In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a professional audiophile nor am I a professional recording engineer. I am a full time gigging musician with a small home basement recording studio. I recorded my first solo full length album 3 years ago using Windows 7 a Zoom R16 interface and Cubase 6 DAW software. My learning curve was slow and my computer with only 3GB Ram was troublesome but I was able to produce a really good sounding record after much hair pulling and fits and starts.
I am in the process of upgrading my studio. I’m going to buy a new desktop and tower with at least 8 GB Ram if not more (recommendations?) My big question is will my Zoom R16 which is now about 6 years old be compatible with Windows 10 OS and should I upgrade to Cubase 10 and will that all be compatible? I have read many threads of people having issues. Also, Because I have a budget (remember I make my living as a performing musician) can I get by on Cubase 10 Artist or even Elements as I am not doing big productions in my home studio. Basic stuff, guitars/drums/bass/keys/vox etc. I don’t use midi. I want easy work flow and intuitive bells and whistles. Also, what is the easiest way to make this change over as far as registration, licensing, downloading new Software etc. when I get my new desktop set up?
Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated but if you get into too much Techy talk you will lose me. Treat me like I just came out of a cave…ha h aha. Sincerely Chris Fitz
Which version of Cubase 6 do you have?
I would start with that on the new PC to begin with. The procedure for installing the software on your new PC depends upon the version.
The version you currently have will anyway affect any savings you can make in upgrading. If you already have the version 6 equivalent of Pro then you can only make savings by upgrading to Pro (not Elements or Artist)…that is you can’t update to version 10 while downgrading the level and make any savings.
8 Ggi maybe enough, i’d Certainly not get a new system with less.
I don’t know your interface but there are Win 10 drivers listed so it should work. I’m not sure what problems you’ve read of but many (me included) have found Cubase 10 with Windows 10 the most stable ever. It’s certainly more stable for me than 6 was.
You say you don’t do MIDI. Does that mean also no Virtual Instruments so you’re “just” recording audio?
Which version of Cubase 6 do you have?
I would start with that on the new PC to begin with. The procedure for installing the software on your new PC depends upon the version.
The version you currently have will anyway affect any savings you can make in upgrading. If you already have the version 6 equivalent of Pro then you can only make savings by upgrading to Pro (not Elements or Artist)…that is you can’t update to version 10 while downgrading the level and make any savings.
8 Ggi maybe enough, i’d Certainly not get a new system with less.
I don’t know your interface but there are Win 10 drivers listed so it should work. I’m not sure what problems you’ve read of but many (me included) have found Cubase 10 with Windows 10 the most stable ever. It’s certainly more stable for me than 6 was.
You say you don’t do MIDI. Does that mean also no Virtual Instruments so you’re “just” recording audio?
Looking at the Zoom site, it does list drivers for the R16 for Win10. | ZOOM
It appears the R16 can be used as a control surface as well, as it uses a Mackie protocol which should be able to connect to most DAWs.
I would go with at least 16g RAM, if you can afford it. And I would think Cubase artist would be enough to start with. Although if you wanted to save a little money, Cakewalk by BandLab is free, and is a good DAW.
As far as transferring licenses, I don’t recount the exact steps, but I had no problem transferring Cubase license when I just built my new desk top.
Thanks for your responses. I’ll try and clarify a little. My current Cubase is Cubase 6 LE which came free with my Zoom R16 recorder/interface. I have been running it with a 3GB computer. What would be the most logical upgrade from this package that works well with Windows 10? The price difference between Cubase 10 Pro/Artist/and Element is pretty substantial. Cubase 6 LE provided me with more than enough bells and whistles for what I do in my home studio. I record real guitars and amps and bass and drums etc…I might use an occasional virtual instrument or effect but mostly old school. I have also read that the Asio driver that I use for the Zoom R16 needs to be upgraded if I go to Windows 10 and a new DAW package? Finally if I’m already licensed with Steinberg with my Cubase 6 LE will i need to re-register with a new package? Hope this added info helps. Thanks again!!
From here’ you can make your own decision as to what fits your workflow best. Just make the comparison between CB versions.
The comparisons go from CB10 Pro all the way down to CB10 LE. By the looks of things, you would only gain features by selecting CB10 Elements. Only 49.95 for you to upgrade from LE 6. If you need to go cheaper, Cakewalk is free as mentioned by balinas.
Spend the money if you don’t want the new learning curve or if you want a seamless upgrade.
There may be a few drivers that may need to be upgraded to run Win10. Outside of that, all should be compatible.
As previously mentioned, I would transfer your LE 6 to the new 'puter first, then upgrade. That way, you shouldn’t have to re-register, just upgrade.
I am running CB10 Pro on a 'puter with 8G ram and another with 32G ram so 8G should be fine. By the looks of things, I am doing a lot more intensive stuff than you’re planning so 8 would be fine, especially for what you’re doing. You can always add ram later if you plan to get big.