Blackmail?
Steinberg has compromising information on you and is threatening to make it public unless you repeatedly pay them money?
Huh! And here I thought they were just a software company.
I’m still not entirely clear where you’re going with this but the hyperbolics don’t help at all.
There is no blackmail or fraud going on here.
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Perhaps it was just a Fraudian slip 
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Nice!
“upvoted”.
Well done!
I was going to post just that @skijumptoes – And there are topics here that show plainly that SB is fair and reasonable in their approach to making exceptions for outlier situations.
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No defitely is not blackmail.
Is a smart company supported by fans that applauded thing like inconsistency y price politics, depending on a marteting agency to especulate and pay investerse instead coders.
There are many other smart companies now that just gives you a usb-c por so you must buying a hub, lossing all portability sense, and change the computer each year.
Aslo companies like windows are smart to convice people of that must using it, because they don´t accept must use it because win 7 was descontinuated even worked ok.
There are also smart companies that sell computers with an apple, so they feel they a PRO, even they have no idea what a converter do, or how it works internally, aslo maybe with luck have one o two conector so buyers must buy everything before was on the laptop, earphones, usb, hdmi, or any connection that make a laptop a thing with a lot of accesories around, but has an apple.
So yes, I was wrong, all them are smart.
Maybe who follow them withtou question antything maybe be not that smart.
At the end, those companies are big and have investers that gets the fans money, without knowing nothing about coding, I was wrong, they a smart. Not blackmail. I can the option to go my route.
Good luck.
No, the dongle continues to work for all dongle-ware versions you have keys for. I.E. Cubase 11 Pro key upgraded to Cubase 12 gets ‘tagged’ on the dongle as (Upgraded to … with Steinberg Licensing). It will continue to unlock all Dongle based versions of Cubase 11 Pro or lower as well as the little brother versions of Cubase (Artist/SE/Etc).
One exception to the rule is HALion 5/Sonic 2 (The complete stand alone retail version of Sonic 2) or older…if you want to run those and your Dongle key is for HALion 6/Sonic 3 or later, you need a special HALion 5/Sonic 2 key in addition to the newer key. The reason for that is from HALion 6 they offered the option to put HALion on the soft licenser, and whatever it did to the dongle wouldn’t work for the older HALion versions, so to maintain backward compatibility we filed a support ticket to get a special (non-upgradable) key for rolling back. If you don’t have it, think you are entitled to get it, and might need that key someday, contact Support and try to get it before it’s too late!
If you have stuff on the soft eLicenser…move it to a dongle before the servers go down! If you don’t have a dongle and you want to be able to roll back over all of the old eLicenser based products, I’d advise finding one soon, and moving all of your keys to it. I believe a web search should turn up some music stores that still have some in stock.
When you upgrade from a key from the old eLicenser to the new Steinberg Licensing, the old key is ‘tagged’ as upgraded, so someone can’t take that dongle and attempt to upgrade it ‘again’. The keys are still perfectly functional for all titles/versions/plugins/content-libraries that they were meant to unlock.
I’m keeping my dongle even though I’ve upgraded everything Steinberg on it to dongle free versions. They are all tagged as upgraded, but I can still run all those old dongle based versions on any PC or Mac that still has a USB port and compatible OS.
I also grabbed a spare dongle and registered it at my Steinberg. It currently has nothing on it, but if my primary dongle should stop working someday, I’ll contact Support and ship them ‘both’ of my dongles, so they can move my stuff to the one that’s never been used other than plugging it long enough to register it. I don’t anticipate zero down time being an option once the severs go down.
If I were uber dependent on a retro setup, I’d make it a point to pick up an extra seat and dongle or two if possible. The same would apply if I were insisting on using something like Logic with a 1990s PPC Mac (I’d make it a point to stash away another working PPC Mac). Back when I was still relying on the Atari ST/Falcon stuff…I made it a point to keep at least two machines working at all times, and kept spare dongles for the software.
Be it new stuff, or retro kit…some kind of redundant backup plan is important if these are tools you NEED to gig or open the studio doors. At some point it’s more costly to cling to the old technology…other than maybe keeping one or two around for archive retrieval purposes (and hopefully you’re at least exporting the stems and performance data to generic formats on modern storage mediums).
