So is 9.5. worth the update fee?

As mentioned, .5s are upgrades rather than updates, introducing new irresistible features. I like this method as it makes upgrading more affordable to me, especially since each upgrade runs the risk of obsoleting my unsupported system (Mavericks).

That said, 9.5 is the best, smoothest version since Cubase 6 in my eyes. I definitely think it’s worth the upgrade.

I upgraded from Cubase 6 to 9 after a hiatus to Logic X…
Then Cubase 9.5 drops, I missed the grace period by 2 weeks :confused:

Now finally considering upgrading to 9.5 only because they fixed the Hardware FX Latency Compensation bug in 9.5.20 (which apparently no one uses hardware anymore, as this didn’t seem to be a major concern).
But does this now mean I will miss Cubase 10 grace period by 2 weeks?? Ha.

I think the upgrade fee is a little nickel and dime, but whatever. As long as it is the same cost to upgrade to 9.5 then to 10 vs from 9 to 10, I will be fine with it. (my only reason to upgrade will be for additional insert slots)

No matter how fine or excellent the updates are…
I am not happy paying in the same year i brought C9 to pay for updates to C95.
I dislike the update policy of steinberg, it is really bad.

The thing is nobody works for free. Cubase is a huge software to update and keeping the old stuff still supported is a quite task on cross platform.
New things come and go, there is no need to update(if it works), if you don´t need or want to. These days so many people buy stuff thats new and cool, just to realize that I don´t even need it, but I have it

What is bad about it? You want to give them less money? They want the same thing, to give you less money.

Seriously though, the cost is very low when you consider what you get, and it seems even lower if you compare it to how much it would cost to get all that in hardware, like people used to do.

If they made the .5 update cheaper, and the and whole number updates more expensive, such that the amount is equal to the sum of a .5 plus a whole number update, would that be better for you?

To me Updates within the version should be free. V9.xx updates are free. Just make a good selling price. And then release free updates. The same goes for the very short term of free update time from steinberg is like 6 weeks after buy, that is way to short. I reported this before because as a buying user of whole C9, i was allready investing money for the update after 4 months or so. Extra was Wavelab did also goto 9.5. So that was twice money that i did not count for… The system of updates is longtime from steinberg, so i just did not expect it to be so rough.

I really don’t understand what your point is here…it has indeed been the Steinberg way for a long time so why was it a surprise to you?

A few minutes research shows that Steinberg update Cubase at the end of every year and regardless of whether they call it a whole number or a .5 this Update is paid for.

IF YOU BUY SOMETHING NEW you dont expect this.
Anyway the site does not really say this when you buy it or review it.

Ehh Denis…

Cubase 9 still gets updates (9.0.40 is just released), so there is no reason why you have to upgrade now. You can simply wait a year after your purchase and upgrade after that time. You will still have an up-to-date DAW. I mean - Nobody forces you to upgrade, and your DAW won’t stop functioning (as some “Pro” DAW’s do) if you don’t pay within a year (or even month) or so.

And yes - From 9.0 to 9.5 is an upgrade, not an update. Cubase’s versions have alway’s been that way. Maybe you don’t like that kind of number scheme, but it’s no different than other schemes where yearly updates get an year number (2018) or whole numbers (there is even one that goes from 12.9 to 20 - believe it or not).

I have explained it for a NEW user it is way to confusing…

I’ll add my voice to the crowd of people saying the upgrade is worth it!

New metronome rhythms, curve automation, 16 inserts (biggie for me!) and a few more things that I like, plus IMO a snappier display.

On the down side the Direct Online Processing is the only thing which has been changed that I don’t think is quite up to scratch yet.

Obviously there are many other things that could have gone into the upgrade but I think the things that have are worth it, the rest may come later… I’m happy to pay for the upgrade because useful things keep coming along.

Mike.

Dissapointed that they still having implemented multi track time stretch and also still got skinny toolbars

[off topic post removed]

Yeah I am one of those experiencing Great Happiness, so much so that I had to revert to 9.030 because performance took such a big hit.
I have been with Cubase since V4 and I have never had so many problems after an upgrade/update.
Projects fail to open or they crash Cubase upon opening. Even more annoying because it does not always happen and only on certain projects.
Had to save back up copies to get around.
CPU performance meter getting pegged, freezing and glitching.
eLicenser, which I have used for years all of a sudden throws a tantrum, reports no licenses, license maintenance says it is broken, thank god I had a new one and eventually was able to access the old and transfer the license, only to find out later that the older one appears now to be OK.
Really fed up with all this BS.
None of this occurs/occurred when opening project on 8.5 or 9. Go figure.

Yeah nice extra features but newer updates/upgrades seem to bring more bugs than they fix.
Comforting to know that many people are having a good experience.
I thinks that the age of continually paid updates/upgrades/subscriptions sucks.
Yeah I know programmers and corp exces need to make a living or a bundle but I have never liked this new business model and the new dependency they create.
How many modern utility bills we have now??? Crazy.
And the Beatles and many others including myself managed to do it on 4 and 8 track tape. It is all debatable.
Sometimes all upgrades/updates do is pull us away from making music and push us to become overly involved in problem solving and learning new features. A total drag and waste of precious breath IMHO.
PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Cubase 9.5 has been out for almost half a year and so far (as far as I can remember), you’re the only person to have complained about performance being worse than previous versions.

