Two dongles?

I run tracks from desktop to fa101 into Focusrite 18i20 2nd gen, add music live into laptop USB reg conn into Focusrite, record with Focusrite.
Don't want to move existing music from desktop...a chore, or use external drive, slower.
Just the way I'm already set up.

**To clarify, all my audio out from desktop goes through the fa101 whether media player, audio creator, or winamp for tracks, etc. 😊 not to run two simultaneous Cubase (desktop is Windows 7, laptop is Windows 10.....). It doesn't run SPLAT either. Two dongles was just a 10 second question..

Joe_A
I run tracks from desktop to fa101 into Focusrite 18i20 2nd gen, add music live into laptop USB reg conn into Focusrite, record with Focusrite.
Don't want to move existing music from desktop...a chore, or use external drive, slower.
Just the way I'm already set up.

If you want to run the software simultaneously on two different computers, you will need two licenses. Quite a few audio software vendors allow installation of their software on more than one computer these days. But just about all of them specify that you can only use one installation at any given time and count on the honor system to keep users compliant. Steinberg doesn't want to count on the honor system so they use a dongle to insure users don't cheat.

Based on what you've described, your choices are buy two licenses, use a different DAW or find a way to work that doesn't require using two computers to do the job on one.

Voda La Void

azslow3
I pay a lot of money and after that I do not own anything, I pay for a Possibility to use something, already under quite restricted conditions. And that Possibility is even further restricted by "a dongle", without any benefits for me. So I see that as unnecessary limitation of (degree of) my freedom.

Right on.  People who read opinions through the lens of their agenda aren't reading what you wrote.  Your freedom point here is entirely appropriate and valid.  You're not talking about freedom of choice or any sort of legal structure, rather you're talking about choosing products and services that bring you the most freedom of use.  Simple.

Thank! Exactly what I mean.
 

JohanSebatianGremlin

Voda La Void
Right on.  People who read opinions through the lens of their agenda aren't reading what you wrote.  Your freedom point here is entirely appropriate and valid.  You're not talking about freedom of choice or any sort of legal structure, rather you're talking about choosing products and services that bring you the most freedom of use.  Simple.

Agree to disagree. Go back and read the first post where it came up. Then explain who exactly is threatening any 'freedom of choice' to the point that the phrase 'my freedom is protected now' makes sense in the context of your interpretation.

"My freedom is protected now". The freedom to use the DAW independent from any online service or extra hardware peaces.
Payed and on one computer at any particular time. As it was with Sonar before and including X3. And so "the most freedom of use" in range of EULA.

You go soldier. You still haven't explained how this freedom you describe was ever in jeopardy of not being an option for you but whatever. Onward Soldier. Keep fighting the good fight. And keep protecting freedom like you do for all of us. 

JohanSebatianGremlin
You go soldier. You still haven't explained how this freedom you describe was ever in jeopardy of not being an option for you but whatever. Onward Soldier. Keep fighting the good fight. And keep protecting freedom like you do for all of us. 

I am not fighting for anything. From the replies, that is you who "defend" absolutely useless for music hardware sticks.
 
But if you want to know from where my opinion comes:
I am not a "pro" in music. Sonar Platinum has reverted itself into demo once even for me. Not at critical time, but that was rather disturbing (you can find my angry post about the issue...).
As a computer "pro" I never use a single peace of hardware/software for anything critical as long as that is theoretically possible. In practice for any "stage like" job that means at least 2 computers.
 
2x(or more) online authorizations allows one license for both systems, primary and "hot spare". And these systems are completely independent.
With one dongle even with 2 computers there is still one point of failure. So in case I will start to use any "dongle ware" for real job, I will need to buy 2 licenses and 2 sticks.
For hardware (raids, disks, servers, routers, etc...) I do this. But for hardware there is a good reason for that (including the fancy fact that 24h replacement guarantee cost close to the unit price...). But for a software? A hardware copy of "bits"? Here I see no reason at all.
 
 

JohanSebatianGremlin

Voda La Void
Right on.  People who read opinions through the lens of their agenda aren't reading what you wrote.  Your freedom point here is entirely appropriate and valid.  You're not talking about freedom of choice or any sort of legal structure, rather you're talking about choosing products and services that bring you the most freedom of use.  Simple.

Agree to disagree. Go back and read the first post where it came up. Then explain who exactly is threatening any 'freedom of choice' to the point that the phrase 'my freedom is protected now' makes sense in the context of your interpretation.

I did read the first post where it came up.  And the next one, and the next one.  From the first post he clearly was talking about a preference for a software product with much better freedom of use, less restrictions in using it. 
 
 
But I'm just a dumb okie.  I try to understand what people mean, rather than obsess over word choice or how they put sentences together.  Especially when they're from another country and English is not their native language.

Voda La Void
Especially when they're from another country and English is not their native language.

I guess toothache which I have during last days has also contributed into my attitude.
I think I have to cool down (myself and my teeth)

Steinberg do offer a solution to the single point of failure on the USB ELicenser but it requires you owning a second USB ELicenser. One license, one active USB and one spare.
 
https://helpcenter.steinberg.de/hc/en-us/articles/206532304 

azslow3
 
I am not fighting for anything. From the replies, that is you who "defend" absolutely useless for music hardware sticks.
 

Defending them? I've defended nothing. I think I've been pretty clear that my only issue has been your claim that by choosing a different vendor, you have somehow protected your freedom.
 
To clarify, I'm now using Cubase because it seemed it was the next best solution for my needs. If I could have found a solution that was as well suited in other respects and used a different licensing scheme, I may have gone that way. But I could find no other such solution so Cubase it is. If that's me defending the use well, its a pretty weak defense if you ask me.

Probably a much better defense would be this. You can claim that their choice to use hardware in their licensing is absolutely useless all you want. But the fact remains that Sonar gave up due to lack of sales and Cubase is still a viable product. We can speculate about how much piracy played a role all we want and we'd still only be speculating, but the fact remains, one was easier to pirate than the other and that one is no longer a product.