Why is Cubase Tech Support so slow for the UK?

Cubase
1

As the topic says, you spend a lot of money on DAW software and even more on a Steinberg Audio Interface,

Yet when you need Tech Support it is more or less worthless.

From the UK we have two options, Call a German number at £1.18 per minute or send an email to which Steinberg replys saying “Your request has been received and will be reviewed by our support staff as soon as possible - usually within a few working days.”

A FEW working DAYs, what good is that?
Most professional studios need tech support within an hour max…

If your tracking a session or mixing a project for a client with a deadline and something goes wrong with cubase does Steinberg really believe that the client is going to be happy or understanding that tech support will take a few days?

I really want to know?

I am running a busness, I am not a home or bedroom user, I honestly doubt that Steinberg would make Junkie XL, Alan Silvestri, Kraftwerk, Hans Zimmer, Chase & Status, Tiësto or even Zedd wait for “a few working days”. Those guys, like most of us, just can not afford to have our DAW out of action for even a day much less a few.

And here is a HUGE bug bare of mine, when tech support does eventually reply, its just a link to another part of the steinberg site. No customer interaction, no personal engaugement, just cold.

With all of the other DAWS out there that can do what Cubase does, some better and some worse, Steinberg should be leading the pack in every way but they are not.

Designing a great product and selling it is only a small part of the story, after sales support, be it technical or otherwise is every bit important, some would say MORE important that selling the product.

Take my own situation - I got Cubase AI free with a Steinberg Audio Interface and liked it so much I upgraded to 10.5 Pro but I have never been able to use it as the over complicated licensing procedure keep messing up and Tech support still keep saying the same “stock” answers instead of taking the time to investigate what is happening.

I gave up on 10.5 and purchased Pro 11 on the day it was released and I cant use that because… yes thats right, the OVER complicated licensing procedure keeps messing up and yet again, tech support keep sayin the same thing over and over and it does not work.

Reading from a cheat sheet or script of stock answers is not tech support - very very far from it.

So I want to know what possible justifacation Steinberg can give to me for this whole situation???

2

Hi,

How can we help you on the user forum here, please? What is the bug (you mentioned) about?

3

Call a German number at £1.18 per minute

I haven’t paid that amount for international calls for more than 20 years.
Use Google Hangouts calling? It’s a few pennies per minute.
I imagine all the other chat systems have something similar (Skype and so on.)

Anyway, German customer support just seems slow – it’s not just Steinberg.
For other companies I’ve often had to wait several weeks for answers. I think it’s just something in their business culture.

Then again, if you’re running a business, and you’re blocked, presumably even a pound a minute would be better than staying down?

And if you want to buy gear with local support, buy it from a local dealer or integrator who offers support. That’s what they’re for! Of course, they will charge more than the online web stores, because, you know, they provide the support.

4
  1. Get serial number for cubase 11. You should have been emailed it and I think it will be in your steinberg account that you should now have after purchasing the product.

2 download the latest ‘elicenser’ software. Link will be in the steinberg website or search google. This is always being updated. So whenever you have a cubase issue check you have the latest version. It’s a pain but you get the hang of it after a while.

  1. Plugin your dongle. You should have been sent one by steinberg. The software won’t run without it as you should know.

4 load the elicenser with the dongle plugged in. Press the add license button. Input serial number. Follow instructions and let it do it’s thing.

  1. Download the steinberg installer app from the steinberg website.

6 download and install cubase 11 pro. Plus any additional things you want. Ie the sample content. Do it as some of the packs are high production value.

  1. Run cubase pro with dongle plugged in.

  2. Set up your audio interface within cubase.

  3. Make music.

5

There is no Serial Number. It’s either Download Access Code (you enter this code in your MySteinberg account to get an Activation Code) or it is Activation Code. Which you enter to the eLCC application.

www.elicenser.net.

If you bought an upgrade from lower edition, then the USB-eLicenser is not part of it. Btw, you need USB-eLicenser for Cubase Pro and Cubase Artist only.

There is no Serial Number. Enter Activation Code, please by clicking to the Enter Activation Code button in the left top corner. Download the license.

Steinberg Download Assistant.

Studio > Studio Setup > Audio System > ASIO Driver.
Studio > Audio Connections > Inputs.
Studio > Audio Connections > Outputs.
Studio > Audio Connections > Control Room.

Yes! :nerd:

6

Thanks. Yes I was doing that from memory. I meant the activation code thingy. Basically the long set of numbers ha

7

I wonder how many users enter their “Download Access Code” into elicenser. elicenser could recognise the mistake and help. But instead it shows an error message about elicenser being too old? Bad design. In Canada, technical support is one person’s email inbox.

8

I’ve the same problem with updating to Pro11. My Steinberg won’t let me in and I’m told to wait a few days! Last time it took a few weeks.
I really don’t think that this is good customer service and I’m seriously thinking of trashing my DAW because of this.
I’m no expert, but I could imagine a professional studio would quite rightly lose business through this situation.
Something needs to be done here and soon!

9

I could imagine a professional studio would quite rightly lose business through this situation.

The pro studios I know have a “tech guy” who has his own computer where he tries out all the new stuff, BEFORE it gets rolled out to other systems. The other systems can easily be months behind (for typical setups) to years behind (for that one guy in the voice-over suite who would prefer to still be turning Bakelite knobs on vacuum tube tape recorders, but has to use a computer to stay employed, but still is “too busy” to upgrade anything, ever.)

Also, pro studios typically has some kind of business arrangement with one or more local equipment suppliers, and that includes being able to either have one of THEIR guys come over, or at least get to use their seller’s phone support numbers/contacts when a problem does come up.

10

Professional/long time users of ANY system/software do all types of critical changes/upgrades/updates, including operating system/drivers updates, at times where they know they have spare time to evaluate or fix the upgraded system. Always count on something unexpected happening and you will be prepared. Don’t do any updates when you have a dead line or when you’re in a creative flow, no matter how tempting it is to try those new features…

Most importantly, always have an fully working up-to-date system backup ready.

On the other hand, when a company messes up (like the incident with overloaded Steinberg servers where some users temporarly lost their license), the company should take extra measures to be able to help as many as possible, ASAP.
This actually happened to a friend of mine, but he solved it using the Steinberg Zero Downtime and was up running Cubase the same day. In my view Steinberg did offer proper help/support even in this “worst case scenario”.

If there are user/system specific problems, a community forum like this might help you out faster (as it is with Microsoft Windows or Apple MacOS issues as well).