Hi all! Let’s discuss the next version of the best DAW - Cubase 15! What features are you dreaming to see in it?
Here is my feature request list:
Media Bay: Upgraded Media Bay with AI tools to simplify library analysis, auto-tagging, filtering, and pitching to a specific note, similar to third-party services like Splice, Loopcloud, etc.
Easy total backup: A one-click solution to prepare and export all settings, presets, hotkeys, and paths into a single file, especially useful when reinstalling the OS.
Audio to MIDI tool: A tool powered by AI that converts audio to MIDI notes accurately.
Track auto-coloring rules by name: For instance, if a track contains the word “drum” in its name, it automatically gets assigned a red color.
Cubase Hub - Project Preview: The ability to preview (listen to) a project without opening it. Similar to preset previews, this would allow quick identification of projects.
Project info: Detailed statistics about the project, such as total time spent, the number of instruments, tracks, and notes.
Select next/previous presets with hotkeys: Since Steinberg created the VST format, it would be great to have a feature for switching VST presets with hotkeys. This could also inspire hardware developers to add physical buttons to MIDI keyboards for this functionality.
SuperVision analyzer as a small undocked bar: A compact, floating analyzer bar (e.g., at the top or bottom of the screen) without buttons. Many producers use apps like Minimeters for this purpose; upgrading Steinberg SuperVision to a similar compact design would be highly beneficial.
Add specific VST/effect to a selected channel with a hotkey: A faster workflow by assigning hotkeys to quickly insert frequently used VSTs or effects.
Fullscreen mode: A borderless UI option for Cubase to save 25-50px on the top of the screen, improving the user experience. Many other apps, not only DAWs, already offer such a mode for better usability.
After we got “clip gain” in C14 (so happy about that), I’d love to finally have a proper automation system and VCA, PT style.
Raising also the VCA count number (I’d personally use around double of what available now).
Number 4 gets my vote! And for ages I’ve done inserting fx with hotkey (since 5, when I thought of assigning a keystroke to Autotune, at the time), so your number 9 has always been here
I went to Ableton from Cubase last year, quite unexpectedly.
I really wanted to use Cubase, but besides frequent crashes, which can be viewed as my personal troubles (wrong computer, bad audio interface, not the most recent versions of plugins), there was one thing that made my experience with Cubase unbearable. And that’s the only feature that I’d like to see in Cubase 15.
I’m talking about UI.
Give me the same UI experience that I have in Ableton, and I’ll take Cubase in a minute.
By the same experience, I mean these things:
UI scalability in macOS version.
This is mandatory. Without scalable UI, the next Cubase can go straight to the trash bin.
To me, this is such a basic accessibility option, that I wonder how companies even dare to release software without it. It’s like not having keyboard shortcuts.
Or it’s an assumption that people who use computers for jobs or hobbies have lost their sight already anyway, so let’s not worry about it too much?
I sat before my first computer when I was 12. Now I’m in my 40s and I still don’t wear glasses. So, how do you think I feel about products which try to break this trend?
Yes, you guessed it right. Not positive at all.
Font consistency.
The solution to the problem of long names, that Cubase uses, is so wrong, I can’t even describe how wrong it is.
To make font smaller and smaller, trying to squeeze long names into their places? Don’t even want to comment on it. Just look how the same concern is solved in Ableton Live and macOS.
UI theming.
There should be various default themes, created by professional designers (not professional developers, thank you very much). They should be customizable in terms of brightness, color tint, color intensity. High Contrast option included.
Furthermore, preferably, there should be an option to link the UI theme to system settings. So that if I have my macOS using a light theme at day, and the dark after the sunset, the same behavior should be doubled by Cubase.
This is what I expect from the next version of Cubase.
I strongly believe that functionally, Cubase is head and shoulders above any other DAW in the market. I mean, already. Without any additional new cool features.
So, maybe it’s time to spend some resources working with non-functional requirements, like those that I mentioned here?
I actually don’t use Cubase. I use Studio one. I saw this post pop up in my email because I’m a Dorico user. I’m unsure I like the direction PreSonus is heading in, and Cubase updates are now cheaper than Studio One’s is, especially when on sale, so I considered switching. What kept me from switching when I did the Cubase trial (and it was Cubase 13) was the outputs. In Studio One I open an instance of Kontakt or Opus assign the 16 midi outputs and I’m done. From what I saw in Cubase I have to have all these 16 audio outputs with 16 midi outputs assigned to those. So 32 total outputs for just one instance of Kontakt or Opus. If I’m wrong and there is another way of doing it, hopefully someone will let me know. Long story short if Steinberg can have Cubase have a similar and simpler output system like Studio One’s, I’ll seriously consider switching.
