15 years ago i posted on this board asking for a crack for SX2.

Hector Osbert

New member
Hello HomeRecording members,

15 years ago i posted in this forum asking for a dongle crack for Cubase SX2. I recall it generated a bit of discussion at the time. I remembered the post recently, wondered if i could find it and here i am. I guess i wanted to re-evaluate the situation from a (hopefully) more mature perspective and i also wonder if any of the people who were so angry at me at the time are still regulars here.

Here is the post in question: homerecording .com/bbs/user-forums-by-brand/steinberg-cubase-user-forum/dongle-crack-sx-2-a-120710/

Ok, so obviously it was a stupid thing to ask for a crack in this forum. I probably shouldn't have been so indignant in my responses too. What i did find kind of cool though was how it generated a discussion on intellectual property because i learned a lot from it, and i hope that others found it useful as well.

I was 21 or 22 and totally new to DAWs and music software and really didn't understand their worth. I guess most of the DAW based music i had heard at that point was really cheesy and i kind of felt it was just an extension of those lame 90s digital instrument sample packs, glorified elevator music basically. We are talking the early 2000s and i had only used a little bit of analogue gear up to that point.

I quite rightly got some terse and curt responses, and at the time the only way i could handle confrontation was just by being a dick.

I do feel some of the comments were a bit harsh and got personal but i had painted a target on myself by that point, and people here seemed to have quite a bit of fun with it. I find it interesting that calling me 'asexual' in the poll was deemed the worst insult. Different times.

I did find the crack eventually and it ran like shit on my machine as was to be expected. Made some fun ghettotech/electropunk/breakcore though.

I don't regret cracking it. I think we collectively understand at this point that it wasn't so much about stealing as it was convenience. I just wanted a demo basically. Maybe i didn't go about it in the right way but i can't imagine some kid today getting the same amount of vitriol for wanting to try out some pirated music software.

I managed to persevere despite this board's concern for my several deficiencies and am a sound engineer and musician. I don't use Cubase as my DAW but it was my first experience with midi and will always have a soft spot for it. And yes, i buy my own software now. Once i made the switch from hobbyist to professional it was a no-brainer.

And to complete the circle of life, i also make sample libraries - some of which have been pirated! I think we've come to think of the concept of piracy as inevitable now and factor it in.

Nice to see this forum still exists and my shame has been recorded for posterity. If anyone from the original post reads this, hope you're doing well.
 
Welcome back. You bring a nice perspective. Glad you got it turned around and made a success story out of it.
 
I think we're all entitled to grow up, or change our minds. All credit to you for taking it on the chin - for me, that says a huge amount about you. I suspect an awful lot of us have tried cracked software, but then moved on and up to 'respectability' - the criminal act being to own up to it on a forum and not realise what's about to fall.

I too have had things I've produced pinched - and it does focus you. Nice post!
 
I started on LE version 1, but at that time SX3 was out. Someone handed me a cracked copy of said software.

I did install it, but ended up uninstalling it. It never seemed to run right and it just seemed sketchy. I shortly entered college and took advantage of student pricing and snagged SL3 for quite a bit less than it was running at the time. Eventually I ended up going from that to the full version of 5 (steinberg dropped the SL/SX scheme after 4 and switched to the studio/pro model for names).

I also fully admit to never paying for Reaper, but I don't use Reaper so in all honesty whenever I go look at it I really am just evaluating it as instructed. I've never mixed or recorded in Reaper and I probably have less than an hour of using it under my belt. I was pretty impressed with how well it was put together though.

When it comes to plugins it's the same thing, only under this category I ALWAYS wait for a sale. I actually can't think of a single time I paid full price for anything other than an upgrade. I have also started useing the included stock plugins a LOT more because Cubase has really upped the quality in this area, the frequency EQ is incredibly good. I have also paired my stuff down quite a bit over the years. I have the stuff I like, and the stuff that I don't use. Given the way plugin organisation works as of C9 I don't even bother having un-used plugins show up as options.

The biggest thing I have noticed is that I actually care about knowing how to use the stuff I paid for. I never put that much effort into the free stuff I downloaded over the years or the occasional crack back in my college years. I also REALLY put value on being able to contact the company that made the plugin to bitch about issues I have with it. :laughings:
 
Pretty big of you to post this. Says alot about the full circle of adulting. But just last week my girlfriend told me and I quote"i want you to be you, well not the dick you" I'm 56. Lol.
 
Back
Top