See, in 2024, you can get something like a $800-1000 mini PC and Audio interface, strap it on the back of a cheap screen, install something like HALion, Kontakt, Roland Cloud, Korg Collections/whatever, and you have one heck of lightweight gig machine. Compare this to the 90s, when it took at least a 5 space 19" rack to haul that many sounds around and get much polyphony out of the setup. Add another 30 pounds of very expensive ‘cables/connectors’. Today’s stuff requires way less ‘power’, it’s MUCH lighter/smaller, and if you’re smart about it, you can save a heck of a lot of time, money, and trouble. (A redundant backup plan of some kind is still important if you need haul this stuff around and gig professionally.).
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Thanks for correcting me.
I thought the upgrade meant the eLicenser would no longer function as an authorization for older versions. Good to hear it does.
I’ll go back and edit my post.
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Do you prefer to pay $1000 every year instead?
Life is dynamic and things change so we either adopt or go on a different route. This is really not the end of the world and If you make your living from using Cubase, this shouldn’t be a big deal.
It would be nice if SB could patch their old programs to run without the dongle. Not an easy task, I know. But it would probably require far less resources to do thát, rather than dealing with a lot of angry customers and supporting a vast amount of dongle users in the future and give them “individual solutions”. Plus, it would give more incentive for new people to buy the newest software when those same people could have the freedom to use any of the old software, if they don’t feel like joining the rat race of constantly upgrading their computers, operating systems and software versions, just to keep up.
Yes, it’s much easier to go back and recreate development environments for the old versions, remove all the previous security mechanisms, replace for the new, find testers who are willing to backdate their systems, adjust to suit, then work out a way for the licensing software to run on the minimum o/s requirements for each software. Then contact copyright owners of the various content, plugins and IP for them to agree that their work can be used under a new licensing model.
All they’d then have to do is open up support for these products to deal with the numerous complaints accusing them of breaking existing installs for the sake of moving them on to the new licensing which they hate, and prefer the dongle anyway. …Oh, and where has loopmash gone? 
Handling the few outliers by depositing a C12 license in their account, or sending out a replacement dongle or some piece of bypass software would take up far more resources to deal with, clearly. 
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The good new for me, is that is not need me to post to read attacks for a user opinion to other user opinions.
Have just been thinking about all these feedback about server problems, and new servers, and in the end, for me is not the only fact that I could pay for an upgrade.
The elicense server have been working for 25 years, and many users like me didn´t know they have had problems. Now migrate to a new servers on the cloud that have been tested on 30 day call, them change, than change again the computers way to license online or change, and nobody have no idea how much time the cloud license will work ok.
Moreover someone, someone suggested they maybe “change” to a subcription mode on the future.
On the past 25 years there were not so many unknowns. So in the end, at least me, all this unknown way (subscription posible on the horizon) make me more wonder more than a simple update. I don´t fill there will a 25 years stability on prices, or subscriptions or licences anymore to be honest.
I think I will stay on my dongle, not because the price update, but more because uncertainty in every aspect. From “offers”, rebates, cloud licenses. I think the company went too big and massive issue and changing decisions may arrive at anytime because of so much people involved (investers, and so on).
Thank you all for clarify some points. I have nothing more to arguing on this, Just wait and see what will may happen.
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I don’t know if you’re aware, but it seems that the whole audio market is struggling big time. So yes, I think this is generally an unstable period - to me Presonus/Studio One looks quite concerning since Fender took control. I think we may see someone else go the way Cakewalk did.
I’m not sure what the cause is, all I can presume is it’s costs on the companies themselves which have increased and more strain being placed on them by shareholders? It’s more saturated, so more companies wanting our money. And maybe sales are just down too, as people feel the pinch, too.
There’s far less pros who are fully reliant on products like Cubase too, hobbyists are by far the majority buying into ‘pro’ grade audio products so it’s reliant on other industries to pay these people who in turn support products in the audio industry.
Jobs are not as stable as they once were, with so many investment sharks in the water looking to swallow companies up, squeeze, and claim the riches for themselves while bragging about the billions they’ve made.
This is why companies like UAD are now practically giving away their products, which previously would cost a fortune for each. Never thought i’d see that happen. They’re just another plugin on a laptop now vs the DSP monsters of yesterday.
So the market has had to devalue to fit, this is why many companies are having to bridge that gap, and the general thinking is that subscription models are the way to go. And I get it, you don’t have to worry about maintenance or support periods, run seasonal offers that offend users that miss out.
