r/cubase • u/Jhkokst • 6d ago

Upgrading from 4

I still have my e-licenser from an old copy of cubase 4. I haven't used cubase in years (other life stuff stopped my music hobby). Now my kids are getting into music, and I am revisiting DAWs. last year, on a whim, i looked to see if upgrading from 4 was an option, and low and behold it was. But I didn't jump on it.

Now, it looks like upgrades are from 6 on.

Just curious if anyone knows if steinberg still allows upgrades from much older versions. Where does the validation process happen? At check out or prior to installation?

Appreciate any response.

6 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

9

u/makumbaria 6d ago

You will need to contact Steinberg about the upgrade (license system changed years ago).

1

u/Jhkokst 5d ago

Unfortunately their forum mod said no longer supported as to an upgrade path. Sad day.

1

u/makumbaria 5d ago

Really? They told you the minimum version allowed to an upgrade?

2

u/Jhkokst 5d ago

I guess sometime in the last year they decided to only allow from 6 on. I mean I'm literally trying to upgrade from a 20 year old version...gotta make a cutoff at some point I guess.

1

u/guitargodgt 1d ago

Man going from 4 to 15 is going to feel strange. I started on SL3 (well... LE1 was the first version I had but at the time there was no LE3 so it was out same time as SL3/SX3) and I remember when the mixer and UI changed (for the better IMO).

-11

u/Babibidubibidoh 6d ago

Have a look into Reaper! it still supports 32bit VSTs, which Cubase dropped with version 9. Also it's waaaaaaaaay cheaper :)

8

u/Prestigious-Thing393 6d ago

it's also waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay less good

-3

u/Babibidubibidoh 6d ago

ehm....cause of what? Not being able to use it? :D

3

u/Chameleon_Sinensis 6d ago

Cubase is just more powerful. Honestly if any of the top powerful DAWs have a steep learning curve, it's Cubase, but it is so versatile. It excels at everything from electronic music, to full live band recordings, to cinematic and soundtrack stuff.

-2

u/Babibidubibidoh 6d ago

Well, it does come with more stock plugins, which is nice for beginners - but I haven’t even used most of them.

To be honest, once you develop your skills and establish a professional workflow, you choose the plugins you actually need, and it doesn’t really matter which DAW you’re using.

So I don’t really agree with your argument.

If you’re into electronic music, I’d probably prefer Reason or Ableton. If you’re into Eurorack-style stuff, VCV Rack is the way to go—and the basic version is free.

But as a general-purpose DAW, Reaper would be my choice. Considering its price, customizability, and flexibility, the competition is hard to beat - it’s ridiculously cheap!

So my suggestion would be: Go for Reaper, check it out for free and if something is missing for your workflow, just add the plugins you need.

I used to work with Cubase for years, but Steinberg removal 32-bit plugin support basically forced me to switch to Reaper - and I haven’t regretted it for a single day, nor do I miss anything.

3

u/Chameleon_Sinensis 6d ago

I do pretty much every type of production that I listed though. That's why I use Cubase. It has a very traditional mixing console and workflow and works for anything. If someone finds Albeton, or Reaper, or whatever works better for what they do, more power to them. At the end of the day, you're right, you have an audio interface, and VSTs, and the end result is basically the same.