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
Updating the eLicenser Control Center fixes most connection issues. Anti-Malware, Firewalls, Proxy Server If the connection fails even though you already have installed the current eLicenser Control Center, it probably is being blocked by a firewall, a specific web proxy setting or other security measures. A new window will appear shortly with a Start Center icon. Double click this to begin and following the instructions to Install the software. Activate/Authorize Cubase LE 7. Now we need to activate the Cubase LE 7 software. Let's begin by opening the eLicenser Control Center (eLCC) which can be found in the following folders. Once your software is installed correctly, launch the eLicenser Control Center software found under Start menu / Programs / eLicenser on Windows or in the Applications folder of Mac OS X. Click the 'Enter Activation Code' button to download the license for your Steinberg product to the Soft-eLicenser.
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.
The eLicenser Control Center does not run either so all the buttons are greyed out, and I cannot even activate my license. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the eLicenser to no avail, I tried running as an administrator which failed to work, I even tried turning off DEP as a fix which worked in Windows 7, but Windows 10 hits the.
Elicenser Control Center Windows 10
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.
Elicenser Control Center Download
#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.
Usb Elicenser Download
Activation help for Soft-eLicenser based products
Before you can launch your new Steinberg software, you have to use the Activation Code(s) to activate your Soft-eLicenser online. Proceed as follows
- Install your product.
- Make sure that your computer has a working Internet connection. This connection is necessary to activate the license because the eLicenser Control Center (eLCC) needs to register with our license server.
- Make sure that you have the latest version of the eLCC installed. Click here to download.
- Keep your Activation Code(s) ready.
- Once your software is installed correctly, launch the eLicenser Control Center software found under Start menu / Programs / eLicenser on Windows or in the Applications folder of Mac OS X. Click the 'Enter Activation Code' button to download the license for your Steinberg product to the Soft-eLicenser. To do this, enter the required activation code into the corresponding field. Follow the instructions on screen.
- After the activation procedure the new license is displayed in the eLicensers list and your product is ready for use. To activate other licenses, simply repeat the steps listed above.
Please note:
If you own a USB-eLicenser, licenses for Soft-eLicenser products can also be activated on or transferred to a USB-eLicenser. Using this option allows you to work with the Soft-eLicenser based product on a system without an Internet connection.
Simply install the eLCC separately on the Internet computer without installing the complete product. To do this, download the latest installer for Mac OS X and Windows here.
Now, just connect the USB-eLicenser to the computer and start the eLCC. Enter the Activation Code and choose the USB-eLicenser as the target device.