Cubase 8 has been one of the most stable new version releases which I can remember, for any program, but in my opinion, it is full of bugs. Not so much bugs that lead to crashes, but bugs which make me feel that the program was released a few months too early.
I have made good use of the Issues and Feature request forums, but my main issues are:
Visuals, so flat with high contrast compared to V6.5 and rough edges around graphics and fonts
Display errors, with sections of the Mix Console getting jumbled up unless the section is selected (meter and loudness tabs of the master section of the mix console).
Silly errors like the left and right locators not reacting to the mouse properly.
Those hidden buttons on things like insert and send bypasses drive me up the wall; trying to get something done quickly can make the wait for the buttons to appear seem like an age!
I admit I was a sucker to upgrade to version 8 before the demo came out and it is something I regret. I was sold on all the great stability reports which users gave, but if I had known that it was going to contain so many general errors I don’t think I would have touched it. I feel very much that version 8 was released too early, for whatever reason, I don’t know.
I loved 6.5, it was also rock solid in terms of stability but it had the best of the visuals, which combined SX3 and the more flat V5. Even now, I find myself going to 6.5 just to have a more positive workflow experience. I may try 7.5 as I am enjoying the new MixConsole, but from what I see, the silly hidden buttons mentioned above started off there.
Love Cubase 8. Found no bugs here on my MAC. Used it since the day it was released. (But has spent several hours optimizing the installation. Using 4 discs + 3 for back up. 10TB total. Never been as stable as now).
I really cant´t go warm with Cubase 8. Don’t like the new Windows. It’s a real Nightmare to me. I willy stay on C7.5. I would say that C7.5 is the better C8. Only one thing i´m missing in C7.5 is RIP. RIP is the only thing i use C8 for. But the workflow in C7.5 for me is much much better.
If you’re having display issues, I would argue that the problem is probably with your display driver and not Cubase. But you indicated other issues such as with the locators, etc. If you upgraded early, perhaps you should uninstall, delete your prefs and any other artifacts that uninstalling doesn’t clean up, then reinstall.
it’s not a driver issue-- for me it’s how cubase handles the windows; and the general illogical nature of the GUI elements that get introduced without any regard to how the existing GUI elements had been designed. the lack of vision @ steinberg in terms of user experience is so painful to witness.
C8P is actually my very first version of Cubase. i migrated from another DAW i used to swear by.
to date i’m happy to have had multiple projects done on C8P since its launch last year. initially it was like fumbling all over the place as i wasnt familiar with where and how the interface worked. with time, understanding the flow and observing the logic where and how to get things done. comparatively, the are features accessed differently; maybe an extra click here and there, hidden feature pop up windows, settings etc… however, all in all C8P has done me well on the investment.
the only crash i had was with an updated VST3 plugin; upon closure of the Instrument, Cubase would freeze and only a forced quit with restart will do. it was great the plugin came with a VST2 x64 dll. by switching over to VST2 and removing the VST3 dll, the problem went away completely.
if i may humbly state, it could be because we were so used to the previous way of working we tend to resist certain changes. i mean no disrespect to the seniors as i have learnt so much from reading your experiences here. for that thank you all so very much.
C8P is my current and only DAW now, its a joy to use it on a daily basis. Cheers all.
I use C8pro exclusively now, after a rather bumpy start it’s now pretty robust and reliable for me, but it’s certainly not without it’s quirks either. It definitely has the occasional graphics/display glitches, which may be graphics driver issues… but there has been quite a few nVidia driver updates since I installed C8 and yet the same problems still persist.
I’m certainly no fan of the rather odd way it handles windows. Also, the lone menu bar complete with the offset ‘Cubase Pro’ title is just tacky and weird. It doesn’t even read Cubase 8 Pro… just ‘Cubase Pro’ in small plain text. Now, that’s not a deal-breaker of course, but rather something that, well… just doesn’t look all that ‘pro’ to me There aspects of the GUI that I find a little harder to use… some things just got too small! I use other apps that handle these kinda things far more elegantly - including docking windows etc.
There’s several other oddities that I encounter from time to time but generally though I find I can get the job done without being inconvenienced too much if and when they crop up.
Immersed deep within the Cubase Pro 8 expereince I love it!
BUT
It’s not conntinuing the point of stability I would have if I extrapolated from
4 > rather crappy
5 > very good
6 > better
7 > best so far
I’d say my installation on my system is right under 5 i.e. almost very good. poop happens , nothing major, but wtf, I have things to do. I’d love for Cubase Pro 9 to be better than C7
Now … the total joke is how Cubase sits in Windows???
On a lot of occasions when I hit enter in dialogs in Cubase, including but not limited to save operations, I’m teleported to the topmost program below cubase in the stack of programs available under ALT+TAB. I need to ALT+TAB again to get back to Cubase.Why is that???
Cubase 8 lives it’s own life like and is sometimes only visible as the menu bar at the top. One of the reasons I don’t like MacOS is this thing where you’re not sure what program you’re using so you have to keep track of that by reading at the left end of the menu bar or whatever the top thingie in MacOS is called. Why does Cubase all of a sudden have to be completely different to all other Windows programs? Why does Cubase disappear like a MacOS program so you see the Desktop but no program background, like a roller blind you eventually find on the top of the screen. Yes, I know you can get it back but I don’t think it’s funny to have to go through this 50 times a day. It’s a PC so it should conform to the norm and if it doesn’t those who changed it ruined the workflow of their user base.
OK, so now I happen to have Cubase open and a project open and I’m in e.g. Windows Explorer on top of Cubase. Now I can’t click somewhere in a visible place in Cubase to make it take the focus. In any other Windows program you click on the program and it should be on top and available for editing. Not so with Cubase. Why? This is an intermittent problem that just pops up whenever I need it the least it seems.
The Project window is not part of the program when it comes to closing Cubase so you need TWO clicks to shut down Cubase. Same with the Tool bar, the MediaBay, the Mix Console and everything is in it’s own freakin window?!!?
When I click on another open program in the Windows task bar Cubase is playing roller blinds again. As a Windows addict I don’t feel the urge to adjust to this behavior. I like to have running programs maximized and visible in all their glory. If I see my desk top I don’t think there is any large program like Cubase running. I think Cubase must have CRASHED or something if the icon is in the task bar but no program visible! I don’t like this minor pain pain …
when you try to access the desktop with the standard windows command CTRL+M all programs are minimized without … Cubase.
It’s as if PC Cubase is ported from Mac? Ports feel cheap and lazy no matter what direction there executed in. These problems where NOT there in C7.5!
It’s been 5 months since I posted my opinion about the CB8 GUI. Since then I’ve warmed up a bit to it but I still prefer the CB7 look and feel. For me I described the CB8 look as what I see on my iPad. Cartoonish, flat… whatever. Feature wise, I’m all for the improvements implemented in CB8 over all previous versions.
No doubt about it… opinions on this topic vary widely.
I’m finding it hard to love any Cubase version past 6.5.
Feature wise, Cubase is still a fantastic DAW. However, every time I work with the new console I notice I have to think about simple proceedings. I want my DAW to behave consistent and intuitive, so it will become transparent in the process.
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