I’m new to music production and want to purchase cubase.
I’m just not sure which version is best for me and if there is an option to upgrade from one to another.
I’m looking at Cubase 15 artist and pro. I’m 100% serious about making music so only those two options are viable for me. I’m not sure if the pro version is worth it for me, especially if I could at some point upgrade from artist to pro, if need be. (if that option is available)
Background : I’m a musician who plays saxophone, trumpet, and a bit of keys and guitar.
With cubase I want to make jazz, fusion and other offsprings of jazz. But making music for games or composing classical music is not out of the question, just not my main focus.
Which version would you recommend me and can I upgrade from artist to pro if I purchase artist, without having to buy pro for the full price again?
Hi there,
If you can afford it, get Pro. There’s a lot there, but you can grow into it. You can also use Artist, or even Elements, if it’s all too much, until you get a handle on Cubase and then start using Pro.
You can upgrade at any moment and technically any version from Artist to Pro, it’s just gonna cost more. However, the upgrade from Pro to the current version of Pro is cheaper than the upgrade from Artist to Pro.
Since you envision making game music or composition work, Artist may fall of short for you in some features, so Pro is a better choice. Depending on what you do, Pro might not be enough for you either, so you might consider getting Nuendo instead of Pro.
Honestly, Both versions depend on what you want to do and how hardcore you are going to be using it.
If you have another DAW you currently use, like FL Studio or Ableton, that you have a license for, you can actually use those to get a discount on Cubase 15… It’s super handy, and worth it if you already have another DAW you use actively & want to switch over to Cubase.
If not, then I would suggest starting out with Cubase 15 Artist. It’s good enough for beginning and starting out, but there are definitely limitations. I’ve got a few friends who still use Artist, and who haven’t hit most of the limitations unless if they’re doing very complex stuff.
With 15 Pro, you’d pretty much have no limitations to the software. That’s about it really, All of the limitations in 15 Artist would not be there.
I would have a look at the comparison chart which @Tob_ii linked in his post. At the end of the day only you can know which versions serves your needs best.
However, after reading your statement on being serious about making music I would actually suggest to go for the Pro version. There are features which you might need that don’t come with the Artist version.
If you want to keep the budget at bay: You can also buy a used Cubase Pro license on knobcloud. Currently, there’s an offer for Cubase Pro 15 for the price of a new Artist 15 version. If you want to do this please make sure to read these official guidelines to be on the safe side:
I suggest going to the Cubase 15 product page and take a slow and long look at every dropdown within the feature compare section. Put things into: must have, nice to have, don’t need, and that should help you work out the versions. I have Pro, and its mostly a fun toy. I don’t use it for much other than messing around. So for me, having “everything” is part of the fun. But I get it that not everyone can put down the pile of loot needed and have to be selective. I probably should have too, but thats a different story for another day
If money is tight you could buy Artist now, sign up for the news letter, and look out for the summer sale, Cubase upgrade is usually around half-price. The newsletter will tell you when the sales are on. (Steinberg tends not to have Black Friday sales.)