Like I said in another thread, you should contact support because this is most definitely a system specific issue. Complaining about it in a dozen different threads isn’t going to get it fixed. Support can help you figure out what’s going on and tell you what you can do to fix your issue.

https://www.steinberg.net/index.php?id=9075&L=1

Sorry Romatique, I know you are a moderator, but you are incorrect, I am not the only one.
One quick search will reveal it. For example, check WayneD on 3/19/18 on Cubase 9.5.20 Maintenance Update post thinking that he may have to uninstall this latest update and go back to 9…And I know there are others having severe issues. Anyone reading that post will find many people having issues and deciding to go back or not update.

And my exp with support has been negative, long wait, unhelpful suggestions, etc. Rather not keep wasting time on figuring out and fixing and preferring to go back to what has worked in the past. It is a tool and if it does not get the job done, get another.
Sorry if sharing my exp. and my warning to others upsets you.
Good bye.

How about a 9.0 user. Forget price, pretend it’s free. Is it worth upgrading from 9.0 and why?

So it’s you and one more guy out of thousands of Cubase users. That doesn’t really change what I said. (by the way, it seems like the other guy already solved his issue)

Almost everyone is using different hardware, different OS or BIOS settings, different plugins, and different Cubase preferences. All of these variables can introduce issues that don’t necessarily affect everyone. Different people may even have completely different issues. That doesn’t mean that the DAW is broken. Every single DAW on the market will appear completely unusable if you cherrypick issues and complaints like you’re doing.

And again, system specific issues like yours are one of the main reasons why software technical support teams exist. It’s their job to try to help you fix such issues.

And my exp with support has been negative, long wait, unhelpful suggestions, etc. Rather not keep wasting time on figuring out and fixing[…]



Sorry if sharing my exp. and my warning to others upsets you.

You first posted about your issue on monday, and I immediately suggested you to contact Support. If you had done that, there’s a good chance that they would have contacted you back by now, perhaps even giving you a few possible solutions.

Every day for the past week, you’ve come here to rant about your system specific issue in a different thread. How is that a better investment of your time than cooperating with Support to get things working like they should?

I would recommend checking out these pages:

Examples of how some of the new features can be used (very good watch):

Cubase 9.5 also improves the graphics performance, and if you have a lot of UAD plugins, a future free update for Cubase 9.5 will allow you to load more of them at once without hitting the Windows .dll limit. I think it’s already better than Cubase 9 in that regard.

I have had a rough relationship with Steinberg for several years now… I won’t get into details, but suffice it to say that I’m not a fan any more. To stay focused on this thread, though, if you still like Steinberg as a company and can live with their various “issues,” I would have to admit, begrudgingly, that the 9.5 upgrade from 9.0 (and from several prior versions BTW) is actually worth upgrading to. Just being honest. It has the potential to be one of the better Cubase releases in a long time, maybe when it hits 9.5.40. Right now it still has teething issues IMO.

9.0 was a real disappointment for me, and I regrettably felt forced to upgrade to 9.5 (after an internal debate of whether or not I wanted to send them any more money). But since I’ve upgraded, I will admit that 9.5 is indeed better than 9.0. I just wish they would focus on COMPLETING features and making them rock-solid before unleashing them on the public. Their upgrade/release cycle is broken IMO. It has caused rushed/incomplete features that take way too long to stabilize IMO. I feel that the version to wait for going forward is the 9.5.40 patch, or at the earliest maybe 9.5.30. Right now we’re on 9.5.20, soon to be 9.5.25.

For 10.0, I’ll likely wait until 10.0.30 or 10.0.40 if I decide to upgrade at all again. Just depends on if I’ve abandoned Steinberg by then or am willing to keep trudging along with them. I don’t do it happily, but I’ve spent a ton of time with other DAWs and for my current projects, the other DAWs are missing too many key composition and film-oriented features as of right now, although some of the competitors are pretty impressive. I’m keeping my eye very closely on the competition, and I have licences for several of them.

DOP (Direct Offline Processing) in particular has been a BIG disappointment for anything but the most rudimentary of workflows. I really hope they can straighten it out soon so pros can actually use it seriously. Similar features have existed and are stable in other DAWs for years, and I can’t understand how Steinberg botched the release so badly on this feature. But it has great potential IMO. It’s extremely frustrating to feel like I’m beta testing it, especially knowing that they’ve already upgraded Nuendo’s version of DOP to a better version. DOP has a LONG way to go, but if they eventually get there, it will be very powerful.

However, I really like the new metronome and improved automation. They are very welcome improvements right now. Other little minor workflow improvements are good too. I don’t personally get excited for the new 64-bit mixing engine (it was fine for me before), plugin facelift (don’t need them), or softube stuff (don’t use or want a Console 1), but it’s overall a more refined DAW in several ways. With the glaring exception of the mess that is/was DOP, I have to admit it is a decent step forward. Again, only if you can still deal with Steinberg as a company. :slight_smile:

My honest two bits.