Can I open Mac Project files on PC, etc

If I create a Cubase project file on one operating system/ platform, can I open it in another. If i create a project on PC can I open it on a mac, vice versa? I’m going to be engineering at a number of different studios and carrying my files on USB drives. I’ll also carry my steinberg licenses from one studio to another on the license key. I have PC at home and the other studios will commonly have Mac. One place has PC in studio B, and Mac in studio A. I will be installing cubase on each machine and using the same audio plug ins, etc…

Thanks to all,
Drew
:wink:

I’ve opened Mac projects on PC many times. I can’t answer the other way though for sure but I’d expect so.

If your hard drive is formatted for Mac when you open it on PC you won’t be able to save files onto that Mac formatted hard drive. If I decide that I’ll continue on working on PC with a specific project originally created on Mac I’ll transfer the file to the main Windows hard drive or to an exterior hard drive formatted for Windows.

The biggest issue you will probably run into is that not all plugins use ilok or the elicenser, which means you’d have to pay or register those plugins on the other machines. For this reason, it would be easier to take a laptop to each other studio and install the soundcard drivers on it for each studio and if you have a laptop with thunderbolt and usb, you can use a apple thunderbolt to firewire adapter to plug into all the soundcards. If you are moving studios a lot, bringing your own interface and patching it out of the studios patchbay means you can always work in every studio whether you have their drivers installed or not as some studios use Pro Tools only interfaces. What I have found with doing what you are doing is eventually either you or the other studio will update the plugins and they won’t always be backwards compatible. For example Autotune Pro is not backwards compatible with Autotune 8.1, Kontakt on even a 0.1 version update is almost never backwards compatible and so on. Also other studios often don’t like or allow other engineers to install plugins on their machines.


So… theoretically it could work but as soon as other people start using the other studio, eventually issues with plugins will probably occur so taking a laptop is my recommendation if other people are also going to be working in the studio. I worked in another studio and usually used their computer which had all the same plugins but when transferring back and forth, I took my laptop just incase something didn’t open in the studio properly which would happen from time to time.

https://www.steinberg.net/en/support/knowledgebase_new/show_details/kb_show/compatibility-and-interchangeability-of-project-files/kb_back/2020.html

To currentsound:
I hear you with the plugin issue and to solve that I started to only use plugins included with Cubase. I know it sounds like a limiting idea and people become attached to their 3rd party plugins but I’ve been doing this for a few years now and I have been getting a great sound this way. I will be installing Cubase 10 on their computers just for me and I’ve already been given permission to do so. I also worry about the pro tools only interfaces so I’ll have to address that issue.

Weasel:
Theres the answer! It’s an old chart but it shows they’ve been compatible for years now.

Gracias!

Currentsound:
Now I have the audio interface issue. My main problem is that my audio interfaces that I own are old, but expensive high quality, and run on firewire. My laptop does not have firewire or thunderbolt and its PC. I might just run protools when it’s too inconvenient to use cubase. I can kick ass in pro tools but Cubase feels like home. Eventually I’ll buy a usb interface but I’m too picky to settle for a cheap one.
Blah blahh… now I’m rambling on…

All the best,
Drew

Does your laptop have a PCMCIA or Expresscard slot? There are cards available with FW I/O. It is possible that you may be able to avoid the expense of ditching your MOTU units with this option. It might be worth investigating.

No I dont have pcmcia or expresscm card… lame…

Thanks anyway.