Is yer music sounding/workflo better than 4 years ago?

For me its a yes, but I think its my evolution as an engineer more than the tools improving. That said, if one plays along with the upgrade game, each time, there is more learning to be done, which in some ways is detrimental to getting real work done. I doubt most anyone uses all the features, but having such diversity caters to many buyers, that’s marketing 101.

When listening to the pre-DAW stuff I did in the 80’s there is a really big difference. We’ve come a long way since then.

Good question.

I suppose you have to define workflow. For myself this person represents the direction I wish Cubase workflow would go:

( he has lots of other videos all very impressive if you value finishing a song)

But the problem is Cubase is still dominated by casual users because that is where the money is. Yes, you could even say PT is too, but they hang their hat on the fact that people with success (pros) don’t change their tools unless there is a good reason. Adding bedroom beating features or a VST isn’t going to alter that. Being able to send a the PT format to any other professional studio with consistent reliability makes it for what it has become.

Lets take Sychophants love of circle of 5ths and chord editing. That is nothing an engineer would want, but perhaps a composer would want it. But how many composers will use it? Most composers I know have a formal music education background or have learned on their own through their lifetime. For myself it’s interesting, maybe helpful and inspiring, but ultimately I see it as a distraction. Does it take me toward my goal of a finished professional track quicker? No. It distracts me from my goal…just like trying to learn hundreds of other software applications if I’m not self-disciplined. This is a huge distinction I have seen between hobbyists and every-day users who have goals and deadlines. There is a trade-off between knowing your tool and using it for maximum benefit.

In my project studio I have 4 video monitors, 3 of them dedicated to the mix console, and one for the project page. I use 4 MOTU Timepiece AV’s for a total of 32 MIDI in/outs for lots of hardware synths etc. I use a QconPro and try to exploit key commands, micros, and the logic editor as much as possible.

So what hinders my own workflow compared to Cubase 6?

There has never been a KC to close the History Window. As a matter of fact with C8 you can’t even use up/down arrows any longer. You have to use the mouse. That is a huge regression!

How about clicking and holding for a different response on a few functions? That wastes time. Mouse hovering…that wastes enormous time especially if a KC is not available for it! Again, its about core functions and workflow for me.

Simple things IMO that should have been addressed WAY before Cubase 6. How about mixer volume undo’s? Thats a huge void that would greatly help workflow and is available in many other DAWs. Drum editor improvements so the user can delete tracks, and move multiple tracks up/down is still missing. I spend way too much time customizing the drum editor after opening a drum map.

I do think C8 represents a shift for the better based on their new features because bounding/rendering and VCA’s can definitely help workflow. Midi tempo detection is another DAW core function that can help workflow from a composition standpoint.

All these things that some will say I complain about, add up. It adds up to more unnecessary clicking and moving a mouse over 4 video monitors.

Engineering and tools have definitely improved with more learning with each upgrade. But getting the work done, not very much. I think my songs from the Atari age are better songs.

Tanx soooo much guys for the additional comments, POV’s and approaches.

Perhaps in another two years I will re-visit this topic
just to note (Bb :slight_smile: ) any new/different changes.

A major Mahalo to all who responded.

Good Luck!
{‘-’}

More money = more resources for software and driver development.

Lets take Sycophant’s love of circle of 5ths and chord editing. That is nothing an engineer would want, but perhaps a composer would want it. But how many composers will use it? Most composers I know have a formal music education background or have learned on their own through their lifetime. For myself it’s interesting, maybe helpful and inspiring, but ultimately I see it as a distraction. Does it take me toward my goal of a finished professional track quicker? No. It distracts me from my goal…just like trying to learn hundreds of other software applications if I’m not self-disciplined. This is a huge distinction I have seen between hobbyists and every-day users who have goals and deadlines.

Hobbyist or not, if it makes chord suggestions you can actually hear, then no amount of theory will help with something that plain sounds wrong and for any composer (just as an engineer or producer) worth their salt, what you hear in the end is all that matters.

So what hinders my own workflow compared to Cubase 6?

There has never been a KC to close the History Window. As a matter of fact with C8 you can’t even use up/down arrows any longer. You have to use the mouse. That is a huge regression!

How about clicking and holding for a different response on a few functions? That wastes time. Mouse hovering… that wastes enormous time especially if a KC is not available for it! Again, its about core functions and workflow for me.

Simple things IMO that should have been addressed WAY before Cubase 6. How about mixer volume undo’s? Thats a huge void that would greatly help workflow and is available in many other DAWs.

Cubase 6 is a supported program version on supported platforms.

Drum editor improvements so the user can delete tracks, and move multiple tracks up/down is still missing. I spend way too much time customizing the drum editor after opening a drum map.

Agreed.

I do think C8 represents a shift for the better based on their new features because bounding/rendering and VCA’s can definitely help workflow. Midi tempo detection is another DAW core function that can help workflow from a composition standpoint.

All these things that some will say I complain about, add up. It adds up to more unnecessary clicking and moving a mouse over 4 video monitors.

Engineering and tools have definitely improved with more learning with each upgrade. But getting the work done, not very much.

So would you say then that subsequent versions have shown no path back to past features?

My music has much greater variety of sound and gets created much faster since switching to the iPad three years ago. Suits my hobbyist music to a (T)ed.

If you still sound like crap after 4 years, you may need to do something else. Been there myself where I thought nothing was going right. I just persevered with it for better or for worse. The big improver is listening. Absolutely listen to the best recordings you can. Rip a load of tracks to high end MP3 and listen, listen and listen again. Focus on the instruments. Where they are in the mix, what effects are used, etc. Apply that to your mixes.

Hope that helps :sunglasses:

Then, rip them to WAV and see how much better they sound :smiley:

  • 1.000.000 in terms of workflow with CB8 here.
    Enabling/disabling tracks with the render in place thing is for my template a gamechanger.
    A few niggles are still there, and making the change is a lot of work.
    But my workspace will be divided in a large section with trackpresets that are readily connected with the direct outs and with insert fx’s preloaded at no resource cost at all, and just ready to throw them to the “production” section.
    Very big change for me in terms of efficiency.
    And the loading time of it is just a few seconds for (at the moment) 1000 preconfigured track presets.

Indeed but a high end MP3 does an OK job too :sunglasses:

Yes, but does a back-up of a high-end MP3 file sound as good as the original high-end MP3 file? The digital pundits say there is no difference, but I wonder? :wink:

Is this a MIDI to audio question? :slight_smile:

Thanks for this discussion

But what is high end MP3, 340 kbps, or more or what do you mean,

Or what I would like to find out, is how can we get the best sounding file after mp3 conversion,
Flac is good but not everyone can open that,
Saracon mp3 convertor? But thats to expensive for me. The cubase mp3 conversions looses al the life or transparancy in the sound it should and probably could be better,

Someone has a good direction for me?

Many thanks

Try LAME…