If you are upgrading from Cubase Elements, AI, or LE, your license might be on the Soft-eLicenser rather than on a USB dongle.

I am going to be updating my Cubase Artist 7.5 license, which is stored on my USB eLicenser dongle that is currently plugged in. You will not be able to properly activate your new product without access to the old license. If you don't already have a Steinberg Shop account, you can create one during the checkout process.Īlso, make sure that you have Steinberg eLicenser Control Center installed on the computer where you plan to run Cubase 12, and that the Cubase license you plan to upgrade is available. You only use the Steinberg Shop for eCommerce transactions (paying for new purchases, updates, or upgrades), while you use your Steinberg ID for everything else (downloads, activation, forums). If you use different passwords for the two sites (like I do), make sure you have both. Your Steinberg shop account is separate from your Steinberg ID/MySteinberg account. If you have ever used the Steinberg Shop before, you will want those credentials on-hand as well. You can confirm your credentials by logging into the Steinberg Sign In page. Have your Steinberg ID credentials handy, because you will be logging in to various Steinberg sites and apps along the way. Prices vary depending on the product you're updating/upgrading from- if you are a long-time customer you might have multiple possible choices, so be sure to review all your options. In Steinberg's terminology, an 'update' is when you move from an older version number to the latest version (in our example, 7.5 to 12), and an 'upgrade' is when you move from a limited flavor of Cubase to a more full-featured one (for example, upgrading from Cubase Elements to Cubase Pro). Several Steinberg products sometimes come in different flavors (Pro, Artist, Elements, AI, LE) as well as different versions (1-12). I hope to clear up some of this confusion with my complete walkthrough of the update/upgrade process. This is partly because Steinberg is transitioning from their controversial USB eLicensers to their new Steinberg Licensing copy protection scheme, and partly because the update process is complex, involving many steps across a number of apps and web pages. Ever since Cubase 12 launched, every Cubase-related message board and Facebook group I visit is full of owners of prior Cubase versions struggling to update their rigs to version 12.

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