Hi!
I Would like install cubase 13 pro on Windows Server (this OS use less Ram on less cpu as Windows 10, and is more stable).
So what about that? Can I install Cubase 13 on this OS or are they incompatible?
Thx!
I recommend you install the trial along with your required production software/instruments/plugins to make sure installers properly recognize and support a Server 2022 installation. While Iâll presume âsure, you can tryâ my immediate concern would be other software (or SB dependancies) you need either not recognizing OS versioning responses of âServerâ and/or explicitly not supporting it given potential licensing issues were you to, say, install an RDP gateway in âapplicationâ mode and give access to multiple users without an appropriate multi-user license deployment.
I know that didnât exactly answer your question, but I just figured Iâd identify potential âgotchasâ If youâre going to use this for production⊠a full test on your side would be the ideal next step.
RAM isnât that expensive these days and Win 11 Pro works perfectly fine with 32GB for example.
As for CPU load I have not seen any evidence yet that a server version is using less CPU cycles than the regular version. Nor have I seen that users with a server version end up with a more stable system. Most system failures have to do with hardware I bet, or software incompatibilities.
Is there any source for server being better with Cubase? Or is there another reason you want to use the server version?
An OS that costs more than twice the price of Cubase?
Maybe heâs sporting a fistful of MSDN keys 
I do a lot of server testing with Windows Server and Windows 10, and on start-up alone, WS runs on 1.6 GB of ram and W10 on 3.6 GB.
And the cpu consumption is the same. All you have to do is look at the task managers for the two OSes, which have just been installed (without any additions, just the base).
The problem isnât the ram, the problem is the number of instances running unnecessarily on W10 that weâre sparing WS. This also plays a role in stability. WS is designed to run dozens of servers and virtual machines. So yes, WS is clearly more stable.
Thatâs why I wonder (just as if Cubase ran on Linux I would have used this OS for my music projects a long time ago).
But as you say, a lot of instabilities are due to misuse by the user.
Personally, Iâm on W10 with 24GB, which is fine with me.
Itâs no big deal if I canât use WS. But itâs just a question I was asking myself. The idea of these operating systems running lots of useless instances for aesthetic reasons, for lots of services that I donât care about at all, it makes me a bit bored. But itâs not a big deal either.
No héhé, You can get an OEM licence Windows server for 1 euro.
Licences OEM windows is not more expensivesâŠ
Yes ok. I will try.
Juste for testing. We never knowâŠ
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Legally?
But seriously, I would be interested in this as an option, apart from cost. The main reason is that in my experience with testing Windows 11, I seem to spend more time removing and disabling stuff that I didnât ask for, and neither need nor want, than I do making music. It would be worth a premium to be allowed to run modern Windows they way I want, rather than the way the monetization department wants it run.
In addition, it should also be of concern to any creative that by default, a service is running in the background busily copying everything you do to to the companyâs servers.
This isnât an official Steinberg response, and this is not my area of expertise â this is just my gut feeling: it is true that Windows Server will be optimised for running services of the kind required in a server environment.
However, I donât think it will be optimised for running the kind of real-time processes required for audio and video, because thatâs way outside of Windows Serverâs usual usage. I canât imagine that many audio hardware manufacturers have even tested on WS. It may be that part of the OS is the same as the regular desktop Windows, but to me it would feel like a huge risk to set up a Cubase system on WS only to find that in 6 months an update will break your audio drivers, or introduce audio glitches because background services are prioritised over foreground applications.
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This is the tricky part. If I knew all drivers and 3rd party applications were supported on Server 2022, then I would probably prefer to go that route over Windows 11 (personally). But, by way of example, Iâve invested a lot of money (to me, anyway) into my dual Apollo x8s, Twin Quad, and plugins, and none of that would be supported on Server. Would it run? Maybe, maybe not. Itâs a deal-breaker for me if itâs unsupported - Iâm not going to try and schlep through workarounds and hacks to make it happen in my production studio.
I think the flip-side of that would be if you had the mad-skilz to get a full production rig with all you ancillary software running (which just isnât going to happen) then I would think you could just torque down Windows 11 appropriately.
P.S. Insofar as foreground/background, you can indeed shut off the server service, and Server still includes the Workstation service so you could âmimicâ the workstation environment but with less âbloatwareâ many complain about installed and running by default.
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For your first question, yes itâs legal. EOM licences are a bit special. For example, Microsoft doesnât support customer service on OEM licences⊠but you get updates and the licences are attached to a single PC. If you change motherboards, youâll have to buy a new licence.
This is the type of licence that is installed on PCs that you buy already assembled and installed (with a non-transferable licence).
For your other problem, personnaly, I use Win10 because in my opinion is better than Win11. And dislike win11âs interface.
If you want I will post here my test with Win Server when I will try.
Yes, thatâs what Iâm afraid of too. Iâd have loved to hear from people who know a lot about it âyes, itâs not official, but Windows Server is perfectly compatible with Cubaseâ, but I do think there are some small differences (various discreet features) that may not allow Cubase to run smoothly on WS. (The problem is that Iâll probably be doing these tests on virtual machines which, intrinsically, already donât offer great performance in my case).
yes, thatâs also a bit of a problem with our hardware or certain plugins.
Pete from MS is a very honest guy and he commented on it recently in a couple of posts here:
Gearspace - View Single Post - The âtoday we build our studio pcâ thread
Gearspace - View Single Post - The âtoday we build our studio pcâ thread
I agree with Paulâs concern that just because you have a server OS doesnât mean your consumer products run more stably on it. Also, I find Windows 11 Pro with Nuendo to be very stable. The OS does simply never crash due to a conflict between it and Nuendo.
And I really do think that the key is that servers are optimized for specific tasks, and then set up for that. That takes time and skill.
Well, processes that have opened when I boot my computer donât all take up resources and they donât bother me if I donât decide to look at them, if you know what I mean. To me a pretty large amount of all this messing around with different OS versions/distros and âtweakingâ the OS seems a bit like a mental thing more than a real problem thatâs solved.
I donât need low-latency, low-buffer realtime audio performance since I do post for television, but I do need a stable system. I just delivered for TV a show that aired the same day I delivered it. I wouldnât do that with Nuendo on Windows if I didnât think it was stable. And not only that, but my clients will update their storage systems every now and then so Iâll get links to portals that require secure FTP client software to be installed on my computer, and then I need internet and browser access, I need Zoom for review sessions, and so on.
I think a modern professional in many cases need a computer that can do a million things, and for that we just need an OS thatâs meant for that. Itâs not ideal in one sense, but I really donât think messing with this stuff saves people much time or headaches.
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Yes. Thatâs doesnât answer my first question 
(compatiblity between Cubase and WS) but I agree with some of your analysis. So, about OEM version, thx for link!
This?