Hi,
I currently own both Halion 5 and Groove Agent 4, which appear to be the main products in Absolute 2.
Does anyone know if there is a way to upgrade to Absolute 2 if you own this? i.e. is there a discount?
Cheers
I’d be interested in this upgrade too if Steinberg would offer a route from Halion 5 & Groove Agent 4, I also own HSO full.
Any possibility Steinberg?
Thanks in advance.
Just been thing about this myself. I’ve got money burning a hole and I may have went for a deal if it was there. Maybe someone with a brain cell might start working this idea soon.
I own Absolute collection 1, Halion 5 and GA 4
For what I would get with the upgrade price it is way too expensive for me.
It is disappointing this can’t be like waves, where you can get discounts based on the products you already own. I was thinking about buying groove agent, but I’m not going to buy it now that they’ve released Absolute 2 and i already have Halion 5.
I’m wondering about this too … I’ve paid a lot more over the years for the individual items, but still don’t have all of them, and would be interested in some kind of discount offer. Makes me feel like my investment has lost its value … 
This, combined with the fact that iC Pro for Android was simply discontinued a few weeks after I bought it, with no offer of compensation, makes me feel more than a little unhappy with Steinberg’s marketing policies.
I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking this!
Any chance of a response from Steinberg?? I assume you read these forums…
A pretty important question in my mind:
If one gets the Absolute 2 package, do they all share a common key, or does each plugin get its own?
With the Absolute 2 package, could I get a second USB key and split the licenses across different machines? I.E. run Halion 5 on a second machine acting as a VST server, while running Groove Agent on the main DAW PC, etc.
To date I’ve gotten all my Steinberg plugins separately, and intend to keep them licensed separately, since this way I know each plugin gets a code of its own that I can put on the USB key of my choice and run on different systems. It may cost a little more this way, but I think I might be getting a bit more freedom in how I deploy the various plugins this way. Am I mistaken?
I don’t believe so. I have the Absolute (1) package and it is a single license. I am speculating, however…
I don’t think the eLicenser database had to be updated for this. I’m assuming they give you a single license code that grants separate licenses for each VST this time, instead of a single one like Absolute 1 did.
Hi all,
There are currently no upgrade paths from HALion or any other VST instrument to Absolute 2 available. We have been discussing this issue intensively, but unfortunately it is just not possible to offer upgrades for all kind of products and combinations. I understand that there are customers like you who already have several of the products included in Absolute and who feel excluded by Steinberg right now. But as you know there have been several sales promotions for all of our instruments in the last couple of years with similiar rebates like the Welcome Spring Offer, the Valentine’s Day Promo or the Black Friday sales activities. So even if the Absolute collection doesn’t seem to be as attractive to you as it is for other customers, there will definitely be more chances for you to participate in sales promotions of equal value in the future.
Hi Matthias,
unfortunately, you are correct and i do “feel excluded by Steinberg right now” and believe this to be a pretty poor attitude to have towards paying customers who have already been loyal, in some cases, for years…
Why is it not possible to offer upgrades? You make the statement, yet there is no follow up to why…
I can imagine dozens of ways to achieve this. Here is a very simple one, which would appear fair to all:
- Sum the total cost of all products in Absolute 2.
- Sum the total cost of the products owned by a user (you can do this based on who has registered their products)
- divide 2 by 1 to get a fraction of what the user owns.
- multiple 3 by the cost of Abolsute 2 and this is discount to apply to the loyal customer.
PLEASE reconsider!!! there are many of us who already feel let down by this…
Native instruments provide crossgrades to Komplete, so isnt realistic to expect the same from Steinberg…
thanks
I understand what Matthias has said to mean “we couldn’t be bothered trying to figure that out”.
Seriously. It’s actually counter-productive. Why is SB driving away customers? 
Driving away costumers by offering 1000 USD worth of VSTs for 500?
In my opinion, they should offer discounts for the following combinations of VSTs already owned:
- Halion 5
- Halion Sonic 2
- Groove Agent 4
- Halion 5 + Groove Agent 4
- Halion Sonic 2 + Groove Agent 4
Mostly because these VSTs are expensive and were released fairly recently. Just a small discount should be enough to stop users of these instruments from feeling left out.
As an owner of Absolute 1 + Halion 5 + GA4 I definetly won’t pay the same price as an owner of Absolute 1 only.
A seasonal discount that would apply to everyone again would make no difference as I had to pay the same as the ones with only Absolute 1 also there.
