The Download Assistent - Improvements

Hello everyone.

When I bought Cubase 11 and had to go trough the mess that is the download assisstant I was baffled by how bad it was. Considering the experience steinberg has and the complexity of the software environment we find ourselves in these days.

My main issue is that I am unable to choose any installation paths myself and on top of that the assistant silently installs the software in the background, without my consent and without telling me where the files went to. This is unacceptable.
With the amount of libraries and instruments, the different hard drives and installation paths people might want to use it is of utter importance to have control over where everything goes.
On top of that I personally hate being babysitted by software companies, but that’s just a side note.

In addition the user is currently unable to only download the files and install them later, but is forced to install it (silently) right away which makes it an installation manager instead of a “download” manager.

I understand that there is a need for simplicity with all the different ways plugins and software is installed, but it makes my life worse and like many I was relieved that there was a way to manually download all the files and install them properly.

Lastly, due to this incoherency in installation methods the software is unable to detect installed software correctly which leads to further issues in terms of overview and updating singular products (as stated in other threads). Simply put, I have stuff installed that the DA doesnt recognize.

To sum it up:

  • give users the ability to choose installation paths
  • add multiple installation path choices for software, instruments and libraries. Give users an overview over where the stuff is! Its complicated enough
  • make sure the installed products are recognized by the DA, regardless of wether they have been installed manually or automatically
  • give users the option to download files without installing them without consent

Again, I understand that there needs to be simple methods of installation for inexperienced users or for the sake of simplicity and speed, but it’s important to give those who know what theyre doing control over what they’re doing.


Considering the amount of other issues the DA seems to have I wanted to again raise awareness of this matter in a single thread and give people the opportunity to state their problems and to upvote this.

The Download Assistant could be a really good installer, but it needs to be tackled before we get to Cubase 19.

Cheers!

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Have you seen this:

I agree with much of the OP. Good suggestions. I get especially frustrated when the downloader does not say “installed” when I know it has. You CAN change the download folder BEFORE you download, then change it back if you want. It is counterintuitive though.

Z

yes!

I mentioned in the text that I was “relieved that there was a way to manually download all the files”
I’ll need the links when I upgrade though. thanks!

@ZeroZero yes. but thats only the location where the setup files are stored. the installation is excecuted automatically.

I agree with this 100%. We are not complete idiots, and should not be treated as such. By all means, make it the default, but give us the choice to disable this behaviour.

The Download Assistant (or “Flaky McFlakeface”, as I call it) needs to be fixed before Cubase Next, IMHO.

1 Like