Cubase 12: FX Modulator -> Any Parameter in Cubase

Even if I already have a plugin, I’ll always prefer to use native device if it’s of comparable function & quality. Coming from Reason and Bitwig that’s how I used to roll because it was easy and had multitude of benefits: no crashes, compactness & transferability of projects, it’s cheaper (I could sell plugins I don’t use).

So, no - it’s not all bad, at least not for everyone :slight_smile:

Fair enough. Yeah for some use cases I’ll just use the channel EQ, or pre filters instead of Pro Q, or the native comp for basic sidechaining purposes, but other than that I always tend to go for 3rd party everywhere that counts for me. Especially when it comes to distortion & filters. Cubase is pretty lacking in options there for serious sound mangling purposes. The new FX modulator plugin I hate so much is at least a step in the right direction for working with the native filters, but why would I want to do that when I have volcano, filterfreak, Camelphat, serum FX with dozens of more interesting filter models?

The time based FX in cubase are decent for native plugins, but I get less CPU hit from Valhalla delay than the latest native cubase delay and it just sounds good already without needing to load FX into the delay taps signal flow.

Frequency 2 is about the best stock EQ in any DAW on the market, but Pro Q3 interface wins it for me. To be honest, the only stock plugin I regularly still use is the tube compressor in parallel. I work on drum & bass primarily, so a good distortion & filter selection is clutch. Quadrafuzz is the best distortion available for sound design in cubase & I never get as good results used in moderation as I do with Saturn 2 & it can’t be pushed as far as Trash 2, so I never use it. Cubase’s filter plugins are just basic, and colourless.

I love the FX Modulator. Yeah there are different use-cases or expectations. For me it is what I have waited for - a stock VST3 replacement for Volume Shaper / Shaper Box / NR Kickstart cause all these are still VST2 and I can build whatever I want like diverse simple volume ducking fxs inside native plugin now. Again this prevents from nasty surprises just because of too many unnecessary 3rd party dependencies when opening a project years from now. Therefore for me use-cases also is a good thing to have the modulated fx sortiment directly inside the plugin. I like the all-in-one-approach. Store as VST3 preset, done forever. No need to build FX racks like in other products - hence it does exactly what I need it for.

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So…. I’m gonna have to chime in again.

I’ve been quite vocal about my disdain with the direction cubase is going (or isn’t) when it comes to electronic production workflows & the general go to response often harps back to how Noisia (arguably some of the most technically talented producers in all of electronic music) are cubase users.

Well Nik is now doing Bitwig tutorials on his Patreon, so I really do think that confirms my assertations that Cubase needs some serious work in areas like modulation, multiband processing, audio rate modulation / FM synthesis etc.

If artists like Noisia who’ve used cubase since they started out in the early 2000s are switching to Bitwig, then that needs to be a wake up call to steinberg. If they want any hope of retaining electronic producers in their user base (ie the bulk of the digital audio market) then they seriously need to take heed & pour a LOT of development into this. It’s either that, or just accept that they make a product that offers more to scorers & mix engineers & just go all in on those areas & quit pretending like it’s competitive in the slightest with Ableton or Bitwig from a beat maker’s standpoint

I’m thinking of moving from Logic to Cubase because of how much easier it is to automate/change dynamics and other midi parameters on a track.

I, too, was hoping this FX Modulator feature could be applied to third party FX (I use mostly UAD).

But aren’t there workarounds in Cubase that lets you draw MIDI patterns and apply them to 3rd party effects? I apologize for my ignorance of Cubase :slight_smile:

Lack of modulation system has me considering just biting the bullet and buy Ableton Studio. Don’t need the Bitwig grid even though that’s a great feature. Cubase may be relegated to mixing duties in the near future. If that. It’s a shame because I genuinely do not like the visual layout of Live, but I guess I’ll just have to live with it. Steinberg needs to get its act together here seriously.