I was pleasantly surprised by the response to my original thread here - An open plea to Steinberg - Steinberg Lounge - Steinberg Forums . It sounded like you actually got it - that Cubase needed a period of consolidation with many many small feature improvements and bug fixes. I made reference to 1020 improvements needed - hyperbolic, admittedly, but it was an obvious attempt to demonstrate the scale of the problem.
You replied with a loud “we hear you”, a promise to collate the issues and put it to us in January. This has now happened. But rather than 1020 to whittle down, we have… um… 16:
Enhanced window handling
More insert slots per channel
Ability to change channel order in the mixer
Ability to free-warp multiple audio events at the same time
Parameter Undo/redo history for MixConsole
Extend options to import tracks/channels in a project
VariAudio editing for multiple audio clips in one Sample Editor window to edit in context
Bézier curves and automation tools
Allow to show and edit automation data on top of track data
Changing channel width of tracks (Mono <-> Stereo) on the fly
One button-control tape machine-style varispeed
Extend resizing possibilities for the rack zone
Basic sampler
Wave Meters representing real-time processing like compression, limiting, etc.
Open VST Instruments and FX plug-ins of one channel in tabs
RMS level/peak over-time detection track
16 issues, with the clear implication that only the top few of these will be addressed. A couple of these would be useful to be sure, but not a single one made it from on my own list of most urgent changes that need to happen:
ASIOguard 2 improvements re VE Pro
CPU optimisation
Disabled track bugs and feature improvements
Quicktime Export
Enchanced duplicate tracks
Disabling the new window edge pop ups
VCA record arming (though I hear this will be addressed via a post by a Steinberg rep on another forum)
There’s not even the lowest hanging fruit, a publicly viewable look at what is already slated to be fixed in future updates.
This isn’t really what I had in mind. Is this really the sum total of you hearing our message? Or can we ask you to think again, raising your level of ambition for solving this problem just a shade?
Personally, I am very happy with what they’ve posted. It’s en excellent step forward in having a dialogue with the users. My personal favourites, which I would LOVE to see implemented are:
Parameter Undo/redo history for MixConsole
VariAudio editing for multiple audio clips in one Sample Editor window to edit in context
What I would probably put at the top of the list for ME would be further development for Eucon controllers but I recognise that this is probably a minority interest so I won’t have a tantrum because it’s not on the list.
For me, Steinberg seem to have missed the point again. My first two items on any list would be:
Fix all the bugs in the collected issues list
Fix as many as the other bugs reported by users as possible. (BTW I don’t understand why most of them don’t get transferred to the collected issues list)
After that, then I will gladly consider what new features, or feature enhancements I would like to see
I agree - this has to be viewed positively; come on guys…
I don’t think their list in that survey is an either/or situation; they’re not going to work on the results of that to the exclusion of all else…!!. For example, the things @noiseboyuk wants looking at will be attended to alongside those bigger ticket items, which will take us up to years end with the release of C Pro 9.
(That’s my belief anyway - perhaps a word from SB along those lines would calm any further backlash…?)
As noted above by @westwoodi, the bug-fix list on the ‘Collected Issues’ page, if fully addressed, should cover a good deal of the most recent complaints of performance, window handling, broken/bad implementation of VCA’s, etc, etc. I do not in any way expect that list to be ignored/forgotten/postponed in the shorter term.
@Puma0382 - I wish I could share your positive attitude. The last two 8.0 releases have been very light on fixes for collected issues. I agree that a postive word from SB on the matter would be most welcome.
I just don’t know what some people are expecting here. Do you want a pole that says: “Would you like us to fix the bugs?: YES/NO”? Who is going to vote NO in that pole?
without trying to be disrespectful to you, the This list contains some of my most wanted cubase features for the past 10 years, that List mostly represents me, the list of additional issues you mention, apart from CPU optimisation, doesnt really help me at all.
my point being, i’m happy with the features that they have mentioned as major ones.
I believe that in the original thread that many people expressed the view that SB keep making changes, and the rate at which new bugs are introduced is often higher than the rate at which they are fixed. So the point is, and I apologise if I am wrong with this interpretation, or indeed if it is just my viewpoint, but I would like to see many of the bugs fixed before any new features are added.
Exactly. The features in the survey are great - but are beside the point…I think many users were asking Steinberg to reconsider it’s approach to future development, and I thought, judging from the original response, we were to be more involved in that. It’s not a huge deal for me - 8.5 works well here, despite a few wrinkles - but the ‘tone-deafness’ of this survey is a little disconcerting.
It’s a dreadful misreading of the thread to throw these 16 out there for us for fight over, and that’s it. That thread was about making what we have work properly, either in terms of bug fixes or usability enhancements. And there are a LOT of these.
