I’ve recently bought and started to use Cubase.
Some folks are going to think I am nuts…and they might be right.
After all, (1) Cubase traces its lineage back to 1989 so is pretty “old school” as far as sequencers go…it is one of the apps that helped to establish many of the approaches that define the “traditional” sequencer. (2) I complain constantly about lack of time and information overload and how each reinforce and worsen the other. (3) I also have and use LOGIC9 so why would I want something else?
Well…
- CUBASE5 is definitely old school in many ways. When I first opened up the fully functional 30-day trial version, I thought “uh-oh”. I had not opened and closed so many windows since DP5 or LOGIC7. There is a plethora of windows and not a unified interface in sight. But I quickly got used to it, and I was able to set up my screen layouts EXACTLY as I liked. Nothing I couldn’t do in LOGIC of course, but my point is that it wasn’t such a burden.
- After futzing with the demo a bit, I decided to take a chance and nab a CUBASE5 tutorial from MacProVideo on sale. This was definitely the right move as a) the tutorial was a good basic overview, b) I was able to go through it in a couple of days, and c) I learned about the program the “right way” from the get go (i.e., good project management practices, keyboard shortcuts, etc.). This helped to make me efficient and capable with the program from the start. I should emphasize that CUBASE is fairly accessible without going this route particulalrly if you have any history with sequencers. The manual is also very clearly written and available online from within the program.
- Well, it’s about comfort level and productivity. I feel more comfortable with Cubase than with LOGIC (and this after much use of LOGIC over the last year and many, many, many tutorials). And if you are more comfortable with something, you tend to do better with it. CUBASE also has this wonderful VST Expression feature with which I produced my best key-switched celli performances to date in just a few hours. (Note that I said “my best” and not necessarily “good”.)
Does this mean CUBASE5 is perfect? No. There are times I still miss a unified interface, and the program is not nearly as efficient as LOGIC when it comes to VSTs and using multiple cores efficiently (one of my original complaints about DP). And it does not have FlexAudio. But it is very capable, easy to get to grips with, and there is always hope that CUBASE6 will get to better grips with multi-processor management.
More on specific features, experiences, and results soon.
Cheers.
I started with Cubasis VST (so old, it didn’t have a numerical designation). It didn;t seem very user friendly, so lately I been working with Sonar. Hate it. I was thinking about Cubasis when I came across your review. Comparing your comments to the 30 minute commercial on their website encourages me to seriously reconsider them. I hop the VSTs are easier to work with.
Always good to hear from you.
If you are in the market, may I suggest two DAWs for you to check out also:
Presonus StudioOne (http://www.presonus.com/products/SoftwareDetail.aspx?SoftwareId=11). A really nice and innovative design. Easy to grok quickly. Version 1.5 is about to hit with some great added features. A demo is available for download from the site.
Ableton Live8 (http://www.ableton.com). If you have not tried it, it is a different way of working. Makes working with audio loops an amazing experience. Very innovative and a demo is available from their site too.
Don’t get me wrong. I like Cubase and it is my main DAW. But both of the above have their strengths. StudioOne and Cubase occupy the same product space more or less (or will as StudioOne matures). LIVE is different enough from both of them that it makes a great companion program that you can use with either (in addition to being a solid DAW in its own right).
Drop me a line if you want to know more.
Try Reason (Propellerhead) It’s so user friendly. Love it.