I have been a Pro Tools users for over 20 years. I flirted with Logic for a year or so, but always went back to PT. I’m on Mac, and after being assured Cubase worked fine on Mac, I tried the demo out about a year ago.
After using it a little here and there on VERY simple projects at first (while I worked in PT for paying clients etc), I finally started doing small projects in Cubase completely about 6 months ago. Then gradually used it on larger projects…I have not used PT in all that time, unless I needed to pull up an old session.
I cannot for the life of me figure out why everyone is not using Cubase. This is got to be the most elegant, full featured DAW…at least for what I do (traditional orchestral music, modern pop, country, etc) that I can imagine. Being able to make macros, have Expression Maps, plus look at a gorgeous interface all day…well, it’s the best I’ve worked with. I know hardcore users will have a million gripes or fixes they’d like, but from where I’m sitting, this is one great DAW. Just thought I’d chime in…
I agree. I have to use ProTools at various stages of my recording process and it drives me nuts. I came to the hasty conclusion years ago that PT was a replacement for the multitracks I once recorded on; and for that it was much more flexible. Lossless bouncing! It’s a stable DAW and has some good features, like importing into templates. But it’s just not creative to me. It doesn’t have the same sense of “anything can happen” that I try to retain in my music. I described it recently as the MS Word of DAWs. Cubase to me is more like Photoshop and Illustrator combined.
hehe well, I don’t think the choice of DAW should be the benchmark for when there is something wrong with people
some years ago I was desperate to change DAW from Cubase. I don’t know why? Just like you, I was forced to work on Pro Tools for clients and I hated it.
I tested a lot of the others. Studio One, Ableton Live, Fruity Loops and Reaper. After a short while, I was back to my favorite - Cubase
Conversely, I’ve been using Cubase for years and I’m enjoying Ableton this year - because Ableton feels tight and focused on electronic sound-design and production. Cubase is awesome for traditional “lots of recorded tracks + lots of orchestral Kontakt instances” workflow, but it doesn’t let me create feedback loops in audio routing (which I love to do). Ableton’s rack-creation features are flat-out awesome too, turning the DAW as a whole into almost a modular synthesizer-style system. Its features and plugins seem to have this “small, simple, interconnectable units” feel to them that I like more and more. And the options for saving ideas/clips for future use are fantastic too. Oh, and being able to modulate most DAW parameters from (Max4Live) LFOs is amazing - something you can do in Ableton, Bitwig, FL Studio and Reaper (I think) but not Cubase.
So yeh, Ableton: maybe a more narrow feature set, but tighter and more focused; Cubase, rangey traditionalist feature set, corresponding annoying gaps when it comes to more electronic and experimental workflows.
Keep some perspective especially coming from PT. Cubase is a complete production environment while PT is more about basic recording mixing. Guess what…I read where PT just got folders! Cubase has more features than any other DAW I know of. If you want to spend time with lots of configuring, maybe Reaper. I don’t see Cubase and PT as totally comparable like I would Cubase and Logic, DP, or whatever Sonar is today.
Why everyone is not using Cubase is why everyone isn’t driving a Cadillac. Some can only afford a Ford. Others want a Range Rover. Different cars for different drivers.
1. Half baked features that are NEVER finished ( VariAudio, DOP, ARA, AudioAlignment etc)
Agreed. Some get finished eventually. Keep the pressure on, an don’t give up if it’s a common feature. 2. Re design of GUI and moving things for no reason every update it seems ( requires re learning)
You mean like the transport bar GUI? 3. Bugs that NEVER get fixed. So you buy the next version with that promise and it does not happen
You mean like ARA? I think most do eventually get fixed depending on importance and amount of resources needed for the fix. 4. New version is ALWAYS a BETA TEST for users ALWAYS
Any new DAW version is IMO always a beta test for users who buy the new update, especially on release day. I think bugs depend on the depth of the DAW, and Cubase is feature-rich. Also I think there is a good percentage of users who don’t experience any issues depending on a host of variables. 5. Crashes and plugin incompatibility which is ALWAYS blamed on the plugin vender. Apparently Steinbergs Plugin Sentinel does not work well??
Disagree. In beta testing I have found 3rd party incompatibilities. Occasionally it’s Cubase, but most times it has been the vendor. 6. Settings always getting messed up or not saved. Steinberg has a problem with preferences always getting jacked up.
Agreed. Is the User Interlace Custom Colors saving and loading preferences working properly yet?
You have a DAW budget, and using consumer research, you attempt to maximize your rental income and pay the mortgage to Yamaha. IMO, this DAW is like an old house that has continually been remodeled, however there is still some outdated stuff, and some stuff has never worked right. Hopefully residents don’t mind the old orange shag carpet, outdated electrical code that supplies current to the newly installed Jacuzzi, or a light switch that has never turned on in the basement closet. However for some, or even most residents, this house is better than any other house, including that newer one down the street, that seems to be missing a few things.
