When buying Cubase, which version gets registered?

[J-909]

Hi there,

I've seen a version of Cubase Artist 8 on sale at a local dealer. Does anyone know if Cubase registration depends on the version you buy or just the moment in which you activate it?
To put it another way, if I buy Cubase Artist 8 and activate it today, am I getting Cubase Artist 8.5?
And by the way, do you know if I am eligible for the free Artist 9 update (the one for buyers after October)?

AFAIK the answer is yes, just wanted to be sure!

[chk071]

To put it another way, if I buy Cubase Artist 8 and activate it today, am I getting Cubase Artist 8.5?

No, why would you?

[J-909]

To put it another way, if I buy Cubase Artist 8 and activate it today, am I getting Cubase Artist 8.5?

No, why would you?

I might be wrong, but I think is just a serial number that comes with it. When you activate it you get the version available at that time (that is the way it works with Cubase AI)

[swatwork]

When you buy a Steinberg product you get an Activation Code which AFAIK is always version specific - if you buy Artist 8 you get 8, if you buy 8.5 you get 8.5, an so on.

The reason you get the latest version of Cubase AI is because you actually register a Download Access Code which then gets you an Activation Code - the Download Access code is not version specific but the Activation Code it generates is.

[zyguli]

Not True. If you activate cubase artist 8 today, you will get 8.5. If the activation is made within the Cubase 9 grace period, you will also get Cubase 9 when it's available.

The general rule is you always get the latest version available, so even activating Cubase 7 today would give you 8.5.

My recommendation is to buy it and sit on it until Cubase 9 is announced (which will possibly happen in few days, but might as well in a month), and then activate it.

[lfm]

I did this activation of my Cubase Pro 8.0 one year ago, 8.5 had just arrived.
In eLicenser, when activating 8.0 key, it was directly converted to a 8.5 one.

This since 8.5 was already out.

When activating within grace period before new version arrived, there is an extra step to get eLicenser up to par.
It's described on Steinberg.net about grace period.

[swatwork]

Not True. If you activate cubase artist 8 today, you will get 8.5. If the activation is made within the Cubase 9 grace period, you will also get Cubase 9 when it's available.

The general rule is you always get the latest version available, so even activating Cubase 7 today would give you 8.5.

My recommendation is to buy it and sit on it until Cubase 9 is announced (which will possibly happen in few days, but might as well in a month), and then activate it.

Yes, you're right. Although technically you do get the version you buy you may well be entitled to an automatic upgrade depending on when you activate it.

The point I was trying to make was that unlike AI where you get the latest version directly, with Artist you will only get it via an upgrade. But yes, it's a pretty pointless distinction since in most cases you will qualify for an upgrade anyway

[J-909]

Not True. If you activate cubase artist 8 today, you will get 8.5. If the activation is made within the Cubase 9 grace period, you will also get Cubase 9 when it's available.

The general rule is you always get the latest version available, so even activating Cubase 7 today would give you 8.5.

My recommendation is to buy it and sit on it until Cubase 9 is announced (which will possibly happen in few days, but might as well in a month), and then activate it.

Cheers mate!