Hi,
Just to notify that the version 8 didn’t solve the Issues with USB 3 external hard drive. I was disapointing with version 7 (but guessing USB 3 was a bit too new maybe to be fixed in this roadmap). Now i’m disapointing with the version 8, white noise spikes are there again 
.
FI, my conf : Windows 8.1, Fireface USB, ASUS ROG GVW46, Western Digital 4 TO Hard drive My Book 1230. And i don’t have same issue with Protools or Reaper using ASIO !
So i won’t migrate again, it’s annoying to have to stay in version 6. 
John.
Just to add infos, fortunatly i’ve make some backup opérations today, i add to use an USB 3 dock station. I’ve testing just for fun the run of Cubase 6 with a 2 TO Western Digital Green Caviar HD, and it’s working perfectly well. I’ve copied the same project, using the same USB port on the same machine, on the My Book Western digital 4 To drive and white spikes are here again.
So, for everyone, the issue is with Cubase and the Hd Controller, not with the drive itself nor the USB port.
If you are using Cubase don’t buy USB 3 external drive from Western digital (My book series) or Seagates (same issues with the Expansion /drive fast series). If you are already stuck, you can buy and use your HD into the following USB 3 dock station :
ICY BOX IB-116StU3-B (-B stand for black i think)
Hope this will help until steinberg correct the USB 3 bugs with some partiular external controller.
I believe I can confirm the above… I copied older projects from my C: to a Seagate Expansion USB 3 drive and there are several tracks that exhibit this problem. When I play them back via by C: drive all is well, not so from the USB 3 drive, which is too bad
Hi
I can confirm the same in cubase 8.5 fresh install - just loaded in an old project with 9 audio tracks and 4 midi and it can’t play all the audio tracks properly - stuttering or just not playing several tracks at all. A song that played fine 15 years ago in cubase vst. Moving the song folder from an external usb3 hard disk to an internal drive and now no problems playing the audio. There seems to be something awry with external disk data.
Hi,
what’s the brand of tour USB 3 hard drive ?
Hi, finding your post was a lifesaver as I spent some hours tearing my hair out loading an old project and then ‘seeing’ it get messed up!
A very recent (bought last month) Western Digital MyBook 6TB which is USB3, not sure actually if it is connected to a USB3 port or USB2 port, running in win7x64. WD are pretty much the major HD brand though so there really shouldn’t be a problem.
I guess the workflow solution is to use an internal SSD for working file directories, and use external HDs as backup/archiving only.
Yep, Cubase have issues with USB 3 hard drive brand :
Seagate (owned by Western Digital)
Western Digital
Other brand…
Let’s see if the list expand or not. Unfortunatly it’s the major brands on the market. I suspect it depend on the micro controller brand used for driving the USB but i won’t open my hard drive to see if it is Texas instrument or other chips which are in cause.
This issue come from Cubase 6 at least,is not new and it’s not fixed in Cubase 8.5, so it’s a well know bug know by Steinberg from 2011 (and i’m pretty sure if i intall Cubase 5, 4,… it will be the same). Why they don’t plan to fix it, i dunno. Maybe its not fixable or they don’t want to update the ASIO protocol.