I think you make some good points and if Stienberg is wise, they will listen to you, but:
How is offering different sorts of packages, bundles, and introductory deals at various price points driving away costumers? I see it as a good sign that Steinberg sees the value in reaching out to potential new users.
I’m personally jumping for joy that they aren’t taking the Avid route, and moving to a licensing style that would pretty much put me out of business if I kept using their tools (I have to work on a 2 to 3, and sometimes even 5 or more year upgrade cycle, and must do it with block grants that do not promise X amount per ‘month’). As much as I liked using Sibelius, I’m going to have to give it up at the point I need to move on from 7.5. I’m getting really anxious to see what Stienberg/Yamaha have on the horizon for high end scoring modules. After so many years, I can honestly say that I just have to be vigilant…there can be many cycles in the market place where upgrading would be brutal for me, so I just have to write letters to the right people and wait for a cycle that I can pounce…sooner or later they get around to a package or format that I can afford and commit myself into implementing.
At least right now with Steinberg, I can buy my keys, deploy and use them however and as long as I like, and choose when and where I decide to upgrade. They make it super easy to roll back to even ancient versions if I need to do that for some reason. Selling, loaning, or giving away my key is something I can mostly control myself (where competitors often don’t allow it at all, or make it so bureaucratic to transfer licenses that it’s often not worth it). I can always re-download stuff for any of my keys (even really old legacy stuff). The USB key helps keep me in check, so I spend less time worrying if my system is legal, and more time making music. If the key/licenser lets me do it…I know I’m deploying in a legal and ethical way. If it doesn’t allow it, that’s my cue that I need to call Steinberg to get the right solution for my needs.
Be patient, they will soon cook up a deal of some sort to benefit whatever type and size of Steinberg customer you happen to be. This company has been around long enough to understand, value, and take care of every single type and level of customer it has.
People pay less for things weeks after I did all the time. No matter what I buy…be it a car, a hammer, or a new trombone…there’s always a chance it might cost less, or more than I paid in tomorrow’s marketplace, or it might even be deemed totally obsolete.
I see it for what it is…the company needs more sales on the title to boost revenue streams and grow market share. They’re watching the current market trends and spending habits of both their current users, and the potential new customer. If they succeed in boosting sales, then the title is all that much MORE valuable, as that means Steinberg will be that much more committed to supporting and improving the product.
Boo hoo, the new guy got a little better deal than me on some aspect of his studio. That’s life sometimes…at the time I got the product, I needed it, and saw some kind of value in it that pushed it higher on my list among the competing products. I found the price fair enough to buy it so I did. So someone else got a better deal some weeks later…good for him! I find great deals that others don’t get sometimes as well.
If they succeed in boosting sales, it will ultimately benefit me as well. This means more users, more initiative for further/faster development, and better assurance of long term support for my investments.
Even as someone who got his plugins separately (some on special offers, some at full retail price), I still see the bundle offer as a win win. I can see a point in the future where I might actually need a bundle like this in ADDITION to the plugins I already own (more keys for more machines/locations).
The bottom line is that nothing is free. Companies need revenue streams to stay alive. No sales, means less money coming in, so products and services have to be scaled back or discontinued.
Radical marketing moves forces competitors to also make radical moves, and it can also change the expectations of consumers in ways that could lead to mass bankruptcy for an entire industry if not managed wisely.
In short, the guys doing all the finite math calculations have more information than I do. They’re not always going to make the best predictions, and their conclusions aren’t always going to lead to moves that will immediately help ‘me’. but I do know they can do a heck of a lot better at predicting the market place than I can.
Nicely said, Brian.
Every since the arrival of the internet and Google, so many people presume to know better how a company should be run and how they should market their products than those working at the company whose jobs and livelihood actually depend on the success of the company.
Well - they drove away this customer (i.e., me). And I 'm sure I’m not alone. Can I get an amen?
Indeed…
I’m glad that they voice their opinions and needs. It lets the marketing folks know what sorts of packages to build. Some just do it with the foresight and maturity of a 13 old who thinks the entire world has the same needs and functions in the same sort of budget cycles as they do. Oh yeah…“The entire world revolves around ME!”
Oh well…13 year olds spend money too 
For those with jerky enough knees to change platforms every time they feel life has been ‘unfair’ to them…they’re going to waste a heck of a lot of time and money, but it’s their time and money to waste