I tested the C7 demo since a couple of days and I am really shocked. The GUI is so ugly that it’s hard to work with it for me. I really liked the GUI in C5, but the mouse hoover effects on the FX and the shiny, glossy buttons for FX looked really not good. Also the strange metal texture on some backgrounds looks outdated. Also there are almost no control compared to C5 over the GUI colours/brightness.
But the worst for me is are the morphing GUI elements, popping frames (red/white frame around small elements, play around with the channel strip in the channel settings window) buttons positions change when you hoover (move the mouse over an insert in the mixer and look at the on/off button…) them etc. - I looks like overloaded flash website from 2005.
I’m also really annoyed that the play marker (the line which indicated the position) is a white-black-white line.
It really prefer a small black line (which seems not possible anymore), because I use it as a aid line to check the position from important events in in wave forms between different tracks. It’s way harder to see it with the current 3 pixel wide white/black/white line.
What a pity, I think I will have to stay with C5 because of that, it looks to much more modern and timeless. I don’t mind to miss C7, but I am really afraid that this is the new style guide for the future.
C7 provides a massive attack of ‘active’ elements in Mix Console. Very distracting until you learn to ignore it (which takes an share of concentration).
I’ve been thoroughly testing it: it’s usable. My workflow in Cubase 6.5 is like flying, Cubase 7 gave me an impression of wading through water first, after a while I’m at the point where I’m walking through a mix at least. No idea if I can take it further on my side.
Hoping the best, Steinberg makes Cubase an aeroplane again in the 7-lifecycle! Actually there are just a few things that need to be improved or re-implemented to make it really fast again. Some preference options as well as a complete set of keycommands for the mixer, dedicated pre/post + on/off buttons, visibility improvements.
I use C7 with 2 monitors and I have the say that the UI is outstanding in this configuration. I use the mixer in full screen in one monitor. With its zooming, select-able channel display, fader and track colors, it is very easy to use.
I also use C7 on an iMac 27" and it is a beautiful thing at 2560x1440 - Really a work of art .
FYI - been using Cakewalk 1.0 - Sonar X2 Producer for many years and have also have Reaper - so I have lots of experience with other DAWs . I now use C7 and love it — except for the dongle!!!
I second jmx and I can add Logic Pro 9 to the experience list. CB7 on two monitor is just great (better than my girlfriend and she´s quite nice - Don´t tell her btw).
Ok, I can see that the GUI is personal taste, point taken.
But as marQs said, the massive attack of ‘active’ elements is just wrong. Or is there a way to turn it off?
I mean, my must the on/off button be hidden when you don’t hoover with the mouse over an insert? Or worse, why have the FX name change it’s position when you hoover with the mouse over it? That is really distracting.
JCR,
I too went from C5-32 to C7-64 and at first I thought this is quite foreign to me. I forced myself to use it and now when I go back to C5 there is no doubt that C7 is a huge movement forward overall and integrates the look/layout with the Yamaha Nuage hardware. Force yourself to use it and it will become second nature. Two monitors, full screen - three mixers and use the Cntrl+Tab to switch around. You will adapt and adjust.
Same experience with Win 7 to Win 8. Now Win 7 seems kind of archaic. I have a Thinkpad I use for normal computer use (not DAW) with 2 drives. One with Win7 & and the other is Win 8, both with the same programs ie. IE, Office etc. I kept reading peoples complaints about the lack of the start button in Win8 so I even downloaded one of those Win 7 plugins that change Win 8 to be like Win 7. But before even I installed it to just try it I inserted my Win 7 drive after being used to Win 8 and I realized why would I want to go backwards to a less efficient system? Win 8 system tools are superior too.
The little crap people a lot of people whine about with C7 doesn’t really faze me. The colors for instance I’ve never even bothered to try and change because the default is just fine. I imagine one day I’ll want to fool with them but there is too much really great stuff that matters that has me occupied right now.
Move forward or you’ll be left behind and all this software will continue to evolve for the better…
Hey Will,
I did the same look back at 6.5 last night for a comparison and it was clear that I couldn’t go back now. The layout in C7 is superior. It takes a bit to get it set up but once your done its gold!
But another thing which really annoys me is that play marker (the line which indicated the position) is flickering. I know this from older Cubase versions, but due to the wider play marker it’s even more annoying.
The only cure I know it to disable aero in Win7, but I don’t want to miss the new taskbar with it’s window preview.
Anybody know if it’s still the same with win8?
I am not sure what you mean about flickering. I don’t think Win 8 even has Aero. What good is it anyway? Just an eye candy phase software went through. I got over it a long time ago with Win 7. Turned it off and forgot about it.
I think this is very good and exact description. I think general modern design moves towards visual simplicity. If too much is going on, it gets distracting and hard to focus. I’m having hard time using mixer, my eyes just go criss-cross, it is hard to follow which channel I’m on and which button is which. With new mixer I find myself much more often opening Channel Settings window instead , it is much more ergonomic and easy on the eyes. I just wish both channel strip and EQ could be made visible at the same time in Channel Settings view.
I feel that future will move towards format that digital consoles have, meaning “see what you touch”. Faders, meters and pan needs to be seen all the time, but everything else can show only when you work on a specific channel.
I would be quite happy if Cubase mixer would have option to always show faders, meters and pan, and all screen space above that could be set to show all controls for selected channel, all laid out on one panel (all controls meaning entire channel strip and EQ at the same time, all sends and cues, possibly even all insert VSTs in a minimized version, like VST icon, so you can immediately graphically see which VST is loaded, and clicking on VST icon would open full VST editor).
I don’t mind to miss C7, but I am really afraid that this is the new style guide for the future.