Still using Cv12 for work.
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The Ribbon is such a wonderful concept that the developers even included it in Visual Studio, the tool used to develop Office.
Oh waitā¦
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Personally I think this is one of the good ideas of Cubase 13. It is nice to see all audio related items in their own place and longer have to have the mischmasch in the Inspector. And it is optional. Nobody has to use it (well, as soon as the audio fader can be seen in the Inspector again).
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Just to show what I personally dislike in the mixerās GUI in C13:
Contrast is a relatively strong way to guide a user. C13 introduced strong contrast when you use the option to have the channels colored. The fader background is dark now, before it was just the darker version of the channel color.
The same contrast issue is present with insert slots:
Contrast between the dark empty plugin slots and the brighter channel color around them. In C12 the contrast is much smaller in these areas.
An area where I actually like stark contrast is āselected trackā in the track list. In C12 I use the setting that makes the track almost white. All letters and numbers will turn black. As far as I can see this is only partially fixed in C13 as upon first release everything was just white? Now everything but the track name is white?
Ah, yes, and what this guy said (even though I donāt have migraine):
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Just saw this post.
I started on Cubase long ago. They had the most amazing looking interface compared to Logic and Cakewalk, etc.
I switched to Logic because of the instruments back in the day, but recently decided to upgrade my 6 license to 13.
I will say that I literally feel like I have no clue how all of Cubase works anymore. My nephew is new to the production game and Logic was miles easier to use than Cubase.
The Cubase GUI renders feel ācheaperā than Logic. I canāt explain it. I just feel like Steinberg should take a step back and totally think āHow do we bring new users to this DAWā instead of āHow do we give Hans Zimmer some obscure upgradeā.
I would do the following.
-
Copy the Logic Inspector. All of it. There is some motion in this direction, but the current implementation is almost useless?
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Make starting a new song as painless as possible. Why is setting up an audio interface so difficult? The user shouldāt ever have to deal with the studio connections or whatever they are called.
-
Cubase has class leading DAW power, now give it class leading ease of use. Some people like life on ādifficultā mode. I for one just want to make music and the tools get in the way a LOT.
Anyway, one thing I WILL say is that Cubaseās audio engine is a step above Logic. Meaning, when pushed to the upper limits of whatās possibleā¦the engine makes decisions that sound better than how Logic handles being driven to its breaking point. Plus Cubaseās engine is a āreal timeā engine. Logic is a ārender in the backgroundā with some real time benefits engine.
Regardless, In my opinionā¦ Cubase needs to be the worlds easiest DAW. That should be the focus going forward. Nothing else.
As a former Logic user, I donāt necessarily agree with this point. I find the Cubase inspector, in particular the new one in 13, to be a lot better and whatās great is how itās completely customizable. In Cubase, thereās an EQ/gain at the ready on every single channel from the inspector view, as well as the ability to add things like notes, easily toggle & manage take & track alternatives. After all these years in Logic you still cannot search plugins, busses, or outputs (natively, thereās a paid plugin which sorta works but doesnāt). The rest of the data in the inspector window is not customizable and takes up a lot of useless real-estate. Perhaps because Iāve used Logic for so many years, and it basically looks the same, Iāve grown tired of it and I donāt think itās something worth modeling after, especially when Cubaseās inspector can do so much more and also can be customized as presets.
This, however, I entirely agree with. Logic makes it so easy, fast, and painless to add external hardware/synths/etc. You can even change it up mid-session without the need for a restart. I/O settings for hardware are very flexible whereas in Cubase itās extremely fixed (e.g., you want to use two identical mono compressors as a stereo unit, or as two mono channels? In Logic you just do it easy peasy, in Cubase it you have to entirely change the back-end of your studio connections and itās a total disaster which will impact other projects too).
Agree, and to take another cue from Logic, they have this setting in the preferences allowing users to turn on advanced features (off by default). Something like that in Cubase might be nice for users who are just musicians and not super technical, and simply want a less convoluted user experience to start with. Everyone can be happy.
I personally would call for a mediabay refresh entirely. Itās powerful once you get to know it, but itās woefully complex and daunting to look at. I do think Logic (and now Abletonās) use of a media browser is way cleaner and easier to navigate. A media browser should be a place you look for sounds and inspiration, but Mediabay can be a chore and makes me feel like Iām doing my taxes.
One thing I will say having been a Logic user for years, in Cubase editing both audio and midi, as well as setting up complex routing and auxes, is wayyyyy easier and faster. I just donāt think a lot of people discover this power because they are understandably scared off by the UIās general convolution.
I would simply change the layout of the channel meter background, as it was from C7 to C12, for me absolute black is easier to see in a session with many tracks. Itās the only thing I would change in the interface
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I am also still on Cubase 12. I think that Cubase 13 is still the buggy and I donāt want to pay for their bugsā¦ Probably will update later or maybe wait Cubase 14ā¦
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I posted this topic so firstly thanks for everyoneās comments!
I think this would be a good time to provide a little more detail about my issues with the v13 GUI. The biggest issue I have had is with the intense flatness of its look. This is a personal thing but the pleasing sense of 3 dimensional form in v12 has all been taken away. I find this problematic for my vision and deeply uninspiring to interact with compared to the previous GUI.
