I was wondering if it is possible to upgrade from AI 4 to anything that supports ReWire.  From my research, which included findings on here (thank you), AI 4 does not support ReWire.  However, AI 6 does and it appears you cannot purchase the AI line separately from a product.  I received AI 4 with my Rack XS and can only assume that Yamaha products (like the Rack XS) now ship with AI 6 (or perhaps offer AI 6 even if AI 4 is boxed inside?). 

So, how can I get my hands on AI 6, so I can use ReWire?  Or, is there a way to upgrade to something like Elements 6 from AI? 

Thanks =)

AI is a free lite bonus version of Cubase distributed by Yamaha and there is no upgrade path from one version of AI to another. This has been discussed previously. You can indeed upgrade from AI 6 to one of the commercial versions of Cubase, so please see the Steinberg web site for details and cost. For example to upgrade from AI 6 to Elements go here:
http://www.steinberg.net/en/shop/buy_product/product/cubase-elements-6.html

However, if you only have the old AI 4, it appears you are currently out of luck. The upgrade offer from that version ended January 31. See this thread:
http://www.motifator.com/index.php/forum/viewthread/457796/

For Elements, the Steinberg site is now showing upgrades from only version 6 of AI, NOT 4 or 5, so it appears you would have to pay full price for the commercial version of Cubase Elements.

Oh well.  Thx for the reply.  That’s what I was suspecting.

For now, I’ll stick to using Reaper.  My DAW of choice is Reason (just need to ReWire to something to sync video for scoring film).  Reaper does well enough for now.

If I decide to look more into Cubase, Elements will do the job of what I’m after. 
If I decide to keep Reaper, it’s $60.  Elements is $100.  So we’ll see…

Thanks again.

frankE - 11 February 2012 02:21 AM

The Steinberg site is now showing upgrades from only version 6 of AI, NOT 4 or 5, so it appears you would have to pay full price for any of the commercial versions of Cubase.

That’s only for Elements. AI4/5/6 can still be upgraded to Artist and the full version.

For other Mac users…

Garageband supports video!  I had no idea lol.  Again, this is all I need from an additional ReWired DAW (video support).  Still disappointed AI 4 doesn’t support ReWire, but oh well, its too far in the past now to whine about it to anyone (just weird that a Steinberg app wouldn’t have it).  Reaper still seems like a worthy candidate...I like they they offer two prices (non-commercial and commercial).  The non-commercial price also includes if you make less than $20,000 a year using it.  Lol, shoot, if I didn’t meet that criteria I’d be buying all kinds of stuff! 

So, there’s an upgrade price from AI 4 to Artist, but not from AI 4 to AI 6 Elements?  That would make the decision quite easier.  Elements seems very reasonably priced, I just can’t justify it for myself just for video support. 

Thx everyone for the responses.

I’m going to predicate my comment with an admission that my answer is directed by my lack of knowledge of the price of Cubase…

Anyway, it amazing me that so many musician’s in the moitfator forum put out such a significant investment in their hardware and are so determined to find free upgrades to what basically amounts to demo software. Since you are on the mac platform, note this-

Full bown Logic Pro 9 is only $200 now. Remaining box sets of Logic Express are available for about $100. With all due respect to Garage band, buy yourself a decent DAW, dude… :)

Meatballfulton, the OP asked about “Elements” ("Or, is there a way to upgrade to something like Elements 6 from AI?"). I answered the question that was asked, but to clarify further for others, I’ll highlight the info in my previous post. And I should also add that it’s always better to visit the Steinberg site for any information on upgrades, because what is posted here today could change ‘tomorrow’.

b) Re. “Still disappointed AI 4 doesn’t support ReWire”
--Not sure why one would expect a free introductory lite version of a product to have all the features one would find in the commercial versions. ‘You’ get what you pay for, and yes Elements is a good starting place. But check the comparison site on the Steinberg web site to make sure it has ALL the features you want. Again you’ll get what you pay for, and what you might think you need today may change tomorrow, so shop wisely. :)

@motif8mine—I mentioned earlier that I use Reason.  Reason 6 is the DAW I use.  All I need is video sync.  So, the simpler and the cheaper—the better. 

