Why cubase

You can learn the basics within the LE, AI, or Elements versions and then upgrade to the Artist or Pro version if you need the more advanced features. You'll find the same environment in each version. You won't have to waste time learning a beginner's DAW, to later move to a professional one. Same workflow, same basic structure, just more functions, effects, and sounds as you move to more advanced versions. If you want to do classical orchestration, film scoring, complex MIDI editing also in electronic music look no further.

And the audio workflow is excellent, too. Steinberg offers a complete ecosystem for those who want to devote themselves to audio Steinberg produces not only Cubase but also many other pro software, such as WaveLab a mighty audio editor and SpectraLayers for spectral editing and manipulation.

It produces sound cards in every price range. It offers some of the best virtual instruments around. If, at some point, you'd become interested in music for video and games, you could move from Cubase to Nuendo.

You shouldn't have to learn from scratch new software. The various Steinberg products tend to be highly integrated, making it easier for you to work. The software and hardware ecosystem offered by Steinberg is quite impressive, don't you think? Sampler now has two integrated syncable LFOs with modifiable shapes. These can be assigned to the filter, pitch, amplitude and panning, and can also be routed via the mod wheel.

Finally, the overall sample engine now includes five playback quality modes. We particularly like the final one, Vintage, as this provides various bit rate and sample rate settings for that vintage sampler vibe.

We already liked the original Sampler track, but the Slice option makes it so much better. The selected scale can be highlighted in the editor grid, and you can also select individual or multiple notes and quantise their pitch to the scale.

Cubase Pro users gain improved stem export features and these use a new job queue management in the Export Audio Mixdown dialogue. The beauty here is you can define the formats you want for specific tracks, including mono downmix or split stereo files, and then add them to the queue. You can even add the tracks you have selected in the project window. Anyone sharing productions across platforms, getting tracks mixed remotely, or preparing final mixes and stems will love this, and so do we.

There are a few further new additions we should mention. When you have the full Key Editor window open you can now add in the Global tracks on a track-specific basis.

This is pretty easy as you just grab a new node in the middle of the data line and drag it as required. A simple addition, but still very welcome. Finally, there are additions to score editing, including new fonts and a new properties tab.

A couple of these Dancefloor Tech House and Hard Knocks are straight-up beats packages bringing you fully up to date club and hip hop sounds. Dancefloor Tech House combines one-shots and loops at bpm with the latter including synth bass, drums, drum fills, percussion and synths. There are also some effect hits thrown in for good measure. Sonically the pack delivers the tougher end of house sounds but still has plenty of swing. Plenty of material to get you started. Tempos vary from 70 to bpm and the cross-genre synth, beat, pad, bass, guitar and processed vocal loops will work in any number of musical styles.

Next up, Night Calls Synthwave delivers a top selection of 80s-inspired loops and beats across a focused tempo range of 85 to bpm. The sounds are great and deliver the fat beats that epitomise the 80s sound. There are some impacts, booms, risers, transition hits and drops which are ideal for soundtrack producers, and the overall tone of these is very consistent. Finally, Bloom is a set of solo female vocal samples courtesy of Amy Kirkpatrick. The general timbre is quite ethereal, laidback and pure.

Tempos range from 83 to and there are various lyric phrases and ad-libs. Nevertheless, Cubase 11 is a solid update that expands its offering on a number of key fronts. Existing users will welcome the new additions, feature enhancements and operational improvements but nevertheless have to weigh up whether they need them and pay for the upgrade.

MusicRadar verdict: Cubase 11 not only adds some great new features but also evens up its three versions, delivering a professional option to suit most wallets.

MusicRadar The No. Home Reviews. Our Verdict. Pros Good balance of features on each of the three versions of Cubase Excellent new dynamic EQ on reworked Frequency 2 plugin. Its bit floating point audio engine is one of the most advanced on the market, providing top-tier performance without the high cost. Additionally, lifted restrictions on track limits, sequencing options, and plugin selection has pushed this DAW over its Pro Tools competitor in recent years.

Practical features such as keymap editing and drum map editing have become small, but significant, changes to show this DAW is at the top of its game. Because the options are so vast on Cubase, it does a little bit of everything well. Without divulging too much into the specifics of each area, you should just know that Cubase can accommodate nearly any audio need you have. However, some areas are done a bit better than others.

Unlimited track support means you can continue to add and layer without risk of running out of the room. You continue to create and Cubase worries about the rest. This is reflected in the exceptional audio engine as well. The headroom is simply too high, leading to clearer recordings once you go to export. However, recording is not all the software is good at.

Cubase began its life as a midi sequencer and many of its strengths still lie there. The base piano roll works like any other. You have options for color of tracks, velocity, different midi controls such as bend, etc. However, the extras Cubase includes are far more special. Drum plugins, for example, pull up a grid-based version of the piano roll, automatically labeling the cells based on the drum map you input.

This is huge for sequencing virtual drums. Instead of memorizing the proper keys and awkwardly dragging lines on the piano roll, drums can be programmed by simply clicking in the proper cell. The drum map editor is pretty extensive, too, meaning you can adapt this grid to fit almost any software. For writers, the sequencing is great. However, not all writers know their way around a piano fluently. For this, Cubase includes chord tracks. This is only a small cross-section of all that Cubase excels at.

Giving this software the praise it deserves would require a separate article alone. Sure enough, Cubase is good at just about everything. Just about everything, yes, but not everything entirely. Mainly, this is seen when editing live audio. Drum editing, for example, is a nightmare. While it still holds the same process of cutting the transient across all tracks, aligning, and then condensing the track, there are a ton of bugs during the process.

Many times, clips would disappear entirely, or fades would be cut from the final compile. Cutting and conforming any piece of audio is quite the hassle and often leads to unnecessary artifacts and an inconsistent sound. This is true with the audio warp as well.