A the survey was a complete misreading of the stated problem IMO. I took the survey expecting to be a cherry pick list of top bugs to fix rather than new things to work on (although there is some crossover - I still have problems with Windows handling over several monitors so calling it “fix” or “enhance” doesn’t matter to me - just make it work).
I, and I’m sure many others, would gladly pay for an update only containing bug fixes.
I know some of us are very desperate for fixes in certain areas of the software but,
Would you say the same about ANY other product you bought?
“Sorry that the brand new, fancy high-tech television you bought only gets 3 channels, but if you pay us again for features we already sold you, we’ll fix it for you!”
Surely, they could not have missed it. The 400+ posts in the big thread were anything but ambiguous.
They’ve just decided to ignore it.
This kind of strategy has become a trend in the last 15-20 years, companies have understood that peoples attention span shortens on a daily basis and, most often than not, an angry user will still pay for the next small, buggy and insignificant update simply because he has to have the latest, shiniest and most up to date of … ANYTHING. It does not matter what it is as long as it’s the latest version, and as long as it has 2-3 new features, no matter how small.
This is the majority and, as a result, the CEOs, CFOs, PR and marketing managers are making their buck. Regardless.
I can’t believe how many people raved on this forum for the 8 and 8.5 new features, but this is exactly my point.
“Give me a new popup window, change some icons and add two menu entries and I am sold!”
And that after 1 year of development.
I just saw a demo of FL Studio the other day and it blew my mind. I personally don’t like nor do I know anything about it, but I have all the respect for their effort. Truly innovative and snappy UI and a ton of well designed new features. Check out v12, you’ll see what I mean.
I’m confused, they said they would look through the list of most requested features and find the most requested ones, and everyone is annoyed? this is exactly what they said they would do.
Several people have said that they should fix every bug on the bugs list before adding any new feature. that’s not what I want, not every bug on that list affects everyone, in fact right now I can honestly say there are 0 bugs that actually affect me.
if what you want is for the most important bugs to be fixed first, then what you should do is create a list of the bugs that matter to you, then have a vote.
at least 8 of the new features they mentioned would be absolutely massive for me, and would change the way I work for the better.
It seems from the comments so far that people had different expectations of what SB had said they would do.
Having just looked back at what Guillermo posted last December, I realise he was in fact completely non-commital on what they were promising, so it is not suprising that each of us had different expectations.
"As we have done in the past, and as you deem necessary once again, we are now collecting your comments and suggestions from which we shall compile a list. We shall share this list with you in January, giving you the opportunity to involve yourself with prioritisation of mentioned points. "
For anyone in the UK who remembers the ‘Yes Minister’ situation comedy series, they will possibly liken this to Sir Humphrey Appleby!
Some of us expressed the desire for bugs to be fixed ahead of new features. For you @Xtigma, if you experience none of the bugs then you are lucky and quite rightly are more interested in new features. Some of the collected issues affect me big time, so I would rather see them fixed ahead of new features.
SB have presented a list which basically makes no reference to bug fixes. Without an explanation from SB, it is unclear why they were ommited, and where they see bug fixing sit in their list of priorities.
I always find these type of posts amusing! Is it really THAT bad? Are you not able to get any work done because of these so-called bugs? Sorry, I don’t buy it. Hans Zimmer seems to be pumping out major film scores with the same program I work with Cubase, Logic X and PT professionally and have no issues (other than petty annoyances that come with any DAW). Seriously, all of the whining is ridiculous. Sure, I don’t like the $50 update policy, but that has nothing to do with performance, etc.
Well your original post is now legendary…I never thought it was posted though to drive a feature request (contest) that would have been a FR post, not a plea. Of course who doesn’t want new features and some of those listed in the survey are good but the majority asked for first and foremost more attention called to efficiency and performance, better multi core support, bugs. so maybe I missed the fix it list or its coming soon…
I’m holding back on Cubase 8 for quite some time now (still on 7.5). I’ve read too many stories about CPU/ASIO handling not working well and bad windows management, imo 2 very crucial parts of any daw. The way Steinberg handles issues/bugs really makes me wonder if I want to continue with Cubase.
Since marketing (read announcements of new products in my mailbox or even worse endorsements by people I’ve never heard of) became so important, I really have a feeling Cubase is alienating for me. I wouldn’t be surprised if the R&D division is outnumbered by the marketing one. Gone are the days when developers were driven to make an awesome daw and had their own personal view how that should look like. Today everything is directed by managers and developers are forced to follow the guidelines set by them.
This survey that Steinberg made doesn’t address real issues (see above) simply because it doesn’t fit their bugfix/update strategy, which is already set in stone months in advance.
I work with Cubase, Logic X and PT professionally and have no issues (other than petty annoyances that come with any DAW). Seriously, all of the whining is ridiculous. Sure, I don’t like the $50 update policy, but that has nothing to do with performance, etc.