Installation Architecture of Steinberg Team VR Products v2019_12_22

Cubase Elements / Artist / Pro (8 / 9 / 10)

Wavelab, HALion
and other Steinberg 30-Trial Products
=====================================

!! READ ALL the way to the END {every word} and if you get a little lost/confused, STOP and
REPEAT that paragraph or statement / sentence. When you REPEAT that paragraph/sentence,
read only a FEW words on it and then STOP to IMAGINE the scenario in your head until it is
CRYSTAL CLEAR. Verify your imagination against the ACTUAL words I wrote in my statement
before you assume that "you got the picture/idea" !! Spending ONE HOUR on the phone is a
MUCH harsher punishment for you than reading this 6 page guide, but some people do NOT
know how to calculate the cost, they think spending an HOUR on the phone is CHEAPER and
FASTER than reading a 6 page document, so in actual fact they replace a 5 minute "literacy"
sacrifice with a ONE hour verbal punishment on the phone ! It is so absurd :( :(

In my bullet list below, the item that I have listed BELOW another item, is a child/dependent of the
parent-item ABOVE it !

• Completely-Disabled Windows Defender and Anti-Virus !!

• eLicenser Control Center
• eLicenser Anti-Trial
• Cubase 10
• Cubase Elements eXTender (optional - unlocks many superficial restrictions imposed on Cubase
Elements)
• Cubase Artist eXTender (optional - unlocks many superficial restrictions imposed on Cubase Artist)
• 64 bit plugins
• JBridge (download and use it to convert 32 bit plugins to 64 bit)
• 32 bit plugins (No longer natively-supported in Cubase 9/10, you must bridge/convert them to 64 bit
format)

This architecture above ^^ also applies to OTHER Steinberg (Non-Cubase) products such as WaveLab and
Nuendo as well as Steinberg’s instruments and VST plugins, and also several other completely separate
Non-Steinberg-Related softwares

The eLicenser Control Center is a license enforcement platform. The job of the eLicenser Control Center
is to ENFORCE the requirement for a license in order for you to run a License-protected software ! the
eLicenser Control Center is therefore a strictly REQUIRED component/installation in order for you to run
Cubase and to run MANY other Steinberg and Non-Steinberg softwares that make use of the eLicenser
Control Center as their license enforcement platform !

The job of the eLicenser Anti-Trial is to put/inject/force licenses {trial licenses} of various license-
controlled softwares into the eLicenser Control Center, and to extend the trial period of these “trial
licenses” by 20+ years. Secondly, the Anti-Trial seems to perform some kind of a "hi-jack" because it
seems to hijack the original Synchrosoft SYNSOPOS.exe file through its own sneaky look-a-like
SYNS0POS.exe file which is clearly a key part of its manipulation/cracking tactic at play :))

I have another document where I deal with the pervasive DCOM error
You may install the Anti Trial despite the DCOM. The Anti-Trial's hi-jack of eLCC can solve the DCOM
error.

Revo Un-installer is the RECOMMENDED clean-sweep un-installer software due to its deep-clean features ;
Use its “Advanced” post-UN-installation deep-scan and clean-up feature as well as its “Forced UN-
installation” feature to make a CLEAN SWEEP un-installation of any program on a Windows computer.

If you want an even CLEANER way to handle installation of nasty and intrusive programs, such as Apple
and Adobe programs including eLicenser Control Center, when you perform the first/initial installation of
that nasty little bugger program/application, use Revo’s installation tracing feature to run a “monitored
installation” whereby Revo logs and monitors ALL changes made to your system by that installation
process (registry changes as well as files). Choose option = "Install Program with Revo". NB: Always
run/start Revo Uninstaller itself **as Administrator**

When you do a clean sweep UN-install of eLicenser Control Center using Revo, the Anti-Trial will also be
automatically removed because it sits/hides inside the same folder as eLicenser Control Center !
C:\Program Files (x86)\eLicenser
^^ eLicenser installation location

C:\ProgramData\eLicenser
C:\ProgramData\Syncrosoft
C:\Program Files (x86)\Syncrosoft
C:\Windows\System32\SYNSOACC.dll
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\SYNSOACC.dll
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\SYNSOPOS.exe
C:\Windows\SysWOW64\SYNSOPOS.exe.cfg
^^ other eLicenser installation locations (good to know about them if you want to make a clean-sweep
UN-installation!)

It is highly advised that you make your own personal backup/copy of this folder
C:\ProgramData\Syncrosoft
call your backup folder
C:\ProgramData\Syncrosoft_mybak

After downloading a trial copy of ANY of the Steinberg 30-day trial products, you can ALWAYS use the
eLicenser Control Center to enter the trial activation code that was sent to your email for that Steinberg
30-day trial product. After entering the trial activation code for that product, the eLicenser Control Center
will {or MUST} allow you to then Download The License {30-day Trial License} for that product into your
eLicenser Control Center. If upon trying to enter the trial activation code, your eLicenser Control Center
tells you that your eLicenser Control Center is apparently too old, such that you could NOT even reach
the stage of Downloading The License {30-day Trial License}, you must now take this other temporary
detour/road below and execute these 11 sideline steps below . . .

