# Steinberg - The Worst Company in the Music Production Industry?



## Grilled Cheese

Sincere apologies in advance. I do have a technical question to ask, but first I have to get this out of my system...

#&@* Steinberg is impossible to deal with!

All I'm trying to do is install and activate the Padshop 2 synth. This involves installing:

The Steinberg elicenser control centre.
The Steinberg Activation Manager.
The Steinberg Download Assistant.
The Steinberg Library Manager.

After 90 minutes of going around in circles and wading through outdated support articles, I finally managed to download and install Padshop 2. I even got the licenser to activate my install, and Logic Pro validated the plugin on my M1 Max MacBook Pro.

For some reason Padshop still doesn't show up in my instrument plugins, so I can't load it in a project. In desperation, I made a tragic mistake...

I tried to create a support request with Steinberg.

Note that I said "tried". I was not able to actually get any support. Their entire support system is incredibly complex and obviously designed to discourage customer contact. They try to farm support out to "distributors" which in my case was a music retailer that had no idea how to help me.

Never in 25 years of pro audio have I had such trouble with any other company. Never again will I ever buy anything from Steinberg.

I still haven't got Padshop working.

Sorry for all the complaining. If anyone has any ideas on how to get this plugin working in Logic, I'm all ears. I've tried it in both native and Rosetta mode with no luck. My Steinberg Activation Manager says "No Licenses Found", but my eLicenser Control Center has successfully activated the license.


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## Rich4747

Your post brings back bad memories I prefer to suppress.


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## CGR

Grilled Cheese said:


> Sincere apologies in advance. I do have a technical question to ask, but first I have to get this out of my system...
> 
> #&@* Steinberg is impossible to deal with!
> 
> All I'm trying to do is install and activate the Padshop Pro synth. This involves installing:
> 
> The Steinberg elicenser control centre.
> The Steinberg Activation Manager.
> The Steinberg Download Assistant.
> The Steinberg Library Manager.
> 
> After 90 minutes of going around in circles I finally managed to download and install Padshop Pro. I even got the licenser to activate my install, and Logic Pro validated the plugin on my M1 Max MacBook Pro.
> 
> For some reason Padshop still doesn't show up in my instrument plugins, so I can't load it in a project. In desperation, I made a tragic mistake...
> 
> I tried to create a support request with Steinberg.
> 
> Note that I said "tried". I was not able to actually get any support. Their entire support system is incredibly complex and obviously designed to discourage customer contact. They try to farm support out to "distributors" which in my case was a music retailer that had no idea how to help me.
> 
> Never in 25 years of pro audio have I had such trouble with any other company. Never again will I ever buy anything from Steinberg.
> 
> I still haven't got Padshop working.
> 
> Sorry for all the complaining. If anyone has any ideas on how to get this plugin working in Logic, I'm all ears. I've tried it in both native and Rosetta mode with no luck. My Steinberg Activation Manager says "No Licenses Found", but my eLicenser Control Center has successfully activated the license.


I empathise with you. One of the most confusing and convoluted installation procedures I've experienced was with a Steinberg Lo-Fi piano they were offering for free. After all the trouble it still didn't load up in Halion SE (which was a massive headache to install in the first place). Never again.


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## moon

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I know this is the standard answer, but have you rebooted your computer? I know I've had issues with Logic and showing plugins.


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## Robo Rivard

I had a lot of problems with eLicenser at a time, because the USB key was an old model, and could only handle a certain amount of licenses! How pathetic is that?... So I had to buy a new USB key.


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## Grilled Cheese

moon said:


> Sorry to hear about your troubles. I know this is the standard answer, but have you rebooted your computer? I know I've had issues with Logic and showing plugins.


Yes I’ve rebooted the Mac a couple of times. I’ve also restarted Logic numerous times and re-run the Logic plugin manager a couple of times too.

I’m pretty sure I had similar problems the last time I installed Padshop Pro on my previous Mac. It was a technical minefield but I got it working somehow, (without any help from Steinberg of course). Like Rich4747 above, I too had suppressed my previous Steinberg nightmare, but it’s all flooding back now. Argh!


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## kevinh

Since you are using M1, depending on compatibility of plug-in, you may need to run logic in Rosetta mode unless you know for sure Padshop is M1 silicone supported. I’m not using some plugins on purpose to avoid running in Rosetta mode.


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## kevinh

Based on steinberg website you definitely need to run in Rosetta 2 mode


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## Grilled Cheese

kevinh said:


> Based on steinberg website you definitely need to run in Rosetta 2 mode


From my first post:
“I've tried it in both native and Rosetta mode with no luck.”


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## dzilizzi

I bought padshop when it was on sale. This was a year or three ago. I use Cubase and some VSL products, so I am setup for it. I remember installing it. And never saw it again. 

I think it soft licensed to my computer at the time that I upgraded the m.2 drive on. The next time I tried using it I got an error. I'm very happy I didn't spend much more than $15 on it. I don't think I've ever actually used it. And it comes with Cubase. But that version is limited to use with Cubase. 

