Does Cubase have a feature like Logic’s Touch Tracks (Step Designer is kind of limited)? Also I’d like to sequence on Cubase like on Live arranging and triggering parts live while recording the arrangement on the go. Is that possible? I like Cubase otherwise as a DAW but it seems little bit lacking in workflow getting in the way of your creativity. Cubase looks like a product of German engineering - great product with a lots of technology built in but only for engineers - not for musicians. Is Steinberg going to do anything for that? I’d like to continue using only single application though Ableton AG Live (from the same country I guess, perhaps representive the German philosophy this time) looks attractive.
Well, if you’re the kind of musician that can’t work Cubase get those other excellent programs that work for you.
It’s excellent for musicans that know what they’re doing already but maybe not so for a student just starting out.
It’s not exactly written for beginners.
I can work with Cubase, been doing so from Cubase VST 3 if my memory serves. I’ve got Cubase 5 (latest), and for an example when I start a new project I come to Project Assistant window. There are selections for Recording (audio I guess), Scoring, Production and Mastering, but I just wanted to start composing something (without scores of course) from scratch, which one should I logically select? I’m not (yet) producing anything so for an example the Production is not for me. Anyway, I guess I have to study more. The Arranger (Editor) works somehow, though it can’t be controlled using any Monome type controller interface.
You have no manual? Every couple of versions I have to read it too. It’s not too different from VST3 but the manual helps you to get to know what’s the same and what’s different. So you know that what you’re looking at is what you think it is. There’s also a lot to ignore if you don’t need it. The manual will help you know what they are.
Well I think the first Cubase I had was Cubase Audio 3.0 XT (some history: Steinberg Cubase - Wikipedia ). There aren’t many features left from that one.
For a live situation it would be nice to call arranger events with your midi keyboard but from a composers point of view, i don’t see any added value.
Creating an arranger chain and rearranging it’s order to experiment with your song, is just as fast as calling it from a midi keyboard in real time.
As for using it in a live situation we might have to open a new topic with a title like “Using Cubase as a live sampler”.
For this purpose you might wanna take a look at LoopMash.
Logic’s Touch Tracks are very buggy and only for Midi. Touch Tracks cannot trigger audio.
In Cubase we have the wonderful ArrangerTrack - I hope for Improvements like realtime start and changing Arranger Parts from Keyboard per Midi-trigger (!) e.g. (Steinberg´s Sequel has already this feature!)
erm…what do you mean with that?
I´m a musician (!) but I HATE such toyish live-triggered-loopedy-loop-Pattern-OnKlick-song´s ready-features, like some would-like mouseclick DJ´s use. Sorry…
Cubase is perfekt für real musicians and midi-composers - whether they produce electronic music or rock or jazz or orchestral scores or…(e.g.) Learn the software that you use, there are many hidden features.
Otherwise check the other DAW competition. All a matter of taste.