Whether Steinberg choose to continue down this path I think it has already been well demonstrated that a significant percentage of users really want and need the option to run Cubase/Nuendo with a GUI that is more 3D similar to what we have had for so long. For many users that includes vision conditions that make flat guiās difficult to use. It is not as simple as just getting used to it as many posts have said because believe me, I have tried hard to use and like it only to experience the same outcome.
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Iām using V13 but really, really do not like the new GUI. I wish there was a function that let me use V12 skin.
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The sheer amount of opinion on what people like, donāt like, want and donāt want throughout this thread underscores the difficulty Steinberg (and any software developer, really) have when it comes to making GUI decisions.
GUI is fine for me, personally, but I understand why others canāt get on with it. Before 13, the last Cubase I used seriously was SX3 way back many moons ago, and while the style has certainly changed, overall it was pretty familiar coming back to it after a pretty significant length of time.
My own opnion is that there was only 3-4 main elements missing from the Inspector. The two Ideas could have been fused together with customizable items (already there). Make it resizable if that was the issue. But now there are two features containing 50% or more of each others elements.
Guess everyoneās seen THIS link as itās been out for some while - showing what the GUI can do right off the top: ā
DOMs nails it on the MIXER LOOK/FEATURES - right off the top pretty much
THEN thereās my post you may have missed (?) from March 2nd, above - the only relevant points from my March 2nd post above are ā
1) ALL recent plugins that resize effortlessly from small to MASSIVE have FLAT FONTS - BIG APPs are beginning to transition (CUBASE 13) to flexibility with different resolutions. FONTS are one MAIN aspect where huge gains can be achieved.
Yes, Iād bet anything CUBASE will get better and better.
2) The gradient PNG files on the mixer and the arrange page etc., in CUBASE 12 that many people miss, do not resize well, and have the added downside of needing to be loaded/generated kinda individually causing slowness and more. (like ARTURIAās Instruments)
Lastly, although itās way late, like 5 a.m. - My write here back on March 2nd started off nearly with, āEveryone can think what they likeā.
Thatās a definite from me.
Highly-Controversial above, got a post flagged - Iām not weighing in on any of it - though am taking the opportunity to note that i certainly have never flagged anyoneās post.
AND, donāt have the energy to find examples right now, yet āHighly-Controversialā has certainly posted some rather detailed technical bits and some very supportive posts as well, at the very least.
Heck, weāre all musiciany-types - weird is wonderful more often with us, right?
OK, falling over now
peace and stuff
Please think about whatās up top here - the reasons for flat fonts - and DOMās video beginning bits at least.
CUBASE 13 would be a terrible thing to waste - Something like that*-)
Anyways, CUBASE is being discontinued and is going away forever in about a year!
heh-heh - yeah dumb joke, though, what if that happened?
hmmm, maybe i am tired.
best wishings to all
Shared and duplcated:
Routing
Inserts
EQ
EQ Curve view
Sends
Fader
Direct Routing
Cue Sends
The new strip only adds
Pre
VCA
Iād agree if it wasnāt for some things just being plain stupid.
Make fonts readable, not too small, not too dark on an already dark background.
Almost black, borderless insert slots on black background.
These sort of things are just dumb, no other excuse.
Small things like this have caused a lot of noise.
Yes Iām sure if I stuck with it Iād get used to all the other bad ideas, but things like this are inexcusable and just make me want to not bother. Thereās few feature changes that would make me want to bother upgrading and have to put up with so much being visually difficult. The trade off isnāt worth it to me.
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Iāve also gone back to C_12. Itās the contrast intensity that bothers me. I prefer softer colors for tracks and sliders and such, as they play easier on my eyes. I donāt need harsh. - At one time (C_9) I had the option of choosing the colors I wanted. I appreciated the fact that the developers at Cubase thought enough to allow me personalization of the GUI. This aspect made me feel good whenever using Cubase. Like I had some controlā¦ It was mine. What bothers me greatly is someone else has decided for me that this personalization preference is no longer needed and I have no voice in the matter. I canāt say that personalization is important to many - I may be wrongā¦ But itās important to me. Iāve been with Cubase since C_4. Iāve adapted with all the advancements made possible for making Cubase what it is, and I would like to say thank-you to the developers for their foresight.
But if you really want to make one customer happyā¦ bring back the color personalization options. Looking at C_13 is not pleasurable. Looking at C_12 is easier. then again I never hade a problem with C_9.
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Agree 100%.
For me itās all about time saving. I donāt care much about the rest of it. I just want to do a job quickly and easily without unnecessary frustration. Pretty? Couldnāt go give a s*** personally.
I hate dark themes but I get that some people prefer them, but itās all just bad design. Thereās no reason that a dark theme should be so difficult to use, but thatās what it always equates to, not just Steinberg, most developers just copy the latest trend. I just canāt wait till they all grow up and common sense becomes trendy again.
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Take a look at the two Set up Sections menus, please :
All is about how you use them : on my end, I use the Channel panel as a mirror of the MixConsole window : since its introduction, I no longer have to constantly use the F3 key to check how a given channel strip is set. This is a HUGE workflow improvement that, IMO, is worth the C12->C13 upgrade alone.
YMMV, etc.
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Not sure if mentnioned recently: apologies if missed
On the inspector and new far left inspector for tracks
right clicking and clicking āset up sectionsā¦ā
We can add or remove ALL or ANY
Iāve moved things around on both and love what Iāve got now.
sorry to tired to post better right now.