Feature Requests & Audio Workflow Improvements for Cubase 16

Cubase
1

Dear Steinberg Team,

As a long-time user, I love Cubase’s powerful audio engine, but there are critical user experience and performance issues that slow down modern beat-making and production. I would like to request the following vital improvements for Cubase 16:

  1. MediaBay Audio Preview Latency & Direct Timeline Placement: When browsing and previewing audio files in the MediaBay, there is a noticeable half-second delay upon clicking, and double-clicking automatically sends the file to the timeline. We need an instant, zero-latency preview system. Furthermore, placing audio elements (like a kick sample) onto the arrangement needs a streamlined workflow similar to FL Studio: once an audio file is selected from MediaBay, clicking on an empty spot on the timeline should instantly stamp/paste that audio sample right there, eliminating clunky workarounds like manually holding down the Alt key for duplication.

  2. UI Performance and High Refresh Rate (FPS) Optimization: While the audio engine is solid, the graphical performance—especially during playback, waveform rendering, and cursor movement—feels sluggish, resembling a low frame rate (around 30 FPS). Modern DAW interfaces (like Studio One, which feels incredibly smooth at 120 FPS during recording and playback) need to be matched. A buttery-smooth, optimized UI with proper high-refresh-rate monitor support is essential.

Thank you for listening to the user community and continuing to improve Cubase.

Best regards,

2

It’s “instant” for me. What hardware are you using (CPU, audio interface, storage, RAM, OS, etc)? What’s the I/O latency of your audio device?

You can drag audio directly from the MediaBay to the any track and position in the project window. If you double-click in the MediaBay, a new track is created.

What issues are you running into while using Alt to duplicate audio on a track? What’s “clunky” about using a key command? The word workaround implies that there’s an underlying issue–something that’s broken. There isn’t.

Allocating 4x system resources to graphics sounds nice, but I wouldn’t trade audio performance for graphical performance in a DAW.

How is a “buttery-smooth, optimized UI with proper high-refresh-rate monitor support” essential for recording, mixing, or producing music? I really don’t understand how that would improve one’s productivity.

As it is, I don’t experience any issues with waveform rendering or cursor movement on my system. Are your meters sluggish? Your plugin UIs?