@frankE—My disbelief is because Steinberg (along with Propellerhead) developed ReWire.  Also, Cubase AI 6 now has ReWire—so, there it is.  But again, as I mentioned, not here to whine about.  I also don’t consider it “free” because I can’t download AI 6 without buying a Yamaha or Steinberg product.  Thus, the $1200 I threw down from my Motif Rack XS a few years back included that “purchase” of AI 4.  They used it as a selling point for the product.  But yes, I did get what I paid for, and overall, I’m not a huge fan of Cubase, but did want to explore the option of using it for video sync...and the version I have does not do that.  And it’s all good =)

I’ll keep an eye out for any upgrades from AI to Elements...who knows, but as I said Garageband or Reaper are up to the task.

By all means use whatever product you wish. We’re here to offer help with Cubase when asked.

And as far as AI being free and a bonus......well sorry, but it is. You didn’t buy it, it was a gift, and if you didn’t want it or or decided to return it, the price of the equipment itself wouldn’t have changed. That’s why the gift you received isn’t upgradable. It is however given with the intent of encouraging one to upgrade to a commercial version if they like AI. Guess it all depends on how one looks at bonus content these days, but you aren’t the first one to put forth that argument. Tough crowd sometimes. :) In any case, debating this leads nowhere. Time to move on. Cheers.......frank

Agreed.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions =)
I appreciate it.

motif8mine - 11 February 2012 09:11 PM

I’m going to predicate my comment with an admission that my answer is directed by my lack of knowledge of the price of Cubase…

Cubase 6 is $500 or a $400 upgrade from AI.

Cubase 6 Artist is $250 or a $200 upgrade from AI.

That’s a significant investment if you’re a hobbyist, especially since AI is enough for most hobbyist applications.

meatballfulton - 23 February 2012 08:37 PM

motif8mine - 11 February 2012 09:11 PM

I’m going to predicate my comment with an admission that my answer is directed by my lack of knowledge of the price of Cubase…

Cubase 6 is $500 or a $400 upgrade from AI.

Cubase 6 Artist is $250 or a $200 upgrade from AI.

That’s a significant investment if you’re a hobbyist, especially since AI is enough for most hobbyist applications.

As stated earlier, upgrade prices, whatever they happen to be currently, may or may not apply to certain versions of AI, so I suggest that it’s always wise to check current promotions before investing.

Your point about AI being suitable for most hobbyist could certainly be debated though :) since I think there are some hobbyists who would indeed want and benefit from the commercial versions. Hobbyist doesn’t always suggest minimal requirements. :)
Anyway I suspect our recent posts here are a little late to be of much benefit now to the OP.............frank

Hi again…

I qualified my statements regarding my area of expertise, if you will. And $100 for Logic Express is not, by any means, a significant investment. And, I do believe it handles video. So, the $400 or $500 dollar upgrade prices do not necessarily apply to I offerred a much lessor price range…

In addition, I was speaking beyond the poster’s circumstances- because he owns, according to his profile, a Rack- which is not the same level of investment as the range of XS’s or XF’s. Therefore, imho, if you are spending $2000 plus bucks on a synth- present compnay excluded- you can’t wine about the price of software. Pony up and buy something comparable to the level of investment you placed in the synth. Or, find a synth in a lower price range and a DAW that matches that level of investment.

motif8mine, doesn’t appear to me that anyone has disagreed with comments in either of your posts (not that you suggested they had), and certainly your points seem valid to me. It amazes me sometimes when I see people investing thousands of dollars in software libraries sometimes then complaining when it doesn’t run on their computer with 2 GB RAM and on board audio. :) Everyone has priorities though I guess, so perhaps someone who has just spent thousands on a piece of hardware may for obvious reasons be looking for inexpensive solutions to some of the rest of their system, including recording and sequencing software. It’s sometimes not just about what we want, it’s what we can afford. :)
..........frank

PS: Logic is for Mac users so won’t be a solution for those on PCs, no matter what it costs.

EDIT: previous post duplicated somehow, so text removed.