I don't have a suggestion to fix it other than try their forum. There used to be a couple of guys who work for Steinberg on there. I think one of them's name it Guillermo? I used to see him on Gearspace also.


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## Saxer

That reminds me that I bought Padshop Pro years ago and then it stopped working some day (didn't recognize the activation on the dongle any more). Never came back and it's now on my "I can live without that" list.

But the thread title is *clickbait*


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## kevinh

I can open padshop in both logic and Nuendo with no problem in non Rosetta 2 mode but I’m using Padshop 2 and not Padshop Pro. Seems update to Padshop 2 from Padshop Pro is 29 euros (from google search). Depending how desperate you are maybe try moving to newer Padshop 2?


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## AMBi

I still have PTSD from the treacherous journey of installing the Halion Sonic Player 
They overcomplicate the simplest of processes


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## Grilled Cheese

kevinh said:


> I can open padshop in both logic and Nuendo with no problem in non Rosetta 2 mode but I’m using Padshop 2 and not Padshop Pro. Seems update to Padshop 2 from Padshop Pro is 29 euros (from google search). Depending how desperate you are maybe try moving to newer Padshop 2?


Apologies - I am indeed using Padshop 2. I upgraded some time ago. I’ll update my original post to correct this.

I actually love this synth and have used it a lot. Is just so darn hard to install!


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## Grilled Cheese

Saxer said:


> That reminds me that I bought Padshop Pro years ago and then it stopped working some day (didn't recognize the activation on the dongle any more). Never came back and it's now on my "I can live without that" list.
> 
> But the thread title is *clickbait*


Is clickbait actually clickbait if the statement is true? I’m not sure. All I do know is that no other company has such a ridiculous installation process and so little customer support. I’ve had plenty of good and bad experiences with audio companies over the years (mostly good) but Steinberg is just the worst. It’s as though their installation software was designed by a panel of crack smoking politicians with ADHD. 

</rant>


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## Markus Kohlprath

Can't say the support does not work. Once I got a reply around 1 months after asking a question which I meanwhile solved myself.


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## IFM

Try resetting the validation in plug-in manager and see what it says.


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## Grilled Cheese

IFM said:


> Try resetting the validation in plug-in manager and see what it says.


Thank you! I’ve tried that twice. Didn’t work. Validation seems to work just fine, but Steinberg does not show up at all in my instruments list.


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## Bee_Abney

This is more than unlikely given the situation that you’ve described; but is there any chance of the old Padshop Pro having any lingering presence on any drive that your DAW scans for plugins? If so try moving that. This had prevented version 2.0 of Rift showing up in my DAW. Minimal Audio, though, were immediately very helpful and suggested this to me.


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## gamma-ut

Grilled Cheese said:


> Is clickbait actually clickbait if the statement is true?


Is it true? It's a big claim. That you've made on the experience of a single installation.

Maybe things have changed but I've never had trouble contacting Steinberg tech support, for example. In fact, I just had a go and got to generating a trouble ticket here within a few seconds: https://account.steinberg.net/support


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## Grilled Cheese

Bee_Abney said:


> This is more than unlikely given the situation that you’ve described; but is there any chance of the old Padshop Pro having any lingering presence on any drive that your DAW scans for plugins? If so try moving that. This had prevented version 2.0 of Rift showing up in my DAW. Minimal Audio, though, were immediately very helpful and suggested this to me.


Thank you for your idea. This is a fresh install on a brand new MacBook Pro. The original Padshop Pro has not been installed.


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## gamma-ut

Here is a thread from Logic Pro Help on plugins not showing after validation: https://www.logicprohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=153232

It's entirely possible it's a Logic error – a corrupted cache, for example, rather than specifically a Steinberg thing. However, unless you've got another host knocking around on that computer to try to see if Padshop shows up there, it's hard to know. It's often worth having something like Bidule or Reaper knocking around to act as a sanity check if nothing else.

The proposed solution is to delete those caches and let Logic re-scan - scroll down a bit.


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## Grilled Cheese

Research update. I’ve spent some time in the Steinberg forum. A number of other people have been having the exact same problem, and most complain of weeks passing before getting any response from Steinberg. 

Steinberg have been blaming Apple for the problem since mid 2020. In their opinion, it’s not their fault that their plugin doesn’t work in Logic.

2 years later it’s still not working, but they are still selling it.


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## Elrik Settee

and if you ever get Padshop working, you'll wonder why you bothered...


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## Grilled Cheese

Elrik Settee said:


> and if you ever get Padshop working, you'll wonder why you bothered...


Touché! 
Actually I have had a great time with Padshop (when it was working) in the past. I think I’ve been using it since was first released about 10 years ago. I used it to create some unique sounds that I still use frequently. I want to keep using these sounds in future, otherwise I would have given up on Padshop by now.


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## el-bo

CGR said:


> I empathise with you. One of the most confusing and convoluted installation procedures I've experienced was with a Steinberg Lo-Fi piano they were offering for free. After all the trouble it still didn't load up in Halion SE (which was a massive headache to install in the first place). Never again.