No, in Cubase you can have one instance of Kontakt as a Rack or Track instrument, and then connect as many ‘MIDI’ tracks as you like to that one instance. You can also work with multiple ‘lanes’ for different channels on a single ‘instrument’ track/instance.
If you open your Kontakt instance and right click the top right corner of the plugin window, you should see a menu where you can enable more audio outputs…doing so adds more audio faders to your Cubase mixer. From within Kontakt you can then assign instruments to whichever outputs you like.
Enabling Cubase to get Slave to an external midi clock source/hardware even over usb
Such an important thing that will serve so many of us that using an external gear that has the option to be sync via midi clock
I think that’s what I did during the short time I was working with Cubase. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but its my understanding that if I were to use the 16 outputs of one instance of Kontakt I would need 16 audio outputs with a midi track for each if those audio outputs? So a total of 32 tracks?
Stereo combined panner in Artist. No way is that a pro feature. Seems pointless to be a pro feature when I have to lose an insert slot to add a free plugin that does the same job.
Not necessarily. But first, lets differentiate between a Track, an Audio Channel and a MIDI Channel. A Track lives in the Project Window and an Audio Channel in the Mix Console. A single Instrument Track hosting a VSTi, Kontakt for example, can expose multiple Audio Output Channels. Since MIDI goes directly onto the Instrument Track, you can have one Track with MIDI data feeding 16 different Audio Channels.
A MIDI Channel is a property of a MIDI Event. Every single MIDI Note On Event has a MIDI Channel associated with it. Same goes for a Control Change Event or Pitchbend.
A single Instrument Track, or MIDI Track for that matter, can host MIDI data on any or all MIDI Channels. In practice however it can be difficult to handle and edit MIDI Events from 16 different MIDI Channels in a single MIDI Part. Most people prefer to have one MIDI Track per MIDI Channel, but it is not a requirement. Another option in Cubase is to use multiple Lanes.
All this said, I prefer to use one Kontakt instrument per Kontakt instance on an Instrument Track. For me it makes the project much more clear than using Kontakt multitimbrally with multiple MIDI Tracks. I also do not believe there is much performance gain to be had over using multiple instances. It could even make it worse locking an instance of Kontakt with multiple instruments to a single processor thread.
Interesting. First off, looks like I may need to watch more template tutorials for large orchestral templates. Second, I’ve heard many say that they use one instance of Kontakt per instrument and the computer handles it fine or even better. I have 64 gigs of ram, should that be enough for a large orchestral template full of Kontakt, Opus, Best Service Engine, and whatever else I decide to throw in there? Now I like using instruments with keyswitches, not one articulation per track, don’t know if that makes a difference. Also, I need somewhat of a lower buffer size so I don’t have latency for my midi keyboard.
There’s only one way to find out. Some composers who use very large templates use multiple rigs, often with Vienna Ensemble Pro or similar.
It should not.
Then you need a fast computer and an interface with a good ASIO driver. It also depends on how much real time processing is happening in the signal path.
1 - Media Bay - they improved it for v14, but I agree, should be better, like Loopcloud and in addition, it’s own audio channel for auditioning samples with a particular FX chain so you know on the fly what loop works best.
2 - Easy Backup - would be a great addition, although unsure how often it would be used.
3 - Audio to MIDI - exists in a way, but accurately is subjective, audio files with delays etc may not convert properly, even Melody (leader) has problems with ghost notes etc.
4 - Auto colouring of tracks - seen a video where the logical editor is used to do this but would be good to have this as an option.
5 - Track preview - this would be very good, one could setup the locators to be the preview sample for that project for a loop, maybe 10-20 seconds long max, then Cubase can render the audio, then if one wants to update the preview after a lot of changes, same process, set the locators and “create preview sample” from the menu or similar.
6 - Project Info - one issue I have found in the past is a missing preset or plugin, ideally, a project info file or similar can tell us exactly what was on a project, what it’s looking for (presets for example can be a pain).
I want to see faders for fx sends similar to pro tools or logic pro, I’d like some bugs to be fixed with score editor as well and add in more features, and scalability changes on mac OS would be nice, sometimes I want it to be bigger but can’t do it and that’s something I miss from windows. I’m also not sure how I feel about the new clip gain controlling it with a tiny fader, I preferred grabbing it from the top of the chopped up audio.
