hello all,
a friend told me I just check out Cubase because of it’s versatility (and the score editor might be of interest) he also Bitwig and Sonar would be great too!
why do you like Cubase?
I am hoping to get a good amount of inst. and will want to import my compositions into a daw for final tweaking and better vst. support.
I am open minded and like all the things that daw can create.
keeping in mind, I do have dorico and after you a couple of more updates…i am solid!
thanks! jj
I have logic x and pro tools 12. To me cubase is the most balance daw I’ve work on.They all have strengths and weaknesses.
This may not be totally relevant to your question, but, I’ve used Cubase since SX 1 and have never felt the need to change.
Love it!
Hi,
I have tried and used Logic, Pro Tools, Digital Performer, Studio One and Reaper. Cubase is my choice because of the most extensive features (in MIDI area). I was also able to find the best workflow for me (much less workarounds than in other DAWs for daily tasks). The best VSTis support.
At the end, I do my work in he shortest time in Cubase. And always has been (and it is) super-stable on my system, and I have never had issue with export, non-sounding MIDI Notes, etc. in Cubase (what is not true for other DAWs).
I would happily recommend Cubase Pro to anyone needing a well rounded DAW. In my opinion Cubase “just works”. It gets bug fixes when needed and the improvements are incremental. This means that the user-machine interface doesn’t change a lot over time so once you learn it, you know it. I’ve never really had a situation where it let me down.
I moved back to Cubase after spending 8 years with Sonar and would not think of going back to Sonar. After Sonar moved from X3 to Platinum and started to update monthly it really became awful. The monthly update meant that you never really had a stable, up-to-date program since bug fixes and updates were combined. It became very time consuming to keep up with and really started to seem like the software updates were more important to Cakewalk and the users than making music. Also, since the programmers were chasing the latest innovations, it was time consuming to keep up with where everything was.
Score: Keep in mind that the Score Editor in Cubase (and in most other DAWs) is limited so don’t expect to have Dorico level features. However, part of the reason I like Cubase is that the Score Editor is one of the best and works fairly seamlessly with the rest of Cubase. Its ability to recognise chords is quite useful to me for composing.
I’ve tried them all during the years, but after 25 years, Cubase is still the best for me.
Tried many DAWS over 25 years. Way back you could get Cubase cracked, so everybody tried it by default. My first main DAW then was SAW, Cubase was not very capable in audio area at that time. But then everybody started using Cubase, so I started using it too to be able to exchange projects. Later I somehow got used to it, so I still use it.
Steinberg puts a lot into makeup, so Cubase looks quite nice. But with all major DAWs you pay a bit more for the looks, and updates are less and less attractive. If looks are of main importance to you, Cubase can be good choice. Or if you deal with large orchestral templates (hundreds/thousands of disabled VSTi tracks in template), then it is a good choice. Be aware that many functions in Cubase are not as usable in real life as they promise in tutorials - in the end you will probably not use most of flashy functions you paid for.
One concern is stability too, Cubase seems to be extremely sensitive to hardware selection. Some computers will give you superb performance, while on other builds it can be near to unusable, crashing all the time. Steinberg recommends workstations which are specially built for Cubase. And they recommend also some HP workstations. If you can afford that, then you are quite safe with your investment in Cubase. Otherwise, if you build your rig alone, or buy standard comp, be prepared to meet Cubase’s numerous quirks (see the forum posts for more idea of what you could expect). But you may get lucky, like some certainly do.
Would you go into a Ford showroom and ask what car manufacturer was best?
Here is an impartial forum - which still comes down in favour of Cubase:
Reason, Jeskola Buzz, FL studio, Bitwig, Ableton (wich i still use for live performance).
Offline processing! (especially pitch envelope and offline plugin rendering of clips)
flexible keycommands
MIDI editing
and last but not least Habit, I prefer to spend more time making music than learning DAWs
I tried StudioOne. There were some really nice features but the StudioOne iPad remote app was utterly useless causing crashes and constantly loosing the connection or not getting connected at all. Maybe this was because my wlan box is downstairs and the signal strength could be better. However, Cubase IC Pro works much better with the same setup.
I have tried Studio one, Reaper, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, bitwig, Tracktion.
Being a keyboards player, I find Cubase’s midi editing unbeatable. Retrospective midi record is fundamental in my work flow. Ability to set the timings of the tracks is also a huge time saver.
Lane editing is also great.
