I’m officially depressed. I used to be hooked on Groove Agent 5, but Groove Agent 6 is a disaster. I can’t route the MIDI channels, the patterns from different kits play together, it’s too complicated and not very intuitive, Cubase 15 has added more instruments, but it’s become too complicated and not very intuitive, not to mention the repeated crashes and bugs I’ve encountered—which I can’t report to Steinberg because I don’t know which channels to use. I’m seriously considering switching to Ableton Live.
The problem is that it’s too complicated to explain in words; I’d have to make videos, and even then it would still be hard to explain the issue. I want to make music, not waste hours and days trying to fix problems that I don’t even know if they’re bugs or if the software is just that complicated. I produced a lot of tracks with Cubase 14, but with Cubase 15 and Groove Agent 6, I can’t create anything anymore.
I’ll tell you something I probably shouldn’t: I take four hours of online lessons a month with a Steinberg-certified Italian instructor, using Cubase 15 and Groove Agent 6. We’ve wasted a lot of time trying to figure out how certain things work—even he couldn’t tell if they were bugs or new features. He’d jot down all these glitches and email them to Oscar, but he rarely got a response. The point is that with Cubase 14, I rarely got stuck on any issues—the workflow was smooth, and creativity just flowed. Now, unfortunately, I often get stuck on problems I can’t solve, and this stifles my creativity and causes a lot of frustration. Making videos, taking screenshots, and documenting all the issues isn’t what I want to do
Sorry to say, but…. Change the instructor. As @st10ss says, the workflow and usage is not that different, like it is a different software. That is absurd.
Never mind, I probably can’t explain my point of view or how I feel. I’ll say it again: I don’t want to waste time creating videos, screenshots, and other documentation of the issues I’m encountering in Cubase 15. Thanks anyway.
To let Steinberg know that there’s no point in having the most powerful product in the world if it doesn’t work and is too difficult to use…
But I also have a proposal: create an AI integrated into Cubase that doesn’t create music but acts as a built-in tutor with all the manuals inside, explaining to users who encounter problems, don’t know how to proceed, or aren’t familiar with certain features, in real time how to proceed when they have questions. That’s more or less what I’m doing now with ChatGPT, which solves many of my problems in real time, but since it’s a generic AI, it’s limited. Akai already has something similar on its website.
I’m glad for you if this discussion makes you laugh—at least something positive came out of it. What doesn’t make sense to you makes sense to others. The world doesn’t revolve around you. We aren’t all professionals working in recording studios who are familiar with all this software; many of us produce music as a hobby and do it in the few hours we have left after our regular jobs. Having to waste those few hours troubleshooting isn’t what I want. I hope this perspective is clearer to you now.
Cubase is not for click and play purposes, it is a professional product and if you expect it to work exactly as you specifically want it, then it is not the right product.
You have to learn it, you have to invest time, you have to understand the way it works.
Your claim that it doesn’t work and is too complicated to use is complete nonsense. If it doesn’t work, then why are thousands of Cubase users able to use it and the majority of them are hobbyists.
For the reasons I’ve already explained and don’t want to repeat, I’ll never post on this forum again, given the lack of empathy shown by you more experienced users—and the rudeness of some who even have the nerve to laugh. You’re definitely right; Cubase probably isn’t for me, and as I mentioned in my initial post, I’ll likely switch to Ableton. Thanks for listening—that’s all from me.
There are many here that would be happy to help (including those that have already answered)
But really, it’s too complicated and both I and my instructor don’t know what we’re doing is not really a fixable problem. Honestly what do you expect in the way of help.
BTW There is a ton of stuff out there on YouTube.
One solution already suggested is carry on using GA5 that you say is fine for you. You already own Cubase 14 and GA 5.
I’m not really getting how moving to a different DAW is going to help you with using GA to be honest. Do you understand Ableton?
Oh and with respect please change your instructor..
My opinion on GA… I used GA up to version 3 and always bought it. It was very easy to use, very inspiring for creating a song or jamming along to. With version 4, that changed. New interface, complicated operation, it took me forever to get a groove going, set variations, or change the sponds. I’m speaking from the perspective of a musician, not a sound engineer. I haven’t touched GA since.
Now, with Nuendo 15, GA6 has arrived. I thought I’d give it another chance. It took me ages to load a drum kit. Then I wanted to synchronize a groove with the song tempo and have it play along. If I remember correctly, there were three(!) play buttons on the plugin interface at once. Which one was I supposed to press? After 10 minutes, I gave up in frustration and reloaded Addicted Drums… Yes, if you really put in the effort, you can certainly figure it out. But if I take a break, go on vacation, or simply don’t need drums, I end up sitting there like a fool, wondering, “How did that work again?”
In short: GA has become too unintuitive (for me personally), and I no longer use it.
What I don’t understand: If Cubase 14 and Groove Agent 5 worked well for you, why don’t you go back to this combo? De-install C15 and GA6 and install C14 and GA5 again.
Why would you rather spend money on purchasing another DAW?
