Why does Cubase 12 cost the same as previous more stable and functional versions?

[EnergyCrush]

Every customer at this point deserves a full refund for Cubase 12, any version.

Steinberg is marketing this product as a DAW in its 12th release based on the history of its name. Every single customer deserves to have a version of this product that is at least as stable and functional as any previous version, period.

Instead Steinberg seems to think they are justified maintaining radio silence about any progress, completely failing to respond to many users support requests, and using other customers experiences for free as a way to salve complaints from other customers through this forum.

This product is flawed, broken, and Steinberg’s responses or lack thereof across the board a continuous slap in customers faces.

We deserve more from this. We deserve answers and responses, from the PMs or heads of Steinberg that feel justified stiffing customers paying honest money for this garbage.

I want a response to this, from someone that matters and will make a difference, and so does every single other paying customer experiencing this continuous overwhelming series of failures.

[mkok]

I’m not seeing bugs worse than any other release. What specifically are you talking about? I’m using it every day without problem.

[cubic13]

A general rant that brings nothing…

Ever thought that what seems a “garbage” for you could work perfectly for many of us ? FYI, I’ve been using, since last august, 12.0.30, 12.0.40 and 12.0.50 (haven’t feel the need to go up to 12.0.52, as it hasn’t bring something I absolutely need and if ain’t broken… ) : only three crashes and I know where they came from…

Instead ranting, a topic showing clearly at least an issue you are having with C12 would be more helpful for yourself, as you’ll go nowhere with this kind of thread.

Really pleased having lost 5 minutes to answer. It deserved it…

[Brian_Roland]

I’m not as uspet since I’ve retained plug and play images to take my entire system back to various points of ‘Cubase Evolution’. Still, I too would like a little better Legacy Support through major transitions like the Steinberg ecosystem is currently undergoing (hopefully for the better in the long run).
I’m all for progress, and I don’t mind sending Steinberg ‘support money’ for their efforts towards ‘now and the future’. They work hard…some are even ‘rock stars’ for the industry, and they do deserve a regular pay day (no sales/upgrades, and it’s hard to pay those developers).

Still, I tend not to upgrade my primary work-flow to the latest stuff until I’ve run plenty of tests (shove in a new hard drive as a test platform…OS and all…and piddle until I’m confident it’s safe to implement it as the primary workflow).

I don’t expect Steinberg support to ‘bend over backwards’ servicing the older versions, but it would be nice it were easier and more straight forward to ‘roll back’. Perhaps a ‘legacy support’ tab in Steinberg Download.

Some versions of various bits are nearly impossible to get [or quite confusing to locate and extract from larger installers] anymore unless you have ‘disks’ or thought to archive every little step along the way on your own personal media (update patchers, individual content packs, etc).

Example: What if there’s a need to roll HSSE back to the last Dongle/eLicenser version? I don’t see an straight forward way for HSSE to ‘take it back’ to given version. Only the ‘latest one’ is available as a stand alone installer, and to get back older version of the libraries can require grabbing a massive full installer for an entire version of Cubase! It’s possible to dig about and find a little more on the support web pages, but it’s pretty confusing to know for sure what’s the best one to grab!

Some sort of document showing the roadmap, with links to ‘every single version ever released’ would be very welcome.

Live support staff won’t have to do much, if the tools are online for us to ‘support it ourselves’.

So…you’ve managed to find the older version of HSSE or GA that you want, but now you also find a need to roll back the content libraries (or at least some of them) too! (I.E. The new activation system causes a 20 second ‘hang’ before the HALion or GA UI will open and display his contents). If only it were ‘easy’ to know exactly where the last dongle/elicenser based version of those library are stored, grab them, and replace things.

We fiddle and poke around trying to find a simpler solution to ‘rolling back’ (Try disabling all your network cards…maybe the UI will be snappy again? Or at least until the last key expires, and it takes you time to figure that out, turn the network back on, update the registration, and go back to work). Sometimes such fixes work, sometimes they don’t (or in the least, cause other ‘issues’ requiring a whole new set of hurdles to navigate).

Then there’s the whole deal with HSSE player ‘free keys’ for the eLicenser/dongle version no longer being distributed (click the link on the website all you like…no key ever comes). Why was that taken offline before this new system (which will probably be SUPERIOR once it’s refined and all the content is adapted to work with it…like the road map, it just wasn’t ‘quite ready’ to go taking down all the links to easily roll back to the stuff that worked before) was ready to fill the gap?

[Highly-Controversial]

Ohhh , now there’s a thought , can i have a refund right back to Cubase 2.1 on the Atari
So for 32 years Steinberg has tied you to a chair with a gun at your head and forced you to press the purchase button ? LOVE IT !
Updating with Steinberg is always a bit of a process ,love/hate a bit like any relationship if it’s not right for you then …tut ta
Unlike the old day’s where you received your hard copy of Cubase and not having the internet to fall back on ( well i never found the forum till 2010) really was a great learning curve of teaching you to be very carful with Steinberg update processes , i jumped C4 because of the amount of people complaining about the issues in a recording studio , joined again from sx3 then C5 but always in the back of my mind is those dark dayz of no support and dealing with broken stuff but that has got me to where i am now …knowledge on how to make my machines run for my needs . everything in life has faults you just deal with them same with Steinberg software

Refund please from Atari dayz

[jazztom]

Everybody has the right to complain about everything…
However, nobody has the right to complain in my name about a software that I personally like a lot.
It is not acceptable for me that you complain for “every user” and state that “we deserve more from this”… I personally have tried a lot of other DAWs and I like Steinberg products for their maturity, stability and good value for money.
So please stop rants that proclaim to be speaking for everybody.