Yes I will say that almost any new DAW release is more a less a public BETA. I know that programs get released with KNOWN bugs because marketing has a deadline and unless there is a STOP SHIP bug reported plans are to “address later.” I know this from own BETA testing experience with one of the DAWS mentioned in this thread. One time I asked “Why wasn’t (fill in feature) added to this release?” And the answer was, “It was planned, but we ran out of time. Maybe sometime in the future” …and it was a pretty big feature. Would have been a huge help to any user, composer or just audio only types.
Yes PT just got folder tracks, after requests began probably five or six years ago. That’s how fast they move. All things video related are the priority with PT, composers take a definite back seat.
And yes plug ins do wreak havoc. I was cursing Cubase out a month or so ago, because every time I instantiated a particular VI, it crashed. Finally wrote developer…he said “Hey, let me send you a link to a new BETA …” and it solved the crashing immediately. He said "Sometimes Cubase can be hard to write for " or words to that effect.
I do think the Cubase house is the best I’ve been in though, and am quite happy!
Can you explain the purpose of the PLUG IN SENTINEL to me please? My understanding that this little gate keeper Steinberg was pimpin was supposed to CATCH any plugins that didn’t meet its speck and blacklist them?
Apparently this isn’t happening as this gate keeper is not restrictive enough.
I think it is complete BS to blame the plugin vender when they are given the parameters by Steinberg and this sentinel is supposed to catch when things are wrong.
Maybe Im been naive here but what is the point if it doesn’t blacklist the plugin for NOT being up to code?
Sanboxing is needed here IMO. Crappy coding
On that note when a plugin CRASHES Cubase why does the crash log want to be sent to Apple who doesn’t care? Shouldn’t they all be sent to Steinberg to FIX things? Just asking. Should say send log to Steinberg
The Beta Testers need to up their game as this last release was a complete hose job and the worst release Ive seen since SX2 days
I can’t explain it any further than you or anyone else. And yes, I think to catch plugs that don’t meet specifications. However from reading posts, I always get the impression the gatekeeper is being too restrictive, yet you say it isn’t restrictive enough. I have read many times of plugs that should pass that for unknown reasons don’t pass.
The beta testers game is pretty “up.” I will assure you Rhino is right. There is always room for more beta testers if you feel you can make a real difference.
Steinberg tends to put more features into releases than competitors. But those features tend to be incomplete or poorly designed. So while you’ll find a lot of features in Cubase, they are often frustratingly crippled. Mixer snapshots anyone? Oh, did you expect to be able to horizontally scroll the lower pane mix console? Don’t get me started with the sorry state of external fx. Whatever you do, do not touch your mousewheel while your mouse is hovering over the mix console. Anybody who has ever worked with Generic Remote will have a horror story to tell about lost work. Sampler tracks…a nice feature that unfortunately isn’t yet ready to be released.
ProTools (and Logic and DP, etc.) may not have as long a list of features, but the features they do have tend to have more thought put into them before they are released to the public.
If this were TRUE we wouldn’t find show stoppers in the first 30 min of a new half baked release. WTH are the beta guys actually testing? Im not interested in helping Steinbug fix its crappy programming here. That is what we PAY for bro.
The Plugin sentinel is merely intended to determine if a plugin meets the minimum specification requirements for VST. It is not intended to detect if the plugin will work properly when used.
Yes, crashes are often due to flaws in plugins, not Cubase. Sandboxing can help avoid Cubase crashing, but limiting the crash to the sandboxed process often is just as inconvenient as the host app crashing. In any case, there are a number of downsides to process sandboxing, which is why it isn’t universally used.
The crash log handler is written by Apple, not Steinberg, so they are in no position to know who to forward the log to. If you do choose to send it to Apple, it will generally be investigated by someone, if only to determine if there was a problem that is Apple’s fault.
I have been a Cubase user since Cubase SX and it is my main DAW. Last year I bought PT license mainly to open up some projects made in another studio. I do not know PT much at all. I’m taking some time to learn it at least enough to do basic things with it. Knowing PT can’t hurt even if it is not your main software that you use.
Because there are DAWs like Logic and Reaper that do more and better for much less cost, and:
Don’t cost $50 for half version upgrade.
Affordable for new users and current users.
Don’t have preferences corrupting.
Preset browser not lagging.
Have well designed GUI and layout.
Cubase has a lots of features that in reality are barely working (like audio alignment).
Cubase can’t even import .m4a audio files…
Can’t stack multiple vst instruments.
I don’t even know why I’m still using cubase, probably because I’m slow on learning new DAWs
Cubase has more features than any other DAW I know of. If you want to spend time with lots of configuring, maybe Reaper. I don’t see Cubase and PT as totally comparable like I would Cubase and Logic, DP, or whatever Sonar is today.