Cubase – Producer Advice

If you are a Cubase user and accustomed yourself to make use of all its features and functions for producing music at home, you will probably like to extend its use if you have multiple computers in your home. There are three ways to install Cubase on a different computer. First, you can buy multiple licenses. Second, you can transfer and reactivate the license on the computer you are using. Last, You can buy a USB e-Licenser dongle that instantly activates the license on any computer you are using. Three Ways to Install and Use Cubase on a Different Computer In case you upgrade to a new computer, buy an additional laptop, or your old computer fails to operate, you can still install Cubase on multiple two or more computers. However, the catch is that you will have to deactivate Cubase on your old hardware to use it on your new device. It is only possible to have the Cubase license installed on one computer at a time, and there are three ways to do it. Buying multiple licenses for all your computers The first way is to buy multiple licenses for all of your computers. (The expensive way) Cubase is not cheap, and purchasing it a second time is not practical for the average home music producer. However, if you have the money to spend, no one will stop you from purchasing Cubase for your second or third computer. Installing and reactivating the license The second way is to transfer and reactivate licenses on the computer you are using. (The tedious way) I don’t recommend this method if you will constantly be switching back from computer to computer. However, if you are replacing your old computer with a new one, or if you are reinstalling your OS on the same computer, you will only have to do it once. Reactivating Cubase license on the same computer All you need to do is log into your Steinberg account, and click on the “Reactivate” button—don’t worry because you won’t miss it. It is in the middle of the screen. It will take you to the Reactivation menu, and from there it will ask you to choose your eLicense from the list. It is super easy. However, it is still a lot of work if you are switching back from computer to computer—especially if you somehow lose your license, which happens to the best of us. Reactivating Cubase on a new computer Now, this is the tedious part. If you want to use Cubase on a new computer, you will have to download and install eLicenser Control Center on your new computer, register and get your new license number, and finally, reactivate your license by entering the new activation code. Imagine doing this process every time, it can be very frustrating! Lucky for you, I did some research and discovered a way to make things easier. I will show you a third way—buying a USB e-Licenser dongle to transfer licenses instantly without an internet connection. (The quickest and inexpensive way) 5 Easy Steps to Install Cubase on a different Computer Using a USB e-Licenser Dongle #1: Install Cubase eLicense Control Center on all of your computers The first step you need to do is install the latest version of the Cubase eLicense Control Center on all the computers you want to use for Cubase. You can install this software on multiple computers for free. However, you cannot use Cubase on these computers simultaneously. You can transfer the license on the computer you are using by using an eLicense dongle and start working with Cubase on the computer you want to use. #2: Get an eLicenser USB dongle Keep in mind that USB eLicenser dongles are not the same as regular USB flash drives. You will need to get the specific USB dongle that is made explicitly for transferring licenses. Yes, you read that right—they do make those kinds of things, which in my opinion is pretty neat and only logical. #3: Transfer the eLicense from your old computer to the USB eLicenser dongle To transfer the existing license to your USB eLicenser dongle, open the Cubase eLicense Control Center on the computer that has the existing license. Click on the license and drag it into your USB folder, as soon as it is transferred to the USB dongle and the USB device ejects, the license is already transferred. And you wouldn’t be able to use Cubase on that computer anymore. #4: Connect the eLicenser USB dongle to the new computer or any computer you will use Now that the license is on the USB eLicenser, all that is left to do is connect it to your new computer. Make sure that Cubase and the eLicenser control center are installed on the new computer for it to work successfully. Once everything is installed, you can open Cubase and start working using the new computer. #5: Open Cubase to see if it works Connect the USB eLicenser to the new computer and see if it works. It should work without doing anything other than inserting the flash drive. It is the most convenient way to install and use Cubase on a different computer without going through the tedious reactivation process that can only do if you are connected to the internet. USB eLicenser Information It is very easy to use Cubase on a different computer if you have the right USB dongle. However, there are still some limitations to transferring licenses. You can only transfer eLicenses from the eLicense Control Center using the USB eLicenser. Other variations of these USB dongles, including regular USB flash drives will not work.Transferring the eLicense is not the same as multiplying the license. Once you eject the USB device from your computer, the license will no longer work—even if you try copying the eLicense back to the Soft eLicenser tool. You cannot transfer licenses from a USB eLicenser to a Soft eLicenser installed on your hard drive.You cannot transfer licenses by using the internet, you will need the physical dongle. However, if you have the eLicense stored on the USB, you can activate Cubase on any of your computers anytime—even without connecting it to the internet and reactivating the license over and over. Conclusion If you have multiple computers and you want to use Cubase on all of them, just remember to follow the method I showed you above. It is the easiest and less expensive method that I strongly recommend if you want to install Cubase on a different computer. If you still don’t want to go through the process, you can always buy Cubase for the second or third computer. Having two Cubase licenses might be expensive, but it will allow you to use Cubase simultaneously on both computers—which can probably help your workflow as a pro music producer. It is not necessary for beginners to spend that much money though—I would probably suggest following this method and use that extra money for more music gear or other VST plugins.