Tried:
Protools, Logic, Reaper, MixBuss, StudioOne. Currently using Cubase and S1.
I bought Cubase SX2 as a backup for Protools DIGI002 which was a major bugfest and limited the whole time I had it. Sold that and my Roland VS2480 and kept Cubase here
I never have to ask myself if I can do something in Cubase, more than likely its already there, especially with midi which I use a lot. I started at SX2 and just understand it pretty well as well. S1 is close in how it works and I use it for smaller projects.
I came to Cubase from SONAR (version X2 was the last SONAR I used). I switched because Cubase had (and as far as I know still has) the best MIDI editing and tempo manipulation support. It could be better still, but so far nobody has surpassed Steinberg in these areas, so I don’t hold out hope for improvements unless the competition heats up.
Cakewalk / Sonar were my main daws up until a few years ago. After the new user learning curve Cubase was like a breathe of fresh air in comparison.
I also use Studio One for mastering & CD creation
I compose, arrange, record and master in Cubase. I guess I could do these things with any DAW, but even though I’ve got PT and Logic, I can still do things quicker and more effectively in Cubase. But it could be because I’ve been using it for years, after all, I’ve got friends who do all those things in PT and others who use exclusively Logic… I really think it’s what you like to use in the end and I like using Cubase 
Mike.
I left “Cubase VST pro 5” and “Samplitude Pro 10” about 5 years ago, because I was frustrated with expensive annual upgrades. From there I went to Reaper and to “Studio One 3 Pro”. They were both good, but something was still lacking.
Then I found “Mixbus 32C”. For audio and mixing, the work-flow is great and the sound quality is phenomenal. But about 90% of my stuff is midi, and although Mixbus does very well playing midi, its editing capabilities are minimal at best.
So I took a look at Cubase 9 Elements. I was surprised to see that the midi editing was at least as good as Cubase VST 5. I bought it as an upgrade from Sequel for $49 and I love it. I will still do final mixes in MB-32C, but most of my tracking and midi will be in Cubase.
The Track count limits etc won’t be a problem, as I do Pop/Rock stuff that’s usually less than 24 tracks.
If I do decide I need Artist or Pro, I can always upgrade.
My exact sentiments as well.
Sonar from Studio 6 to X2. I no longer use Sonar and haven’t for years now.
I’ve also tried Presonus Studio One Pro & 2 Pro, but they seem to have a ‘company wide allergy’ to adding anything but the most basic of MIDI features, and refuse to add them from release to release.
So I stopped asking and waiting for them and just took my money elsewhere.
I jumped to Cubase 6.5 within the grace period for free to 7.0 - especially since I got it for such a great price with the the full version of Halion 4 included for free.
I do mostly MIDI, so Cubase seems to be the king in that department.
But I didn’t upgrade to 8.5, and I think I’ll pass on 9.0 as well.
Just like 7.5.4, 8.0.4 is very stable for me, so I’m good with that.
I did snatch an update to Studio One 3 Pro for $75 on black Friday, but I’m not sure I’ll use it other than for mastering.
That said, I’ll be using Cubase as well and compare the two versions.
micrologic, Logic Audio Platinum until the Appleswitch. Cubase 3(?) to 5.5, SX1 to SX3 until my Appleswitch. Logic 8 to X, Live, PT7 to 10, S1 1.6 to 3, tried Sonar on Bootcamp which works but too cluttered for me 
Since 6 months on C8.5/9 Pro only (except s1v2 for my collabguys), because I can’t open S1v3 without my eyes are burning.
If i go back from Cubase to another DAW I’ll miss the chordtrack, the way the arranger works, the GUI, MixConsole … and so on.
I haven’t tied any DAWs. At my house they roam free and are allowed to “graze.”
Seriously though, I have tried pretty much all the others that have demos or trials but have never bought one of them. They all seem “incomplete” compared to Cubase to me. Granted that I have Cubase Pro and I realize the demos may be lightened versions.
I’ve been a Cubase user since about 2002 and I also use Ableton Live. Cubase is a more cut-and-dried, full featured DAW while Live is more for live performance, sketching and sound design. A major, major difference is that Cubase allows realtime export of live instruments and effects. Within Live, you need to route audio to an audio track and record it in real time in order to export in realtime - this is a huge pain in the arse when you’re trying to export a mix! Cubase is also a lot more precise when it comes to tracking and sound editing.