Steinberg Cubase 5 DAW Software Review
The New Cubase Digital Audio Workstation for Mac and PC
May 31, 2009
Cubase 5 is the latest update to Steinberg’s flagship music production program for Mac and PC. Cubase has been around since 1989 when it was first introduced as a MIDI sequencer for the classic Atari ST computer.
Over the last twenty years, Cubase has gone through numerous updates and revisions to make it one of the industry standard digital audio workstations (or DAWs) for modern day music producers around the globe.
The additions and improvements to this latest version will be enjoyed by long-time Cubase users but also by music producers looking for a new DAW to expand their creative options.
Cubase 4 Vs. Cubase 5
Introduced in 2006 to replace the SX/SL/SE designation, Cubase 4 was (and still is) viewed as a 'lemon' by many in the audio production world. In 2007, Steinberg tried to rectify the situation by releasing the Cubase 4.1 update. Although some of the bugs had been fixed with this update, there was still an alarming lack of DAW stability for Cubase users on both the Mac and PC platforms.
For a music producer, there are few things more frustrating than a DAW that crashes repeatedly for reasons that are not fixable by the end user. With Cubase 5, Steinberg has put the instability issue to rest.
Furthermore, there were some notable improvements made in Cubase 4 (such as the ability to change the order of channel insert effects via drag and drop and the introduction of instrument tracks) and all of those been carried over in Cubase 5.
What’s New in Cubase 5
Besides fixing much of what was wrong with version 4, Steinberg has also enriched Cubase 5 with a bundle of useful features that cannot be found in any other single digital audio workstation.
There are a several striking new features in Cubase 5 that will immediately appeal to users working primarily with either beats or vocals.
Beat Generation and Loop Manipulation
Remixers and electronic music producers will find three new and inspiring beat-creation tools in Cubase 5:
- ‘Groove Agent ONE ‘– a traditional MPC-style virtual instrument with rich editing/programming features.
- ‘Beat Designer’ – a slick step-sequencer designed to work in conjunction with 'Groove Agent ONE'.
- ‘Loopmash’ – an unique loop manipulation instrument that works by synthesizing slices from a series of audio loops into fresh, locked-to-tempo audio material.
Pitch Correction and Vocal Editing Tools
Those users working with vocals or other material that requires pitch correction or adjustment will find two welcome additions in Cubase 5.
The first is a stunning new feature called 'VariAudio’. It a Melodyne-type pitch editor that is built right into the Cubase sample editor. For those unfamiliar with Melodyne, imagine the potential of audio editing software that allows the user to edit the pitch of monophonic audio as quickly and seamlessly as if editing MIDI pitch data. Cubase is the first DAW on the market to incorporate this powerful feature.
Cubase 5 also offers a second, more conventional, pitch fixing tool. 'Pitch Correct’ is a high quality, monophonic VST3 plug-in designed to correct intonation and pitch in real-time.
A Few "Sleeper" Features
Some less flashy but truly priceless additions to Cubase 5 are a virtual MIDI controller keyboard and a feature called 'Channel Batch Export'.
The virtual MIDI keyboard is a feature that some other DAWs have had for years but has not been available in Cubase until version 5. The Cubase user now has the option of activating a virtual MIDI keyboard in the transport bar. Once activated, the user can trigger MIDI notes by hitting the corresponding keys on the computer keyboard. This is essential for the mobile Cubase user as it eschews dependency upon an external MIDI keyboard.
'Channel Batch Export' allows the Cubase user to export all the audio tracks in a multitrack session to individual audio files in just one pass. This feature is a huge time-saver for users that have either archiving requirements or that are constantly working between different DAWs.
With all these useful features Cubase 5 is both a no-brainer upgrade for any registered Cubase user and an enticing package for music producers currently working on other DAWs.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