[Brian_Roland]

@Highly-Controversial

Ohhh , now there’s a thought , can i have a refund right back to Cubase 2.1 on the Atari

Still have your dongle? Some folks are willing to pay more for it today than it cost when it was brand new Particularly if you have clean user manuals and extra bits like Midex or SMP (extra parallel to MIDI interface) to go with it.

Still have a clean/working ST, TT, or Falcon (with 2meg or more)? Some of those (depending upon model and condition) go for absurd prices these days.

[Highly-Controversial]

@Brian_Roland

Still have your dongle? Some folks are willing to pay more for it today than it cost when it was brand new Particularly if you have clean user manuals and extra bits like Midex or SMP (extra parallel to MIDI interface) to go with it.

Sadly not , i let all the Atari stuff go back in 2002 with the swap over to PC , Im not surprised in the recent renaissance in the old tech , something s were a lot more intuitive but also a PITA lol
I can get hold of a Falcon with dongle if need be but i have no need .

[Brian_Roland]

Finally let mine go a few years ago. A Falcon, Mega 4, and two Stacy 4 machines (screen didn’t work in one Stacy anymore, but it ran well otherwise).

All my projects had been ported to newer systems, and I wasn’t playing with it anymore. It was taking up space ‘rotting’.

Good news is that even after all these years, got well more than half of my money back [note, I acquired much of it used, some even as ‘gifts’ when it was hard to GIVE the stuff away].

Threw in an old Amiga set, and some old Peavy DPM SP units…old CRT monitors…worn out multi-track tape decks, unloaded a ‘truck load’ as a package deal! The stuff was loaded too. CT2b upgrade on the Falcon, SMP2 and SMP24, ADAT and SPDIF boxes, Unitor/Export/Log3, Multiple Cubase and Notator/Logic dongles. Avalon, Sample X, Unitor.

I didn’t see any point in hanging on if I wasn’t going to boot it up pretty often and keep it in good shape anymore. Sad day…but also surprising to learn someone wanted it bad enough to come from 3 states away, pay a decent amount for it, load it up, and haul it to a ‘retro loving’ studio for chance at a second life.

[skijumptoes]

I guess it depends if you feel that across the years Steinberg deserves the benefit of the doubt and your continued support.

C12 has really been quite poor in regards to problems/bugs. I think it’s in an ok state now, however, and I do have a love for Cubase which maybe some days doesn’t follow logic.

I think really, if you’re unsure just update in the sales where it’s $50 and the updates will be more mature. Also, let’s not forget that we were given some freebies along the way, and I saw that as a bit of an apology already:

The annual Cubase Sale has started and we have good news for everyone who has already updated

Hi all, Today we are starting the annual Cubase Sale and we are offering a 40% discount on all updates, upgrades and full versions until October 3, 2022. And there is even more! Every Cubase Pro 12, Artist 12 and Elements 12 customer who has already updated or purchased Cubase 12 since the release in March will get access to some stunning partner products without additional costs as well! Depending on your Cubase 12 version you will find voucher codes for some excellent plug-ins from our fri…

[Solnyshko]

There are a miriad of variables outside of Cubase 12.
I’m running it on a 2010 Mac Pro.

It’s solid as a rock.
If there’s ever a problem 99% it’s a third party plugin.

[Johnny_Moneto]

@Brian_Roland

Perhaps a ‘legacy support’ tab in Steinberg Download.

The following is not meant as a solution but rather as a tipp that, I assume, not everybody is aware of:
On Windows PC you can use an Explorer window as a FTP client in order to access the Steinberg FTP server (kids, please google what FTP is). Maybe on macOS a Finder window works as well?

They advertise the FTP server on their Download page. There is also an easy access legacy support there:

[pallallan]

Hi! I don’t agree. I like it a lot.
Cubase is complex but the complexity is the thing.
What happen to you Bit Cruiser? Are you sad?
Have you lost your masterpiece of all times?
Try to start the proj. again and continue from were you lost it. Be happy
It’s fun to do music.
Thank you.

[Cuttlefish]

Can you show us on the doll where Steinberg hurt you?

Seriously… Cubase 12 is working pretty great for me! Very few complaints. Can you list the flaws that are troubling you?

[studio-kiel]

lol - serious? for me its the best version so far, whats your specified problems? maybe you need to clean, check and reconfigure your system.

[RichardTownsend]

Can you be more specific? My experience is that 12 is the most stable version ever.

[Elien]

I agree in one single aspect: Every customer deserves indivdual support from steinberg and if the product does not work at all a generous and simple refund policy would help.

I do NOT agree with the general rant - working with cubase since ages (literally) and there is nothing special about C12 - most things work great here and in no way does cubase hinder me to creat music with it.

Cheers, Ernst

[dylanmixer]

Oh, the drama.

[Monotremata]

Guess this guy forgot during all his ranting posts across the forum, this is a USER forum.

If he’s got issues that serious, he needs to hit the actual support site so the Steinberg team can tell him how he screwed up his computer on his own and he can fix it. Cubase certainly didn’t do anything to it. No refund desired here…

[egelmett]

I paid the same upgrade price because it’s a stable and more powerful than the previous version.

Check your perspective…and your PC.

Not having any greater problems than C11…

Oh…this is on a hackintosh, Big Sur…so…again, check your PC.