Hello! I’m thinking about buying both Cubase and Dorico. But I wonder which version of Cubase is most appropriate because Halion Symphonic is included in both Dorico and Cubase Pro?
First, HALion Symphonic Orchestra is not included in Cubase, neither the Pro nor Artist. It’s only included in Dorico.
But if you would buy both Cubase and Dorico, you would not care anyway, because if you have the Dorico license and the Cubase license, then you can use Symphonic Orchestra also in Cubase.
This leaves you then with the choice between Cubase Pro and Artist. There you have to decide yourself what features you really want and need.
The plugin that’s included with Cubase is Halion Sonic SE 3, which has its own set of sounds coming primarily from Yamaha’s Motif Classic keyboards along with select sounds from the Motif XS and XF. The number of sounds depends on the version of Cubase you have, and Dorico has all of the same sounds as Cubase Pro.
Halion Symphonic Orchestra is an expansion for Halion Sonic, and like Ulf said, it’s only available for free if you get Dorico, not Cubase. It uses original instrument samples and is capable of a far more realistic sound.
I would recommend downloading the Cubase Pro 9.5 pdf manual: https://steinberg.help/cubase_pro_artist/v9.5/en/Cubase_Pro_Artist_9_5_Operation_Manual_en.pdf
Press Ctrl+F and type Cubase Pro only to get an idea of what you’ll be missing if you get Cubase Artist.
This one lists which plugins are exclusive to Pro: