Steinberg Cubase Pro 9.5 Music Production Software
Steinberg's do-it-all DAW, Cubase Pro 9.5 boasts a 64-bit mix engine, flexible click track, new FX presets, automation curves, FLUX wavetable synth and more!
Overall User Ratings (based on 2 ratings)
Submitted January 11, 2018 by Nick B in Kent, WA
"From Sonar to Cubase"
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A couple months ago Cakewalk Sonar was discontinued after 30 years of work. I had been using it for 10 years and had to make the switch. I chose Cubase, and am really glad I did. While being similar to Sonar, it does many things in a much better way. For example adding effects to tracks is much more straightforward, and the program handles multiple plugins extremely well. Overall, a pretty painless transition after watching some tutorials on youtube. If you're in the same boat that I was when leaving Sonar, you won't be disappointed with Cubase.
Musical Style:
Punk, Alternative, Electronic, Traditional Bangladeshi folk
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Submitted September 17, 2018 by ALLAN BOURQUE in Tempe, AZ
"Powerful DAW with excellent editing capabilities"
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I do this as a hobby, but I like to have good tools all the same. I had been using Cakewalk Sonar for quite a while but grew tired of the uncertainty and I am not convinced Bandlab is going to do anything other than maintain the product as is. I wanted a good overall DAW for recording my own guitar based music that had high quality features and strong MIDI. It was a toss up for me between Presonus Studio One and Cubase. At the end, Cubase won out primarily because of the wealth of information out there on the product and it's incredibly strong audio and MIDI editing features.
Sound
It sounds fine. It's only as good or bad as the music you record with it :)
Features
Again, a great deal of editing flexibility for both audio and MIDI. The interface though much different than Sonar, is very intuitive and can be completely customized to fit your workflow. Everything is laid out in the track view and most everything is just a track. Tempo, markers, time signature, input output, effects, they are all lined up right in front and scroll in the scroll horizontally in the same manner making it easy to keep track of changes etc.
Ease of Use
As with any DAW, there is a great deal to learn and some things may not be intuitive if you are coming from another program, but once you understand the logic it all starts to make sense. Definitely take the time to read through the extensive online manual and watch some tutorials on the Steinberg YouTube channel.
Quality
It's software so there are a few bugs here and there, but nothing major. No crashes or audio dropout issues like I had with other programs.
Value
Aside from Pro Tool$$ it's the most expensive "Prosumer" software, but you get your money's worth. Is it worthwhile to get the Pro versus Artist? That's a question you have to answer for yourself. There are feature comparison matrix charts on the Steinberg website that list out what is included in each version.Upgrades have traditionally been once a year, and for previous versions the upgrade to the next version of the same level software has been $60USD which I think is more than fair.
Manufacturer Support
I haven't dealt directly with Cubase, but they have a great support network for learning the program. They have a very comprehensive YouTube channel with new content weekly. The support forums are full of very helpful people who while they may not be Steinberg employees, they know the product well and questions get answered quickly.
The Wow Factor
The wow factor is really in seeing what this product can do. There are a ton of YouTube channels outside of Steinberg that go into more real world production based tutorials and show off some of the glam you can get with this product. Check out URM and see what they are doing with it.
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