Preface: I recently updated from C12 to C14 (skipped 13). I remember reading here that several people back then were highly critical of the new UI changes, but I was really shocked how bad it really was. I know that application looks are highly subjective and that several people also like the new look, but I am not talking about the looks here, I am talking about things that got objectively worse since Cubase 12, especially legibility and contrast (I am not twenty anymore and got deteriorating eyesight, so sue me…)
I reset all User preferences to default in both version, so every screenshot is the default settings as if new installed. Sure, you can change some colors here and there, but the color customization options in Cubase are too sparse to really fix all the contrast problems…
To be fair, there are actually some areas where C14 is actually better than C12.
(Yes, you can change the selection brightness in both version to be a bit better than the defaults, doesn’t change the general issue, and that the Gain and Phase labels are not switching to black when the background gets too light (as opposed to the section header, which do…)
Please, Steinberg, I promise I will get used to the flat look (although I am fully convinced that a complete flat look is the wrong way for complex applications), but please get the contrast, visual separation and font sizes/legibility right!
The new direction of the GUI design is so flat and lifeless. No gradients, no contrast, no borders, no highlights, no shadows. Basically just looks like a coloured spreadsheet.
Maybe consider giving us the option to use custom skins, so a skin, theme or a GUI-wise setting can be shared among users.
I know it’s not an easy task, but I think there will be a higher chance of everyone being happy, if they have the power to customize the look of their own interface, instead of hoping that Steinberg will finally “get it right” this time. Otherwise Steinberg will just keep changing things (accidentally?) that look good to some users to something that looks worse to those same users.
In other words, it sounds like a gamble, when every GUI appearance decision, that can’t be customized by the user him/herself is outsourced to Steinberg.
Yes I agree. I got used to the new look but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s harder to read and it’s more unpleasant to the eye.
People working in GUI design pointed out many times all those issues that are simply bad design-wise.
But unfortunately some people dream about Cubase being just black and white. 2 colours, no shades.
Oh man, in another topic with the wishlist for Cubase 15 there’s one point asking to make it even more flat It’s insane. At some point Cubase will look like inverted version of its first version on Atari.
Yep, I am not a GUi designer, but I have learned print design, and if I ever produced something like the new GUI in print, I’d get it back from the teachers with a long list of things to fix…
I personally don’t like full flat, but I have to say that Ableton always did a solid job with it in Live, a clear, consistent design language from the beginning, just updated as necessary (e.g. to support operating system’s light/dark modes, which Cubase completely fails to do…). Whether you like the optics or not, they never really had the need to change it completely in 20+ years, which benefits long term users.
No one can convince me that the bottom one is easier to read… thinner, one pixel smaller, less contrast again.
Oh, and the playhead cursor is now just white and doesn’t change to black when configuring a light project area background (which Cubase allows you to do) , which makes it harder to see…
Ableton managed to make a nice simple GUI from the start and it matches the style of the DAW. They just nailed it from the start.
But for example Bitwig is trying to clone it and it’s ugly in comparison. It feels like “one in a million” chances where Ableton managed to hit the nail.
Cubase and other DAWs, anytime they’re trying to look like Ableton they’re doing it wrong. Cubase has its style for many versions and they should just improve that instead of trying to change Cubase into something that Cubase simply isn’t.
Just look at the new plugins. It looks like done by a random guy who just opened Paint for the first time ever. It’s really bad. It looks unprofessional like some free synthedit plugins, not something made by a company like Steinberg. I hope that Cubase 15 will not look like this new StudioDelay
Doesn’t change the size, though. Tiny is still tiny.
People used to complain about the size of everything in 4K, it seems Steinberg has stuck up 2 fingers and doubled down.
Thank you, I actually didn’t know that. Sadly, this is only for the track names, which improves that at least, but everything else I’ve shown here is still thin and tiny.
To my older eyes, the reduction in contrast nearly everywhere is the biggest issue I have with the new UI. I have gotten used to the new inspector and do not mind the lack of visual separation nearly as much as the “grey on darker-grey” design style.
Overall, I find Cubase 14 much cleaner than C12 (which is where I also upgraded from), so many of the changes are (to me) improvements.
I also think that the graphical design choices of Cubase 13/14 have been poor and not well thought through.
I’m still evaluating 14 and am having a hard time adjusting coming from v12. Everything just looks too similar. All the buttons are now monochromatic and offer little to no separation. It makes it harder for me to find what I’m looking for when nothing stands out.
The Mix Console has also suffered some degradation where things are harder to read and less text available when the same channel width is used as in 12. Although the fader caps does not bother my eyes too much I can see that they could for some and I don’t see the change as an improvement.
For me Cubase is an engineering tool and as such, it should be quick and easy to work with. Its primary purpose should not be to look pretty or fashionable.
I want to thank the OP for the clear illustrations of the GUI issues. I have not switched to 14 yet but for my aging eyes, the mixconsole on 13 is very bad. On a 27” hidpi screen 3ft from my face I have trouble reading values in the mixconsole. Fader level, pan values, etc. I also can have a bit of trouble finding my place visually. Like it can take a lot more than a second or two to find a send level on a particular track on the screen, especially if it is not the highlighted track. Just visually confusing/ distracting. And BTW I have been using Cubase since the 1990s when audio recording was added, so not a newbie. I don’t mind flatter looks, as long as fonts are clear and large enough, the contrast is right, and there is enough visual cues so you can easily focus on the desired section quickly. A good example of such a GUI philosophy are Valhalla plugins. But again those are relatively simple GUIs. Cubase is much more complex so a good compromise between simple/flat look and having good separation/contrast and solid visual cues is paramount. The GUI team at Steinberg really needs to re-think the overall direction. Focus on usability and accessibility for everyone.
I am seriously trying to like it but I’ve gone back to C12 yet again. More for the select none key command not working than the look of the interface but the look is still not as nice as C12 for my workflow.
I think a large majority liked the look of C12 (me among them), I got used to the workflow of 13 (and 14) and now it’s a No Go Back. but I honestly don’t like the whole look and feel of Cubase these days. Worst of all, Steinberg doesn’t seem to care. (I posted a comment in the forum and no one from the team commented)
Another example that I would point out is that I personally thought that the older style toolbar looked much cleaner than the new style.
Note: Ignore the resolution and size difference of the older style toolbar as I had to obtain it from a image from the internet as I am unable to open older versions of Cubase anymore due to some license error that I presume is occurring as a result from the transition away from the elicenser licensing system.
It would have been really nice if Steinberg implemented some various different theme presets for Cubase, including the older style colours and GUI elements.
It’s insane. At some point Cubase will look like inverted version of its first version on Atari.