________Begin of Detour/Sideline steps

1. download the LATEST eLicenser Control Center from the Steinberg website

2. use Revo UN-installer to completely remove your current/old eLicenser Control Center

3. install the latest/downloaded eLicenser Control Center from step 1 above

4. use the {newly-installed/latest} eLicenser Control Center to enter the trial activation code for your
{new} Steinberg 30-day trial product

5. proceed in the {newly-installed/latest} eLicenser Control Center to Download The License {30-day Trial
License} for that product, but do NOT RUSH to click "Start Using Trial Period" yet !! Once this
License {30-day Trial License} has been successfully downloaded into your eLicenser Control Center, the
license will be added to the list of known licenses in this file
C:\ProgramData\Syncrosoft\SeLicenser.sel
^^ this file is your License file, it contains ALL your trial licenses (yep, I said "trial licenses")
when you Download The License {30-day Trial License} for your {new} Steinberg 30-day trial product,
old/existing licenses will NOT be deleted or affected. The new license will simply be added to the list of
known licenses and ALL these {known} licenses are ALL stored in this one file above, and these licenses
inside this file are ALWAYS the ones shown inside your eLicenser Control Center

6. make a backup of your License file C:\ProgramData\Syncrosoft\SeLicenser.sel

call the backup file "C:\ProgramData\Syncrosoft\SeLicenser_{ProductName} added.sel" , e.g. if the
{new} product you are running on 30-day trial is "Halion 6", then call the backup file
"C:\ProgramData\Syncrosoft\SeLicenser_Halion 6 added.sel"

7. you may now click "Start Using Trial Period"

8. make a backup of this file C:\ProgramData\Syncrosoft\SeLicenser.sel
call the backup file "C:\ProgramData\Syncrosoft\SeLicenser_{ProductName} added trial started.sel" ,
e.g. if the {new} product you are running on 30-day trial is "Halion 6", then call the backup file
"C:\ProgramData\Syncrosoft\SeLicenser_Halion 6 added trial started.sel"

9. UN-install this newly-downloaded {new} eLicenser Control Center !! Remember, you simply
downloaded it and installed it as a TEMPORARY eLicense Control Center because when you tried to
Download The License {30-day Trial License} for your {new} Steinberg 30-day trial product into your
eLicenser Control Center FIRST TIME around, you were told that your eLicenser Control Center was
apparently too old, so UN-install this newly-downloaded {new} eLicenser Control Center !!

10. Install {one of} your OLD or OLDER eLicenser Control Center, because you have a working/valid Anti-
Trial for that OLD or OLDER eLicenser Control Center. Most people will usually Not have a working/valid
Anti-Trial for the LATEST/newest eLicenser Control Center, so for example Don't take a chance and waste
your time trying to apply or install Anti-Trial b9 for eLicenser Control Center 6.11.10.2261 because this
eLicenser Control Center could prove to be TOO NEW for Anti-Trial b9 or Anti-Trial b10, Anti-Trial b9 will
therefore *NOT* be able to DEFEAT eLicenser Control Center 6.11.10.2261 because this eLicenser
Control Center is NEWER than Anti-Trial b9 because eLicenser Control Center 6.11.10.2261 was created
long after Anti-Trial b9 !! so YES, you must actually Install {one of} your OLD or OLDER eLicenser Control
Center that has a working/valid Anti-Trial. As expected, this OLD or OLDER eLicenser Control Center will
{always} read and load ALL the licenses that are stored in your license file
C:\ProgramData\Syncrosoft\SeLicenser.sel , including the license for your {new} Steinberg 30-day trial
product that you are trying to run on a {30-day} trial basis

11. Install the {working / valid / applicable / appropriate} Anti-Trial for your OLD or OLDER eLicenser
Control Center. Now the Anti-Trial will extend your trial period {the License Trial Period} for your {newly-
installed Steinberg} product {and usually for ALL the OTHER trial products and their licenses too} by 20
years :) :). The Anti-Trial is a very robust and pervasive trial extender, it FORCES its way to EXTEND the
trial period of your trial licenses No matter what stands in its way !! It does Not easily STOP or hang or
exit or abort when it encounters errors or any unexpected outcome, it forces itself to keep going ALL the
way to the end with or WITHOUT errors, so its design is VERY RESILIENT and ROBUST, which is VERY
good ! Contrary to what you might think, and DESPITE the step I advised earlier/above telling you to
BACKUP your License file, when the Anti-Trial makes ANY changes or when it adds/injects its own extra
licenses into your license file "C:\ProgramData\Syncrosoft\SeLicenser.sel", it will FIRST makes its OWN
backup of your License file, and then when it proceeds to make changes into your license file, it does Not
seem to EVER damage or remove or overwrite ANY of the currently-existing licenses that are already
inside of your license file. So the Anti-Trial is designed in a pretty smart and VERY intelligent way, you can
TAKE MY WORD about its robustness !!

