Hey guys, I am using the trial version of Cubase Elements at the moment and the trial is about to finish so I want to get one of the latest version of Cubase. I am pretty satisfied with what Cubase Elements can do but I want more and better quality vst instruments. Is it worth it to get Cubase Pro for it’s vst instrument? For those who has upgraded from Elements or Artists to Pro, what made you upgrade it?
Cheers
I think it really depends what you expect from a DAW as sophisticated as Cubase 9.5. For me I very rarely use the vsti’s as I have such a lot of third party plugins, most notably UAD. What I value about Cubase 9.5 is what I can do with it by way of recording. If it is vst instruments you want, well the Cubase collection is indeed very good. However the Native Instruments Komplete might be more inspirational to you, indeed it would cost not far off the upgrade from Elements.
For me the range of tasks I take for granted, the techniques I have learn’t, the production skills I have developed would not have happened without Cubase 9.5 Pro or it’s equivalent at the time. Yes there is a lot to learn and it is not a simple program to master but believe me it is a fascinating journey.
So in short my answer is yes it is worth it but perhaps not entirely for the reasons you might expect.
I have pro, but honestly if not for the features you can spend your money better elsewhere when it comes to VSTi"S. Even going with free VSTi’s will get you some nice ones. But in a way your question is to vague. What instruments do you need/like?
I upgraded from Artist a few years ago and also still use Elements when travelling on a Laptop. I don’t regret the upgrade one bit but…
For the extra VST instruments in Pro, no it’s not worth the upgrade (IMHO), there are more and some are better quality but that’s not the main reason I’d ever give to upgrade. My VST instruments other than what comes with Cubase are from Steinberg’s Absolute collection which includes Halion, the Grand and Groove Agent (full version) amongst others. I’m not a very big VST instrument user but do like Halion and Groove Agent. For the cost differential between Pro and Elements you’d be not far off (as suggested above) a the Native Instruments Komplete bundle. This is widely considered the standard in VSTis though it does very much depend on what sort of instruments you’re after.
The things that do make it worth upgrading to Pro for me were Automation, Track Versions, Lanes and comping, Unlimited tracks, track visibility, Render in place and the fuller Audio editing capabilities.
Unless the pricing structure has changed greatly I don’t think you lose anything by starting off with Elements and then upgrading to a higher version if you later think you’ll make use of it.
+1 I agree with the Planarchist. Couldn’t say it better.
…another +1. and to add that VariAudio is a very big reason to upgrade. I honestly use none of the VSTis, and only a handful of effects.
My answer would be no
In short: no, not at all, but there is a but. It is a question of money. With cb you get a lot of «free» instruments that each may cost you as much as cb each to be replaced. Far better sound yes but heavy on your wallet. It may also depend on your style of music. The differencies are more noticable the fewer instruments that plays at the same time and the level of dynamics. If you are into EDM and sqeeze the dynamics, cb can do a decent job.
For just the vsti’s? No, I would not choose pro. But there’s so much more options that would? I all depends on how you use it and what you need. Because I have some external synths and effect units I find the external input options important. Also the control room to route signal to various monitors and cues for me is priceless. Besides these it has many more useful extra’s. But it all depends on your usage? If you just want to record and edit midi and audio on a basic level you’ll be fine with elements. On the other hand. For now you can now go for elements and later always upgrade to pro? That way you can learn to see if you need anything you might miss? But again, just for the vsti’s? Save the money and buy something like Omnisphere 2. You’ll get a lot more vsti power than what comes with pro.
+1