharing model - its nice for a Family – In a studio you would not have your peers in your “Family” profile and therefore would need to purchase a separate license. I certainly would not want to purchase 3 copies of CB 8.5 + 3 copies of GA 4 just to have the kids noodle around with it. Guess what - when they move off the family plan and still have an interest in using a DAW - which DAW do you think they will buy with their own $$$. It will likely be the one they were first exposed to.
I understand you don’t like the dongle. I’m not trying to make anyone like it. All I’m saying is that it’s a relatively minor issue. It’s small, fits in your pocket, easy to manage… And you don’t need one for every software. Plugins are the proof of that. I have several on my iLok, and several on my Syncrosoft. But only two USB keys. It’s really not a big deal.
And yeah, I get that your kids will get Logic, and they (you) will pay a premium for that glossy Mac, and that’s how they make money back in the end.
If grandma had balls she would be grandpa. 
Many other s/w products find themselves on torrent trackers on the day of release.
As MattiasNYC said Apple is a hardware company… And I suppose that saving money on 3 Macs (buying PC instead) you could have at least 1 CB 8.5 Pro + 2 CB 8.5 Artist. And of course if your sons go your way - refusing the tools they like because of the dongle, they will buy Logic.
Perhaps SB could offer License Transfer. Let’s say you buy 30 dongles register them on SB site, put them in all places you can be with your DAW and tire up to every Laptop with adhesive tape, but your License can be active on one dongle at a time. So you can transfer your license from your one registered dongle to another via SB site. But then you’ll have to validate your License every time you start the program (not a good thing for me).
Dongles are a crude 1980’s technology.
Steinberg should move into the 21st century.
“The pot calling the kettle black”, Cubase 6.5.5 / windows 7 / intel i7 920 …
Demagogy.
USB isn’t that old, and even if dongles have been around the current implementation is obviously up to date.
If you want to whine about tech being from the 80’s I’m eagerly awaiting you complaining about the x86 CPU you’re using being 70’s tech…
Sorry, but demagogy is not a real word. Try again?
Ehh the obvious thing would be to buy another dongle/license. If you are a pro this should be an minor investment compared to say outboard gear. I find it highly unprofessional to bitch about such a minor inconvenience that a dongle is.
Amen. Not to pooh-pooh anyone’s party, but I have 3 dongles and two licenses.
Does that mean I’m professional! actually, I do take my work seriously.