Hi Guys. 1st post here. I have Cubase 9 pro installed on my laptop, when Cubase is running it runs fine but if I want to minimise and look at you tube or listen to a MP3 outside of Cubase I wont let me, then once I close Cubase everything on my laptop works fine again.
I also have Cubase on a tower unit I have and everything works fine on this. I’m guessing its something to do with a sound card or settings in Cubase but I don’t have a clue what and need some support?
thanks in advance
mike
Try activating the “Release Driver when Application is in Background” setting. This is found in the Cubase Devices>Device Setup…>VST Audio System menu. If that setting was already activated, try disabling it to see if that works.
Regards 
Yes, PRock is right. But there’s more.
I have a windows laptop and sometimes don’t connect my interface (and it’s driver) but just want to learn and practice and watch tutorials, so I run Cubase in ASIO4All with “release driver…” selected.
I find the only thing that consistently works is to similarly release my laptop Realtec driver before returning to Cubase.
notes:
a. step 3 changes focus away from Cubase and releases its driver, as specified
b. if you also have a bluetooth audio driver, may have to disable that too before starting
c. while enabling/disabling the laptop driver, if you don’t press “OK” the action will work and the window will stay open for next time.
d. when recording a concert, do not use the option to release Cubase driver; any stray keystroke will break record. Or make sure you set record lock. Select File > Key Commands and in the Transport category, assign key commands to the Lock Record and Unlock Record commands. I use “[” and “]”
Please post if this works for you; many seem to have this frustration, just when you need most to switch back & forth to YouTube. If anybody has a less cumbersome way, please post, I’d love to see it.
-Tom