It’s one price per month or a per year, and you’re guaranteed the latest update while subscribed.
And for every user that hates it, there’s equal that prefer it as this whole monthly arrangement like Netflix, Spotify, Splice is perceived cheaper and offers more selection than ownership of one or two items.
This is why I hope the current arrangement works for Steinberg and it’s users. But there needs to be people buying into those yearly updates for it to work, and the management have to work out how to put value into those updates as well as balance fixes and other improvements.
Good analysis.
I´m not aware about the audio market. But it´s obvious the sistem is on decay, and economy unstable, BTC on 90k and families on a budget.
There is a point I didn´t understood clear, you mention,
“This is why I hope the current arrangement works for Steinberg and it’s users”
Do you refer the the actual new license? or is any new about a posible subscription on the near future? or is just your thouht about what may will happen about the future?
It´s important, since should be no sense pay for and update because of the license and after some months chage to a susbcription mode.
Thank you in advance.
@lagoausente Please. Steinberg has said again and again, over and over that they will not switch to a subscription. Search the forum.
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I was referring them taking the business approach that is based around the what appears to be the following principles:
Paid update every November* @ $99
Sale pricing in spring @ $60
*Plus grace periods for those buying at full price in October.
With one-time single activation, beyond that no online authentication required.
I appreciate that Steinberg have said that they won’t go subscription only, and not seeking anything currently. But if that above model doesn’t work for them financially then they will have to seek alternative options that gets more people through the doors.
This is why I say I hope the current arrangement works for them as a company and us as users.
There’s already a rent to own option via splice, so the avenue has been considered, and i believe you have to be connected to the internet every 14 days:
But please note that this is something Splice control in conjunction with Steinberg. Not a clue how popular it is.
I really wish people would stop talking about this.
People talk about people talking about subscriptions.
The only thing we’ve actually heard from Steinberg is no subscription.
You don’t have to worry about it.
One thing that might help Steinberg is that direct sales to the hobbyists and street gigging class isn’t their only revenue source. Licensing out various protocols, encoders/decoders, and other tech they’ve managed to patent helps.
They’re hitched to a big parent company that can benefit from the R&D at Steinberg in a huge range of products. I.E. Bundling software with existing Yamaha gear. Incorporating bits and pieces of Steinberg tech in the firmware of such products. Etc.
It also stands to reason that Steinberg might get breaks and perks in using patented Yamaha tech in their products. Plus stuff like access to manufacturing facilities around the world for hardware-based projects. Larger and more robust distribution hubs for physical/boxed products.
Steinberg also has Nuendo, and various partnerships to work with various patent holders to integrate technologies that the typical home studio consumer will never need, and smaller DAW companies can’t afford to touch (licensing, plus the dev time supporting broadcasting/packaging/distribution/copy-protection/installer kinds of technologies the average user will never want or need).
This isn’t something that is geared to the masses, but it’s of value to a number of production and entertainment industries out there that are building massive one of a kind billion dollar setups (Film, Broadcast, and large scale Gaming industries). There are a number of very healthy companies that thrive on these ‘big contracts’ alone. If and when they put some software up for sale to the masses on a website somewhere, that’s basically gravy.
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undertstood.
I’m not asking for anything free.
But Steinberg announced the end of life off release. 5 months after c13 was released. 7 months before c14 was released. And it is only on the support pages. Not on the product page. Not on the pages to purchase an upgrade. Not in bold letters in the Hub when I launch Cubase (that I can recall).
Many of us using cubase for years (I started in 2005 or so) know the release cycle. Cubase works for me so I have not looked at the support site, as I had no need. I still don’t have a need, but saw the news. I check in to the product pages each November for the update and what is new.
For anyone like myself, this gives us a short window to upgrade.
I just don’t accept that this is on me. Steinberg has had many options to better communicate. The info is still only on the support pages. And the news of “Upgrades from C11 and older will end soon” is not the title of the article on Support, but buried in the text.
My request is, I believe, fair. Just keep the dongle going until the next Cubase release. Give us a full release cycle to upgrade. And just make c15 not be upgradable from 11 and below. That to me is the right thing to do. No freebies etc expected.
Now, this may be difficult due to a range of issues. But I think it’s fair for it’s customers.
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