I’m so exhausted with the Cubase GUI issues on Mac and the fact that it’s never been as crisp and fast as it is on Windows. So, I’d either like to try Boot Camp on my Mac Pro, or get a far more powerful PC. I would like to know from Mac users who use Boot Camp and Cubase: What has your experience been like?
Also, the thing I really like about Mac is that in my experience it’s extremely stable and reliable system overall (aside from what I’m going through right now with 9.5.21, I’ve never had stability issues with Cubase on my Mac Pro that weren’t plug-in related). I originally switched from Windows to Mac about three years ago because I was exhausted with the issues of Windows that I kept experiencing, even with constant updates to drivers, etc, etc. Do Windows users these days have an extremely dependable and robust system with Cubase? Please be honest – I know from experience that it’s easy to have rose-colored glasses about one’s own system.
I’ve got a PC desktop and a 2016 MacBook Pro. Thus far, I’ve not experienced the sluggish Mac graphics that affect some users. I’ve never used Boot camp.
Like you, I love the no-fuss Mac dependability - at least that’s been my experience. I spent a weekend with friends a few months back with the Mac on for ten hours a day recording through UR824 x 2; never once a problem.
I really don’t like Windows 10 in comparison with MacOs. The almost enforced downloads get on my nerves. The only time I’ve had problems with Cubase 9.5 hanging were on one iteration of Windows 10.
I’m salivating at the thought of the new 6 core i9-based MacBook Pro.
As long as you get a Pro version there’s no enforced downloads.
I have Cubase 9.5 Pro on both Win 7 & 10 systems. Not had a single Cubase 9.5 crash on either since it was released. Don’t actually think I’ve had a crash on Cubase (win) since version 8 (maybe 8.5). A lot more stable than it used to be for me at least (last really crashy version was 6)…
I haven’t even seen Cubase on a Mac for several years so can’t compare.
Mine is a minor point, maybe petty, but it’s about the change in approach/communication that I think Microsoft introduced in Windows 10. I’ve always updated Windows regularly, always had the latest version of Cubase and Windows, and I’ve done the same with MacOs since having the MacBook. Apple still asks you if you want to update, Windows 10 default position is ‘here’s your download’. Windows 10 seems to be wanting to update all sorts of peripheral stuff, including all kinds of notification stuff. I have Windows 10 pro and I don’t like the idea of having to read and learn about how to disable stuff that I think I should be asked to opt in to if I want.
But I agree, generally Windows has been great in terms of stability and usability with Cubase. I just prefer MacOs.
I don’t think it’s a petty point if you’re affected by it, can see it could be very annoying.
But I never have been affected and I don’t recall changing any settings…I may have when I first installed Win 10 but don’t remember doing so. This seems to be mentioned quite a lot against Win 10 so I accept that it is an issue for some just seems strange that it’s not been for me.
As for preferring one OS over the other, unless there are major issues with one’s preferred OS I quite agree. I made the decision a long time ago to go with Windows as I never liked MacOs way back when (and still dislike iOS but regularly use it on iPads)…but am glad there’s still a choice.
I wonder if Win 10 has any advantage over 8.1 for audio use? I’d just get a 8.1 license on ebay for a few bucks and be done with it… It rocks and doesn’t develop a mind of it’s own like 10.
Yes. Have been working with Mac OS for 30 years & also in managing large scale uni deployment. Recently, in the last few years I went back to Windows 10 mostly because of dissatisfaction with Apple’s lack of pro hardware and the capacity to produce 4k film work in particular. Further, Apple has become increasingly underpowered, overpriced and non-expandable /serviceable. In my experience, Win10 has been excellent and in 2018 is very different to what some of us might recall from the ‘old days’ - Win still seems to maintain a bad rap because of that. Most of what is written in this thread about those ‘problems’ in my view is a little uninformed.
But here’s the thing: one does need to take responsibility and learn how to work with that. A little hump, sure, but then becomes largely invisible, comfortable and very fast for the hardware /software combo. In my experience, all Steinberg products have been excellent and reliable on Win10 and as per other threads: very good UI, performance and the rest. I also have installed quite a lot of other apps, DAWs, NLEs because of working with others, PhD supervision etc. The only real dog I’ve found (oddly) is Pro Tools, longer story but suffice it to say that in this case I’d suggest that it runs better under Mac OS.
Many of the gripes here about Win read as uninformed, eg yes I can halt updates with Win 10, no I don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work with DOS prompts or driver installations. Its a modern skeuomorphic platform and generally works very well re. installation, updates, latency, stability. Again: one needs to spend the time to get to know it. On the other hand if something does go wrong (or as in initial lack of user experience where I certainly broke it from time to time) - the user base is enormous and there are nearly always ways to fix things relatively easily. The back-up, restore, roll-back features are far superior to Mac OS as is file-sync, RAID management, external NAS work etc. On Mac OS, if one does have problems, one ends up in Terminal and Unix prompts anyway & which can often simply not work. The standard answer for a buggered Mac is to ‘do a clean install’ which is a real drag re. time spent and sorting out all the licenses if they were owned and installed. Again: actually learn to use Windows & judge for yourself.
A final note about the current state of Apple and someone here salivating about the new i9 MBP 15". That machine truly is a dog and watch the legal space there over the new few months: unlike the re-designed thermals for the iMacPro, Apple went ahead and shoved an i9 in an old chassis which can’t handle it. Even less so though than being able to do turbo boost, it can’t even handle the advertised base clock speeds. Compare that to a Dell XPS at $2k less incl. a real 3 year on-site & accidental damages warranty. For more about the current MBP i9 ‘thermalgate’, eg see:
It was me salivating over the i9 Mb pro. The videos suggest that the i9 has throttling problems in the Dell XPS 15 as well as the Mac. I don’t think the videos suggested the i9 MacBook was a dog. Good to know about the throttling issue though, I’ll wait to see what develop (not that I was thinking of buying anything yet).
That’s not really the point. My experience of the hardware/software combination is generally much slicker and faster in my MacBook. I’m not comparing like with like, but Final Cut Pro X with my 4 core i7 MacBook with older memory runs far better than any software I’ve used on my six core, 4GHZ desktop PC.
I’m quite happy to spend time learning how to tweak - I’ve always built my own PCs before buying my current desktop from SCAN in the UK - but I’m losing the incentive to do so because I like MacOs so much. None of this is meant to knock PCs, I’ve only been able to buy a Mac since my personal circumstances changed, they are hideously expensive. PSs are great. I prefer the software/hardware combination offered by Mac.
The only thing I’d say to this is that I’ve heard many rave over Win 7’s superiority over 10 with Cubase and occasionally vice versa…I use both without issue but I’ve never heard anyone claim 8.1 is the one to go for… It may be fine, nevertheless.
