While lots of people are complaining about the need to use the Aero theme on Windows 7, the larger issue is the goofy, and totally non-standard way Steinberg have implemented a global menu bar in the Windows version of Cubase 8 Pro. The problem is that by design and convention, there IS no global menu bar in Windows! That’s a Mac and Linux thing. Menus are ALWAYS local to their specific windows on the Windows platform. That’s why the OS is called Windows!
In an apparently lame attempt to make the Mac and Windows version of Cubase 8 work similarly, Steinberg have disregarded every Windows UI convention that has been in place since Windows 3. What Steinberg should have done is implement a true docking window management scheme (ala Studio One). Your main monitor would always have the primary workspace with the primary menu bar (that sits below the title bar). Any other window that you open outside the main workspace (either as a “float” or a standard window) could potentially have its own local menu bar that sits under the window’s title bar. This is how almost every other Windows program works.
I can’t believe that Steinberg didn’t/couldn’t get this right knowing that this was probably the #1 usability issue they needed to solve on the Windows platform. It’s f-ing crazy stupid!
True words. I didn’t care about the aero thing as I used that theme on 7.5, but the toolbar puzzles me.
More annoyances include: the glowing fonts, the doubling of the menus when you maximize the project window, weird glitches when you click on certain menus, two Cubase applications appear in my alt-tab switcher from time to time (until I mouse over it)
if you’re going to “rewrite the entire audio engine”, why not take some time to make something that’s more solid-feeling than a floating toolbar?
I just bought Studio One 2 Pro. I had been on the fence for a while but wanted to see what Steinberg did with Cubase 8. While version 8 is certainly an improvement over earlier versions, the UI is still a disaster for the most part. That screwball floating menu/title bar combo is just one more egregious design decision. The fact that it looks atrocious on Windows 7 (with the ugly Aero “etched glass” underneath each menu heading) adds insult to injury.
I will definitely miss the Score capabilities, drum editor, MIDI plugins, and other features in Cubase that are not in Studio One. But I’m hoping that most of those features will be added in Studio One 3.
Couldn’t agree more. After being forced to enable Aero again, i couldn’t find the menu bar at first. I hope steinberg are taking notes here and give windows user an option to disable this.
A severe shock to the Windows fraternity indeed, but it may be a sign that Steinberg are moving from a Mac/Windows world into, well, the actual world.
Personally, I’m still using Windows, but I would love to see Cubase on Linux.
As a Windows user, yes, I am still scratching my head about that strange, unmovable, unsizeable title bar with embedded menus stuck to the top of the screen, but if that’s the price for better window handling (and in expectation of incremental improvements over the coming months) well then, OK!
[EDIT] The benefit of Aero is more resources for audio … the CPU is less involved in graphics handling.
It’s reminiscent of WL 7… and frankly, I still haven’t gotten over it. I dunno why they don’t get that (at least for Windows) people LIKE standardisation: IOW I -expect- every Windows program to work pretty much the same way. And when it doesn’t, I usually avoid it.
I’ve been using Win 7 for a few years now with the old “Classic XP” look and feel along with the old “go faster” reg tweaks etc etc but, I must admit I’m really enjoying this release, it’s hugely more efficient I every way and, let’s not forget that win10 is just weeks away and I’m sure that Steinberg have been getting there heads into that and working towards it with this release.
I really don’t mind the new Aero.windows system in C8 one bit, in fact I really like it - a lot! A few teaks to get rid of the transceparency and colours, a few reg tweaks to get rid of the glow shadow text on the menu bar and it’s much more pleasing to the the eye (mine anyway) and loosing 2mm space at the top of the mix console on pair of large screen HD monitors is nothing compared to the performance increase and flexibility that’s been gained.
There’s no " show stoppers" in this release that will stop anyone configuring it how they want. Embrace it I say, next year it will be cubase 9 on Windows 10, though I’ll stay on win7 as I stayed on XP for so many years after it was dropped, because it worked and this so far seems to work very well indeed.
Well done steinberg! You finally got the “Q” back into cubase! Well as far as I’m concerned anyway.
I’m not sure what you mean by “Aero.windows system.” But what Steinberg have done is disregard every Windows programming convention in the book and have created a Frankenstein mess of a UI. It’s absolutely dreadful.
I’m all for breaking the rules when doing so provides an improvement over a dated paradigm. That’s progress. But this combined title/menu bar and corresponding confusing window minimize process is a total clusterfvck. From an interface perspective, the Product Managers and UX Designers working on Cubase clearly have no idea what they are doing. No competent Product Management professional would ever make such a decision.
It’s still a 100 times better than the old one, I love it, and yes there is room for improvement. There is a update coming soon, and in the meantime there is nothing stopping me from making music.
I hated the new windows management at first, but now I like it a lot -even though it has only been a few days. I love being able to switch between Cubase windows using alt+tab. I can’t imagine going back to 7.5 voluntarily, as it now feels very cumbersome to me.
I always used Aero, since it frees CPU cycle for other more important tasks, so this change has been for the better in my view. It’s definitely better than what we had in Cubase 7, for sure. I’d hate to go back to quadruple-clicking plugin inserts in order to get them to show up on top of the mixer. Screw that!
I hope Steinberg continue adding new technology to their professional platforms. Seem more to me that some of you can’t keep up the new “game changer” and still think we use Windows 95 or XP.
Who gives a poopies about “Mackie Issues” that affect an extremely small subset of users? Talk about tunnel vision. It’s the core usability of the program that affects EVERYONE that matters. If it takes “whining” about these usability issues to get Steinberg to understand their importance, then so be it. Actually, I don’t think it’s a case of Steinberg not understanding the importance of these issues. It’s just that the company’s Product Managers and Developers are apparently clueless about how to address them.
Mackie issue affexting a small subset of users? Obviously you’re a bedroom recording, I use my mouse only with my USB 2 channel M-Audio interface non pro. Have a good day with your juvenile rants.
I always like to use new improved systems but while the new UI in Cubase has some great improvements it also has some backward steps, not least the bar at the top. It is nothing to do with being stuck in the past just basic wrong UI design issues. UI design is a well researched area in 2014.
