I’m glad I am not on Cubase because I need the Project Browser so hopefully it will stay on in Nuendo for some time because using the Infoline to edit single nodes is time consuming and does not offer a global view of the data for specific track types, notwithstanding automation.
To say that it was merely a development debugging tool, in my view diminishes its’ usefulness for regular users and makes me wonder whether anyone at Steinberg actually compose music anymore because this would seem to be a very short-sighted decision.
To say that development resources should be deployed elsewhere and that no further development will be undertaken for the aforementioned feature, to me is just blatant cost-cutting, pits users against one another and detracts from what has always been Steinbergs’ strength, catering to ALL users in the best way possible at the time.
Moreover, having a global view of track or automation data allows a composer to become more aware of what is actually in a track, rather than the linear only approach so while I am aware some functionality is available via the Key Editor, this is just for note data only and things like the MIDI channel for Key Signature changes cannot be made there.
Also, Tempo data such as Step/Ramp cannot be edited in the Project Browser so for example when there is a change, such as a node change to an equal BPM value, you have to go to the Infoline, which involves scrolling to a specific place in the project so unless new functionality is created, I will remain of the view that this is a regressive and backward step.
Are you sure it hasn’t just been moved to a different menu or has a different name now?
I can only speak for myself. Even though I earn my daily money with Nuendo, I haven’t even used the browser. But each of us works differently and does different things.
As it is assumed that Cubase is a virtual testbed, for Nuendo (codebase(s) aside), one can only deduce that it will eventually be removed from Nuendo, as both programs have the same feature, in this regard.
To simply say that it is not a popular feature does not mean that it isn’t necessary, since the Infoline is no replacement, even though the Project Browser could do with an overhaul and deeper integration into the application(s).
The last thing I want to have to do at some point is export MIDI data to some other application (or older version of the DAW(s) in question, for scrutiny, because that is what the Project Browser does and it does that very well, hence the word debugging being used.
I think its a big mistake to take out the project browser. It is something people hardly use but also no one ever complains about it or has FR’s. Then why remove it?
The only way around it is keeping a computer up and running with v12 as long as possible, guess.
I absolutely and vehemently concur that the Project Browser is a must-have feature! How else are we supposed to check MIDI data numerically, or detect any outliers … or in general: just data?!?
This probably explains why the Project Browser has not yet been updated to the new design: It just wasn’t worth it. The next thing to go will probably be the preferences. (They still have the old design, which makes them suspect.)
I hardly ever use the browser, but I always find it difficult to quietly remove things without replacing them. Especially when they have been there for so long. Customers should at least be warned, so they know what they’re getting into. Instead, only the new features are advertised. No one talks about what is being dropped.
100% agree with this. Adding on any menu changes, like if a menu moved to a different location. Davinci/Fairlight is horrible at this and I sometimes see it with Nuendo.
“Hey guys, we moved half our menus…good luck finding them!”
The Project Browser will be discontinued, as of Cubase 13. Originally designed as a debugging tool for our development, from a technical point of view, it was no longer feasible to maintain the Project Browser with its current design, which is why we decided to invest the time and resources in more popular features of the application.
Which is unfortunately not linked on the (download) page. So I only see it once I have installed the software. Not everyone uses the trial version first, so they only find out when it is “too late”.
We use software from vendors who announce such things in advance by attaching a document to a version of the software stating that “Feature XY” will no longer be available in the next update. I think that’s a good approach.
Fair enough, but the release notes are the first thing I read before I buy any update.
Maybe that is not the norm but for me there is no other way for keeping a system up and running.
This (below) is where I got the information from, this is my go to spot for all Steinberg info… and maybe there is some logic to that spot…
…Neverheless I think it’s bad form to not make it abundantly clear that a feature disappears… Interesting to see there is no demo BTW
Yes, I was wondering about that too. I wanted to download it to get my own impression of the new GUI. But if Steinberg’s statement is to be believed, there will be an opportunity to download the test version soon.
I usually look at them first. Where else can you find out what great new features are available? (Not every software has such a great forum as this. )
However, I would say that we are in a minority with this habit. I don’t know many people who look at the release notes. Maybe that’s why the release notes for some programs open automatically after installation?
Incidentally, I have now found the notes myself: You have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the “New Features” page to find the link. It would be nice if there was a link on the download page as well. But for the major update, the link is usually missing. Only subsequent “service updates” have release notes linked.
I have been using Steinberg DAW’s, since V3 and I have only recently discovered the Project Browser myself.
Saying that, I have projects that I have been working on since then, making sure that any project corruption is removed by copying/pasting all data from one project to another, notwithstanding Import Tracks from Project, using an active template, with corrupted projects in the background (I have never had a project where I cannot access data).
From time to time, I go over project information, to make sure that node values such as Tempo and Automation end in 0. I can use the Infoline of course but nothing compares to the Project Browser for this task, which is how I “debug” my projects so that everything is on an actual beat and not a tick because that is what Musical Mode is actually for, so that as tempo changes things such as Automation stay on beat because I use a mouse to design Automation changes so that rendering of stems is optimal.
With a project that has thousands of nodes this will be time consuming to say the least because some of my projects (MIDI compositions), while saved in the latest format, bear information that has not been so meticulously edited, which is why I ask, “do Steinberg people still actually compose music”.
On the other hand, it did not see all types of objects, like Score Editor objects.
While I regret its removal, the functions it supplied would certainly be welcome in a modern data inspector.
What I would prefer going forward would be a modern implementation of a browser that can view and select for editing any user object – score notation, audio, midi, automation etc., etc., etc.
One thing it does do is tell you what unused parameters there are on a given track, which in the context of the Project Browser, is useful so that the list of objects doesn’t become unnecessarily long.
This on its’ own as a debugging function should be available to end-users and not be thought of as some special tool only for developers so to take it away without a viable replacement to me, is a step away from Cubase and/or Nuendo being comprehensive and professional applications.
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