Cubase 13 – macOS Sonoma 14.1 compatibility

I’m having problems with Cubase 13 Pro using a Steinberg UR22C connected through a SonnetTech Echo 20 hub to a MacBook ProM3. Cubase hangs without loading a project and then freezes the Mac. The only way to release the Mac is a forced shutdown. You can’t exit in the normal way.
I have loaded Rosetta2 required by the UR22C so that’s not an issue.
Cubase works if I connect to my Yamaha CP88 stage piano which has its own onboard audio interface.

To test my set up I have installed Ableton and GarageBand which work well through the UR22 and the Sonnet tech on the MacBook.

Any ideas on a fix?

YOu don’t need rosetta for UR22-C. I use a UR22-c here with Cubase 13 on Sonoma and it works perfectly directly into the TB port of my MBP with a USB-c to USB-c cable.

You have to boot into safe mode to install kernel extnsion drivers though… have you done this?

M

Thank you for your suggestions - I don’t know what the kernel extension drivers are but I’ll google/YouTube it to find out how this works.

I’ve looked for ‘kernel drivers’ for the UR22C but nothing comes up. I’m a newby with Apple (2 weeks experience) but a lifetime PC user from DOS to windows - Windows just works for me every time - you load it in Windows and it works immediately. Apple has me stumped - wish I’d stayed with Microsoft products.

just follow the instructions on steinberg knowlege base about installing drivers.

here I found it.

Many Thanks. Are you able to confirm which Mac you are running on? Mine is the MacBook Pro M3.

I bought a replacement cable, followed the directions on the support link and checked the “reduced security” for the kernel extensions from identified developers and restarted.

Unfortunately, the same result - the system freezes until I unplug the UR22C after which Cubase starts (I tried with 2 different UR22Cs).
This occurs whether or not I have the additional DC power connected.
Interestingly, if I try and restart from the ‘Apple’ logo, the system advises that Cubase is preventing the restart.
If I try to force the shutdown with the power up /off button, all that happens is it restarts with Cubase in its frozen state - thus you have to disconnect the UR22C in order for Cubase complete its start up and release the freeze.

I took the MacBook to Apple and the system freezes for them too - Like myself, they think the problem lies with Steinberg to be resolved on one of the Steinberg future updates.
Still a mystery for me at the moment.

I don’t know if this is particularly issue on Sonoma, since this issue happens only when cubase is in native mode, and doesn’t happen when cubase is running thru rosetta:

Whenever I create a new instrument track or load new presets in the virtual instrument like Kontakt, Waves Finger Bass, Avenger etc and play on the midi keyboard, the instrument doesn’t get any midi data at first, and then after about 5 seconds it starts playing those notes from the buffer
it happens only (or i should say “most of the time” ) when loading a preset or patch and trying to play back a track with midi data or playing notes on the keyboard.
or when opening a template or project and selecting a track and trying to play it.
to me it seems like some kind of internal midi buffering issue, not sample loading issue.
I mean 2mb, 0.4mb, etc, of sample data cannot take 5 seconds to load. plus this issue never happened on my old windows 10 PC with SATA SSDs and slower dual channel ram. here I’m using MacBook with apple silicon where large sample libraries load about 2.5 times faster than on my old windows 10 pc, and CPU is much faster.
Also, if it was issue with sample loading, the notes just wouldn’t play until the sample data gets loaded. but here the midi data doesn’t get received to the VSTi3 instrument, which is causing the silence, and the other strange part is that after about 5 seconds it starts playing those notes from the buffer that I was playing on the midi keyboard in silence or the notes that were playing from midi track in silence. such thing never happens when waiting on sample to load.
It looks like Cubase is memorizing the midi data but not releasing it, and then after 5 seconds releases that midi data, and at the same time allows the midi to be transmitted to the Virtual Instrument.

Hello Markus,

You will have perhaps noted my posts earlier concerning the issues I have between Sanoma 14.2.1 on a MacBook Pro with an M3 processor, Cubase Pro 13 latest update, and my UR22C,
The system freezes every time I plug in the UR22C - I really need the UR22C in my home studio set up - I’m not sure changing to a Focusrite interface will result in a solution. Everything works fine though with Ableton and Logic Pro X.

I have spent many hours over the last few days trying everything I know to get the system to work without success and need to now move on.

So I will have to park Cubase for a few months to allow Steinberg and Apple the time to achieve compatibility and use Logic for my projects for a while. I prefer Cubase and hope that a solution will be established in the next few months so I can get back to Cubase.

Regards, Robert

Having the same issues here. The automation handles and -event editors also disappear at random times. A program restart fixes the problem, but it’s still unclear to me whether it’s a OS or a program issue