________End of Detour/Sideline steps

C:\Program Files (x86)\eLicenser\eLCC

^^ eLicenser Anti-Trial installation location

these Files below they seem to be directly-associated with Anti-Trial

C:\Program Files (x86)\eLicenser\POS\SYNS0POS.exe

C:\Program Files (x86)\eLicenser\POS\linux.dll
------
C:\ProgramData\Syncrosoft\SeLicenser.bak
C:\ProgramData\Syncrosoft\SeLicenser.sel

C:\Program Files\Steinberg\Cubase 10.5

C:\Program Files\Steinberg\Cubase LE AI Elements 8
^^ typical Cubase installation location (main folder)

C:\Program Files\Steinberg\Nuendo 10
^^ typical Nuendo installation location (main folder)
C:\Program Files\Steinberg\WaveLab
^^ WaveLab installation location

%UserProfile%\Documents\Cubase Projects
^^ Default location for ALL your Cubase music projects
But ironically the Project Templates are sitting FAR away somewhere else, below here
%AppData%\Steinberg\Cubase 10_64\Project Templates

%AppData%\Steinberg
^^ a Huuuuuuuuge number of XML files, VSTSound files, Content, and application-related data is sitting
here !

C:\ProgramData\Steinberg\Content
^^ Gigs-upon-gigs of stock VSTSound files/content for Groove Agent, HALion, PadShop, etc are sitting
here !

%UserProfile%\Documents\Steinberg
^^ Crash dumps and some log files

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Steinberg\Shared Components\Groove Agent SE

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Steinberg\Shared Components\HALion Sonic SE
^^ Cubase 10 stock plugins (VST2) installation location
NB: If you do Not know what Groove Agent SE is or you are Not 100% sure whether you will need it for
making your music, you may uncheck it and choose to NOT install it because the installation takes
LONGER due to the huge content that Groove Agent installs when the installation comes to the Groove
Agent part

C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\Steinberg\Padshop

C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\Steinberg\Retrologue
^^ Cubase 10 stock plugins (VST3) installation location

C:\Program Files\Steinberg\Steinberg Library Manager

^^ Library Manager installation location

C:\Program Files\Steinberg\Asio
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steinberg\Asio
^^ Steinberg Generic Lower Latency ASIO Driver 64bit installation location

C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Steinberg\Shared Components\Upload Manager

^^ Upload Manager installation location

Now let us demystify the big VST Plugin folder-mess and confusion that Steinberg and ALL the other
plugin developer companies have caused over the past 20 years, especially Waves and Native
Instruments, and of course Steinberg themselves too !

VST2 Plugins
=================================
C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VSTPlugins
^^ the Original Classic Steinberg/Cubase VST Plugins Folder (32-bit) from back in the year 2003
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steinberg\VSTPlugins
^^ the Original Classic Steinberg/Cubase VST Plugins Folder (32-bit) on 64-bit Windows
VST2 Plugins - Other Extremely-Common Folders
=================================
C:\Program Files\VSTPlugins
C:\Program Files (x86)\VSTPlugins
C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST2
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\VST2
^^ jBridged VST Plugins 32-bit (converted from 32 bit to 64 bit, to be used in 64-bit VST Host)
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Steinberg\VST2
C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\VstPlugins
C:\Program Files (x86)\Cakewalk\VstPlugins
C:\Program Files\Native Instruments
C:\Program Files (x86)\Native Instruments\VSTPlugins

VST3
=================================
C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3
^^ 64-bit Plugins on 64-bit Windows
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\VST3
^^ 32-bit Plugins on 64-bit Windows, the Waves plugin-development company loves this folder !

Location of VST Plugins Folder VSTPlugins on Mac

=================================
{Startup-Hard-Drive}/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/Components/
^^ AU plugin
{Startup-Hard-Drive}/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST/
^^ VST plugin
{Startup-Hard-Drive}/Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-ins/
^^ AAX wrapper (Pro Tools plugins - new format/technology)
{Startup-Hard-Drive}/Library/Application Support/Digidesign/Plug-ins/
^^ RTAS wrapper (Pro Tools plugins - old format/technology)
Users/{UserName}/Library/Application Support/Spectrasonics/
Users/{UserName}/Library/Application Support/Spectrasonics/STEAM
^^ STEAM directory (the humongous sound library folder/directory for Spectrasonics products/plugins)

__________________________________________________
This document was originally typed, word-for-word, EVERY WORD, by the hand of Tebza M. codeName =
kckcki (South Africa!)