Cubase has evolved tremendously over the years, but I believe Cubase Pro 16 could become something far more important than just another feature update.
Steinberg already owns one of the most powerful music production ecosystems in existence:
Cubase
Dorico
Expression Maps
advanced scoring technology
orchestral workflow tools
deep MIDI infrastructure
What feels missing now is not more isolated features, but deeper workflow convergence between these systems.
For me, the future of Cubase is not simply “more features”.
It is a more unified composition, notation and production environment.
Here are the areas I believe could define the next major evolution of Cubase:
A BeatDetective-like centralized audio editing environment
A modern multi-track editing workflow for transient detection, phase-coherent quantization, slice management and group editing would dramatically improve drum editing, instrumental recordings and large audio productions.
Cubase already contains most of the necessary tools for advanced audio editing, but they are currently scattered across different menus and workflows. What makes Pro Tools particularly efficient is not only the individual tools themselves, but the way they are centralized into a fast and cohesive editing environment through Beat Detective.
I believe Cubase would greatly benefit from a similar workflow philosophy. A centralized audio editing system could significantly speed up multi-track editing, transient-based processing and large recording sessions, while making the entire editing process far more streamlined and intuitive.
Automation lanes displayed directly over events
Audio and MIDI automation overlays would reduce vertical screen usage and massively improve workflow clarity in large projects and orchestral templates.
Score Editor UI/UX aligned with Dorico’s Write Mode
Not only visually, but philosophically and functionally:
shared workflow logic
shared editing behavior
similar interaction paradigms
consistent shortcuts and tools
Users should not feel like they are learning two completely different notation environments inside the same ecosystem.
Dorico Flows inside Cubase
This could fundamentally improve organization for film scoring, game music, concert works and long-form composition projects.
Dorico Playback Templates integrated into Cubase
Playback Templates are one of the smartest systems Steinberg has developed in recent years and could become the foundation of a next-generation orchestral workflow inside Cubase.
Native Dorico Playing Techniques inside Cubase
Musical intention should gradually become the primary control language instead of relying entirely on low-level MIDI articulation management.
Full unification of Dorico and Cubase Expression/Percussion Maps
Shared architecture and shared libraries between both applications would create a far more coherent professional ecosystem.
What makes this vision exciting is that these are not disconnected ideas.
They all point toward the same direction:
Cubase evolving into a truly unified high-end composition and production platform.
And honestly, Steinberg is uniquely positioned to achieve this in a way no other DAW ecosystem currently can.
Even though I am not against it, I would be cautious with this one.
I would not want to see “all automation lanes” on top. Perhaps the first automation lane, yes. And if this kind of thing is implemented, give the users the ability to choose it or not.
The reason is simply many of my tracks have up to ten various automation lanes per track, that’d be a mess all on top of the audio. But the first one vertically appearing there, why not, eg the volume. With an option in the menu to let it be there or not.
I won’t comment on the rest as I do not use Dorico or any notation features, I produce with MIDI and audio directly in the arrange window. Different users, different needs !
Group tracks should be “disable-ready”; why can´t they simpy be disabled?
when i cut a track the CCs are splitted, but Expression Map Articulations (direction) are not! That would be helpful
we need “enter CC” in the key commands menu; would make it so more easy to assign buttons from Metagrid or whatever you use
Project & Logical Editor need to be more powerful and flexible, so we can (at least and for instance)
→ change track output
→ select notes at the beginning of a line (so: has no overlap at start, but at end)
→ same for middle-line notes and endings
This is of course a step further: with AI enabling all of us to write scripts it´s really a pity we can´t enter them somewhere to enable complex macros or custom commands. This could be an extended (Project) Logical Edit feature or something new i guess.
The point about the new score editor in cubase moving towards Dorico integration but still feels like you are learning new software - everythinng is layed out differently to Dorico - this needs further addressing and Cubase/Nuendo 15 added no further shifts in that direction.
For game composers and music producers writing strings for songs for instance - the ability to play back an audio mix or live sync’d audio of the song against the strings you are writing in Dorico is a really important thing thats missing at the moment. ReWire used to allow you to play back Cubase from hitting play on Sibelius. It was clunky and imperfect but worked. Theres no current way to sync audio to Dorico score. I hoped that the new integration of Dorico in Cubase would get us around this - but the current integration in the Score editor is not enough.
The idea I’m pointing about the ability to open Automation Lanes directly over the Track Event isn’t something new, it’s Pro Tools inspired. This is one of the possibilities of Pro Tools that I really like, alongside the BeatDetective.
On a single Track Event you are able to invoke only single Automation Lane that you could keep, or hide.
Pro Tools offers the ability to open any automation you need directly over the Clip/Event, or if you need multiple automations opened, the one could be over the Clip/Event Track and the rest below. Currently in Cubase we are having only the Event Volume Envelope, that could be edited, but we cannot open Track Volume, Panner, or Plug-in Automations directly. They all are accessible only in Lanes below the track Event.
Check out the video below:
To me Dorico became the main composing tool when it comes to working with virtual instruments as it allows me to shape the sound of the instruments in a musical way. In the workflow of mine the Key Editor became a secondary tool where I’m doing just corrections to the note duration, or Velocity, or CCs.
