New PC system... and 4k/scaling snag... is 50-55in really effective?

Steinberg Lounge
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I’m helping spec a new Win10 PC/Cubase system for a friend (I know very little about Cubase), who composes large classical pieces on piano/Sibelius. He used Cubase at University (some years ago), and likes the look of it now vs other DAW’s he’s investigated, and because of the impressive sound quality of these Orchestral instruments nowadays, he want’s to try and bring his compositions to life… as it’s next to impossible to get anyone to play them… and he is also interested in trying his hand at composing small commercial pieces to supplement his teaching income.

As a base system PC to get him started, he’s getting a HP Z2 workstation with i9 processor, 128gb ram, and 2T of fast PCI SSD storage (waiting for it to arrive). I had considered getting him 2 x 32in 4K monitors… as a start… but when researching this I hit an unexpected snag that Cubase Hi-def setting will only scale at 100% and 200%, and nothing in between… which has caught me out. (two standard monitors provide too little space)

I use graphics programs a lot in my own work, and I have experienced lots of 4k scaling problems with my existing software, when I saw that Cubase had proper 4k support, I thought I was home and dry, then stumbled across the lack of scaling… which has presented me with a headache. 100% scaling on a 4k 32in is uncomfortably small (200% obviously doesn’t work).

I can see some people on here, and other forums seem to be experimenting with 50-55in 4k TV’s… it’s difficult to be certain about the screen position from where my friend will be sitting, as he hasn’t yet sorted out how he will set up his work environment with keyboard etc… But we have to start somewhere…

I did a bit of screen scaling testing last night, and it does seem a 55" 4K screen set towards the back of a large desk (providing more desk space between the operator, and the screen for say… keyboard/mouse/audio-digital hardware in front of it), would give about right scaling/size on screen, to comfortably display Cubase in 4k @ 100% scaling.

Just a bit concerned about getting this right… wouldn’t have a problem if Cubase scaled between 100 and 200%… as he could just alter to fit his needs, but the lack of adjustment means we have to get this right… first time… and to me… having a 55 inch screen on your desk is odd… even bizarre… and it seems weird ordering it… but I can’t see a better solution.

For those who have experimented with using a large 50-55" 4k screen in Cubase at 100%… are there any pitfalls I’m missing?

Any other advice about the system… also gratefully accepted… :slight_smile:

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a dual screen system would be better in my opinion
it’s eassier to handle the windows
I always have two windows open at a time, project window and mixer window
and a good start would be to use two 27" displays with 2560x1440 good compromise on size and resolution with good readability

and btw Cubase uses the scaling of the OS
I tried a 4k display (27") last year and decided not to use it and to get an Ultrawide instead since I already had a 29" Ultrawide
so my Studio setup is a 34" for projects and the 29" for the mixer
and in the office I use two 27" with QHD
and btw it is easy nowadays to add a third 27" or a 34" ultrawide in the middle :wink:

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Thanks very much for the reply. I did initially want two screens… and I reckon he will want the large 4k 55in screen I’m looking at, plus another one or two screens on each side, as he picks up Cubase again, and makes decisions about what is best for him.

I did look at non-standard sized screen ratio’s like the ultrawide, but ruled them out

I’m confused about the part where you said PC/Cubase uses the scaling of the Windows OS for 4k screens… as I found a Steinberg FAQ page stating they don’t support scaling other than 100% or 200%…???

I found lots of discussion about this on here, and this other forum in March…

So I just assumed the problem was still current… as it’s still in Steinburg’s FAQ. It was this thread (above) where the composer Nathan Furst popped up in March this year, and said he had solved the scaling problem by using a 50" 4K TV @ 100%, and claimed that for him, it had proven to be a fantastic solution for Cubase’s lack of scaling.

I then found a few more threads discussing the same 50-55" 4K solution… and one mentioned Phillips bringing out a Monitor (rather than a TV), with a Displayport and 120hz refresh…

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/55-philips-558m1ry-4k-hdr-monitor-freesync-premium-pro-120hz-3840x2160-4ms-dp-hdmi

So this is the screen I was looking at, and my friend can add his own additional monitors in his own time as he feels the need.