Had exact the same experience :(


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## Bee_Abney

I will say that, while initial installation of Halion SE was tricky the first time, I have never had any trouble installing Halion libraries. You just double click the library file and it installs. I now have the full version of Halion and WaveLab Elements, and that went easily enough.

It is the first time of installing Steinberg problems (or reinstalling from scratch) that is a real pain, with so many programmes just to start installing plus one part of the process that is essential but isn't described anywhere by Steinberg. Some people spot that part straight away, and some of use spend three days or more before we find a suitable YouTube video.

And I can't even remember exactly what it is now...

So, tricky, but only if you don't know or can't remember how to do it. And it involves too many separate installation programmes. It was all worth it for me. Such beautiful sounds, and I like the Halion engine.

Customer service on the other hand... A poor reputation in that area is a good reason to prefer alternatives if they exist. I haven't had any trouble myself, but from the sounds of it they are likely understaffed relative to the need.


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## Grilled Cheese

gamma-ut said:


> Here is a thread from Logic Pro Help on plugins not showing after validation: https://www.logicprohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=153232
> 
> It's entirely possible it's a Logic error – a corrupted cache, for example, rather than specifically a Steinberg thing. However, unless you've got another host knocking around on that computer to try to see if Padshop shows up there, it's hard to know. It's often worth having something like Bidule or Reaper knocking around to act as a sanity check if nothing else.
> 
> The proposed solution is to delete those caches and let Logic re-scan - scroll down a bit.


Thank you so much. I thought you might be on to something! Unfortunately none of the files mentioned in that post appear on my system so there's nothing to delete (perhaps things have changed in more recent OS versions).


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## Grilled Cheese

gamma-ut said:


> Is it true? It's a big claim. That you've made on the experience of a single installation.
> 
> Maybe things have changed but I've never had trouble contacting Steinberg tech support, for example. In fact, I just had a go and got to generating a trouble ticket here within a few seconds: https://account.steinberg.net/support


I think you're probably right. At the end of the day it's just my personal opinion, not a statement of fact.

In any case, I tried following the support link you mentioned. I clicked on the big red "Create Support Request" button which opens a new tab. I am presented with the following text:

"Individual support for you is provided by one of our Steinberg distributors."

Then there's another red button to find Steinberg distributors. So I clicked to find a distributor and yet another tab opens:









Become a Steinberg Reseller


If you want to become a Steinberg reseller, please contact us or the respective local Steinberg distribution partner.




www.steinberg.net





I searched the list for an Australia distributor and found one. It's a Yamaha retail music store. I click the link to open their website in yet another tab. Their website does provide a menu link for Steinberg support, so I followed that link and arrived at their support page. Down the bottom I finally found a link for email support.

I believe this rabbit hole is where I arrived a few years ago when I had the exact same problem installing Padshop 2 on my previous Mac Pro. I never got a response.


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## schrodinger1612

I’ve had padshop for years - i still haven’t got it to run properly on my system. And that was after the headache of trying to install in the first place. Fuck steinberg.


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## Grilled Cheese

Bee_Abney said:


> This is more than unlikely given the situation that you’ve described; but is there any chance of the old Padshop Pro having any lingering presence on any drive that your DAW scans for plugins? If so try moving that. This had prevented version 2.0 of Rift showing up in my DAW. Minimal Audio, though, were immediately very helpful and suggested this to me.


Success at last! I actually did the opposite of what you mentioned and installed the original Padshop Pro. I didn't know if this would work, considering that the plugin has not been updated for 3 years and I'm using a brand new M1 MacBook Pro with Monterey 12.2.

Even though I had installed the full version of Padshop 2, it would would not show up until I installed the 2019 Padshop Pro plugin.


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## Grilled Cheese

schrodinger1612 said:


> I’ve had padshop for years - i still haven’t got it to run properly on my system. And that was after the headache of trying to install in the first place. Fuck steinberg.


I hear you. Now that I've got Padshop 2 working, I've started writing a handy help guide to assist other users of Steinberg plugins. It starts like this: 

Step 1. Book an appointment with a therapist...


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## schrodinger1612

The therapist would then end up needing therapy himself


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## aeliron

Markus Kohlprath said:


> Can't say the support does not work. Once I got a reply around 1 months after asking a question which I meanwhile solved myself.


They're using the "teach a man to fish" approach, I see. They are training us to become our own Steinberg tech support!


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## Bee_Abney

Grilled Cheese said:


> Success at last! I actually did the opposite of what you mentioned and installed the original Padshop Pro. I didn't know if this would work, considering that the plugin has not been updated for 3 years and I'm using a brand new M1 MacBook Pro with Monterey 12.2.
> 
> Even though I had installed the full version of Padshop 2, it would would not show up until I installed the 2019 Padshop Pro plugin.



Congratulations! That's really weird, but at least it worked!


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## Dewdman42

Steinberg's non-pro PadShop that comes with Cubase, works fine for me in LogicPro 10.6.3:







I am using Intel Mac. that sounds like the complicating factor here.


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## LinusW

EDIT: Removed comment because I just read you had already solved it.

But yeah, Steinberg support is crappy. https://vi-control.net/community/threads/steinberg-support.68834/post-4220410


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