I agree with you! There should be real-time synchronization between Dorico and Cubase/Nuendo. This would be a game changer! I have asked about it many times since the release of Dorico 3.1, but finally I came to another idea inspired by Affinity 3, by Canva (check point 3 in the following thread of mine).
Unfortunately I don’t expect the real-time Cubase/Nuendo ↔ Dorico synchronization to happen before Cubase/Nuendo 18.
no - because for monitoring its much more approximate to how humans hear. Humans don’t hear peaks.
Peak is really a holdout from the bad old days when we were recording at 8bit or lower resolutions. It was pretty important back then. Not so much now.
Plugin Rack: something like Waves StudioRack, with ability to split plugins into L/R, M/S and Multiband/Parallel split.
All sections from Inspector available in Channel Tab: on a 4K screen having both Inspector and Channel tabs is a waste of screen estate (lot’s of empty space in the Channel Tab)
Renaming CC Parameters per track: it’s a tragic to have 10 automations, all named CC17, CC60, CC47… - Notepad is necessary to keep track of what is what
Seamless Loop Export (for us, game audio folks)
Unlimited Groups: now, with Group Folders it’s kinda necessary
Mono Sequencer: Add Glide and Accent for easy 303 sequencing
Renaming Plugins (nice to have, not crucial)
UI that is pleasant for the eye! Especially Mixer (Bye, bye ancient Flat Design 1.0)
Modulators on MIDI Channels (Yes Steinberg, I have external synths that could benefit from that)
Fixed VCA Faders
Groove Agent files saved within a project
Hard Clipper (Effect): with threshold parameter: to cut peaks, not to boost volume
Frequency 3: with modern GUI like FabFIlter or ToneBoosters EQ Pro + more filters. Shelves are especially limited in Frequency 2
Gate plugin: with threshold lower than 60dB (synths have noise below that and its nice to hear full reverb tail).
My list is longer than usual But only two are on the grander side (Plugin Rack and Frequency 3). Mostly UX improvements, pleeeeeeaaaaase
In support and addition to the @noise post I would mention the following… When we go to a restaurant we choose from the menu by eyes (in case there are pictures of the dishes).
If the dish looks tasty this is 60% of our overall perception which will make our brain to accept it as delicious.
The same is valid for the DAWs UI. Many times I mentioned UAD Luna, Harrison Mixbus and Cakewalk as a good example how DAW should look like. My favorite here is Luna… it truly makes you feel in an Analogue Environment. There are nice looking VU meters, and everything else looks analogue. The Analogue environment that Luna offers could be very helpful for those who are starting their journey in the music production. In case they need to work with hardware mix console, everything will look very familiar.
I would be very happy if UI/UX-wise Cubase/Nuendo take the Analogue approach.
Cubase dates back when the computers weren’t that powerful to support rendering of a realistic Analogue looking graphics, but nowadays this won’t even be “noticed” by the CPUs and the GPUs. Functionally Cubase & Nuendo are among the most powerful DAWs, just UI-wise they look more like software for Aviation and NASA, than for music production.
What I dont need from the core DAW development is more new plugins. There are literally thousands of them out there to add already. Perfect the Core DAW with Steinberg resources instead.
I’m also fairly tired of GUI changes. I can live with the GUI look and feel as it is for the next 4-5 versions if the devlopment effort can be given to core functionality.
Just opinions here and Cubase means different things to different people. I imagine a lot of decisions are made on the basis of keeping the different user bases happy.
I record a lot of live instruments, bands, ensembles and mix with it. Not so much electronic music.
What is it about the UI? What other UI do feel look better at the moment?
Cubase 12 Also Luna, eventually. All the others are also Flat without visual hierarchy. Cubase at least still has colours and doesn’t emulate black & white crt screens like eg. Live
For me lack of visual hierarchy is the biggest problem. I got used to it but still, I don’t like poor looking UI’s, even that I have to look at game engines for lots of time
The possibility to save templates without the data and also without having to resort to workarounds,
…and maybe “partial” templates, like for instance if I have an album to mix and I mix my drums in the first song, being able to import only the mix settings of the drums to the other projects (other songs) quickly and efficiently (not one by one with track presets for example)
A solution for the accidental creation of automation points/selection of automation tracks when selecting multiple tracks at once ---- and faders returning to their previous position when undoing
The possibility to “update” a custom plugin collection when installing new plugins instead of having to drag them manually from the list
The addition of a select all mono/stereo tracks in the Logical editor (plugins like Waves NLS have both Mono/Stereo instances and can’t be added quickly to all tracks other than selecting them manually)
As far as AI is concerned, using it to program the logical editor to do things you’d like without having to “code” them manually, like for instance, "I want to be able to select all mono tracks in my project by pressing X key + Z key)
I would also like to have the focus follow the mouse because that’s super annoying when using two monitors
I would love to have the input metering besides the fader along with the output (so two meters) instead of having it on top which takes valuable screen space for nothing. It would be very useful for the gain staging in group tracks.
Having the buffer size option in the toolbar instead of having to go through the menus
Since we’re dealing with a computer and not a console, maybe a little function to monitor FX channels “wet” signal only with a single click without having to select “pre fader sends” on tracks, or using the control room or whatever other workaround
Especially Mixer (Bye, bye ancient Flat Design 1.0)
But only two are on the grander side (Plugin Rack and Frequency 3). Mostly UX improvements, pleeeeeeaaaaase 
