I must say I am disappointed with Steinberg not making their sounds & loops section available without needing a dongle yet.
Why would this be a big deal to fix? it’s just samples, not like the elicenser code is integrated into the samples?
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VSTsound libraries (the packages that contain the sample files) are indeed licensed, and Steinberg has to publish Steinberg Licensing-enabled updates for every individual product that uses/used eLicenser.
I’m not happy about it either (wish they made it so folks who LIKE the USB eLicensers could keep using them), but we’re just in a transition stage. In the next year or two, no Steinberg products will require eLicenser.
I hope you are correct. The RND EQ and Comp are the main ones I am curious about.
I hope you are wrong. A year or two for a license migration for some content seems a very long time.
I hope you are very wrong.
After install a dongle-free Cubase 12:
I know it will get done. Hopefully, it doesn’t take forever.
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Steinberg is getting on with migrating products. They have launched the ability to move WaveLab 11 and Backbone licences to Steinberg Licensing this week. The only problem I am aware of is that some who had WaveLab educational licences that had a paid update to a later version (which removes the educational restriction) mistakenly got WaveLab 11.1 educational vouchers. This issue has not been fixed for me yet.
Groove Agent 5 was listed as pending transition to Steinberg Licensing, though that list has disappeared from the help center. Nevertheless, I expect Groove Agent and its content packs to move to Steinberg Licensing soon.
HALion is due to have a paid version update, likely later this year, so I would expect HALion, HALion Sonic, HALion content packs and Absolute to stay on eLicenser until that release happens.
There are a lot of products still to move, including various plug-ins. I look forward to VST Connect Pro and the DNxHD video plugin for Cubase/Nuendo moving off eLicenser, as well as Absolute and my paid content for HALion, Groove Agent, Padshop and Retrologue.
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I can’t use Backbone 1.5 without a dongle yet. Steinberg is at best very inaccurate in their communications. Groove Agent was supposed to be dongle free too now, but it is not for users that own the software via Absolute 5 it seems. I don’t even understand why Steinberg would make that distinction, it is such a lack of logic to me. If I bought a license for a certain piece of software I should be able to use it the same if I bought it thru a bundle or not.
I understand Steinberg is in a transition now with their copy protection, but why should their paying customers be the ones that get left out and held back by the old dongle system? Steinberg is really annoying me lately with their priorities.
Those with a standalone Backbone licence should have a voucher in their My Steinberg account to migrate Backbone to Steinberg Licensing. I have both a standalone Backbone licence and an Absolute 5 licence, as I bought Backbone before it was added to Absolute on the release of Absolute 5.
Unless I have missed something, Groove Agent licences are not being issued on Steinberg Licensing yet.
I get that the current situation is frustrating. I think Absolute will not transition until HALion 7 releases. However, it would be nice to see progress on relicensing material such as loop packs, VST Connect Pro and the DNxHD video codec, as sorting out those products would release quite a few users from eLicenser entirely.
We can only hope for continued progress.