Cubase Users...

[Charlzm]

And if you're a Cubase Wiz, I have some other questions too...

I've been on Pro Tools since 2006 and have been happy enough with it that I have never tried another DAW. I have upgraded several times.

So... no Cubase advice. Sorry.

I hear all the kids like Reaper, though.

 

[vvvmmm]

... and would stripe one track with time code, ....

So I'm doing a multi-release project were I play acoustic and sing, and send to a guy in Canada to overdub to. I've been doing it in my living room with a Zoom R16, which has a built-in metronome, but doesn't "stripe" the click.

But the acoustic bassist/multi-instrument guy (see the C19 projects at the link below) requests a click track, including because he's overdubbing percussion on my guitar playing.

I ended up playing the metronome thru the headphones what I hang on top of a mic and record, then I record my tracks while monitoring that recorded metronome track, what click I send separate but along with the guitar/voc mixdown to Canada.

Works a treat.

 

[kevindahl]

I have used Cubase since 1997 or so. I paid $1000 for cubase, wavelab and a waves reverb. My PC couldn't even run the reverb. Win 95 if I remember correctly. Those days were FRUSTRATING! No internet, well there was but no info for DAW users. Software crashed and did not work. I was on the phone with Steinberg every other day. Plug and play was called plug and pray.

 

[Mik Walker]

I ended up playing the metronome thru the headphones what I hang on top of a mic and record, then I record my tracks while monitoring that recorded metronome track, what click I send separate but along with the guitar/voc mixdown to Canada.

Inventive solutions to practical problems can often make for great results!!

 

[MonetBass]

When I bought my Presonus Audiobox USB (in 2006, I think) it came with Cubase 4.0 LE, and it was great. Very intuitive, easy to use, and lots of effects, especially reverbs. It ran great on my Windows 7 machine, too. I had to upgrade the Audiobox driver a couple of times to keep it working with Cubase. Fast forward to last year, when I bought a Windows 10 PC with lots of horsepower. Guess what? Cubase works on it, but now it doesn't recognize the Audiobox. So I downloaded a copy of Studio One Prime, which is free from Presonus (and comes with the Audioboxes now), and I like that software even more. More intuitive, believe it or not (adding inserts to tracks is literally drag-and-drop) and enough effects options to keep me happy. It does NOT support 3rd party VSTs, though. But I found an effects bundle from Presonus for $20 that does work, so I'm happy.

Anyway, if you have some questions about Cubase, I may be able to help. PM me.

EDIT: I started my recording journey using a dual-cassette recorder/player. I could record on one side, move that tape over to the playback only side and insert a new tape on the record side, then record while playing back the previous recording. Tedious, yes, but it worked. The fidelity on the first recording just sucked by the time you got more than four parts done. Later I bought a Fostex 4-track cassette recorder, which is how I learned about bouncing tracks. Fun stuff.

 

[silky smoove]

I've been using Cubase since before there was such a thing as digital audio.

I’ll be that guy: PCM came about in 1937 for use in telephony, whereas Cubase didn’t arrive until 1989.

 

[Mik Walker]

Love the cassettes ...


I'll add that I wrote the MOST songs in the days of this wonderful machine, which was a dream come true when first purchased:

Yep. Started out bouncing between two cassette machines and finally got a Tascam 144 not long after they first came out ('79 or '80 I think). I wore that thing out.......

 

[Pizza1988]

I recently upgraded from Cubase 5 to 10.5 (Pro). It has a lot more useful tools (for me) and still has all the easy to use features I like. They moved some things around so I have to re-learn some ways to accomplish things, but overall I like it.

I upgraded mainly since I had Cubase 5 on 3 different computers and my newest one wouldn't accept certain drivers or something. Now I'm back in business.. if I could just find that track I wanted to import..

 

[azureblue]

I'm with Joe I started with Pro 24 on Atari, which was morphed in cubase on Atari then over to Mac. It is a sleeper program - there are a lot of things that it will do, that can also be done in separate programs, but all in one. I write horn charts, and I love being able to hear how they will sound before I hit transpose / print. And being able to try them with a real bass, guitar and drums track. I have a good steady drummer so I record BGD, then drop that into Cubase, match tempo, and go to work on the horns.

Also I love the digital audio end of it - I know I am prejudiced but I find it easier to work with, especially when working along side with midi tracks.

I tried to teach it to some guys, starting with midi, then working with loops and recording audio and they all bailed after about 6 lessons. Way too much to handle.


PS "For some reason I never got the hang of the new mix window. Without using 2 monitors, when mixing I have to constantly go back and forth with screens...."

I have 2 - 32" screens and I need a third for the FX windows. If I get back into video work, I will need a fourth. Wretched excess...

 

[Pings Bass]

The closest thing I have to that is using ProTools. I used the free version on Windows a long time ago, then when I bought a mac for the studio, tried it again. I can forgive a power tool being non-intuitive, because obviously there are a lot of things that take patience to learn. But the software was incredibly balky and crashy, even on my mid-high end mac. I dropped the $200 on Logic Pro and never looked back. It does everything I need it to (and more) and is very intuitive to use for the most part.

 

[StatesideRambler]

Aha. In the 80s I was rocking a Tascam 424, but used bank street music writer on the commodore 64 so I guess technically that was digital audio?

over the years I have “downgraded” several programs for the sake of usability. I have two PCs that I will never connect to a network for fear of “upgrades” being foisted upon me.

Is there a software equivalent of the Tascam 424? I really have neither patience for nor interest in all the “features” of all those gotta-have programs like Cubase, Pro Tools, and the like. I have a Zoom H2N which is serviceable for a lot of stuff but I’m interested in something that emulates the simplicity and adaptability of that “obsolete” Tascam.

I humbly offer my apologies for derailing things. I was triggered.

 

[And I]

A daw can be as simple as you want it to. Ignore any button or slider that is not mute, solo, pan or volume. Create 4 tracks. Record one at a time. After you record the track, eq if you want to. Bam, you have a Tascam 424.

 

[Joe Nerve]

A daw can be as simple as you want it to. Ignore any button or slider that is not mute, solo, pan or volume. Create 4 tracks. Record one at a time. After you record the track, eq if you want to. Bam, you have a Tascam 424.

I'm going to agree, and then disagree on that .

Yes. You can make crappy 4 track cassette like recordings on any DAW, and just ignore everything you don't want to use.

To make a decent recording however, ya need more than 4 tracks, decent EQing capabilities, and a handful of effects. EQing on Cubase Al involves 2 clicks and having a nice big picture in front of you that can be easily manipulated with a mouse. Later version of Cubase involve many clicks, a microscopic window to work in, a plethora of options, and you wind up losing the original screen you were working on. Effects are the same. With Al you get a small handful to choose from, with very few parameters. Later version you have to first figure out how to actually get to the effects... and then there's lots more involved. The screens aren't user friendly, and its not so easy to ignore all the things you DON'T want to use. I've accidentally clicked buttons that took me hours to figure out how to correct. One little goof can end the creative process for days.

 

[StatesideRambler]

A daw can be as simple as you want it to. Ignore any button or slider that is not mute, solo, pan or volume.

Yes. You can make crappy 4 track cassette like recordings on any DAW, and just ignore everything you don't want to use.

I honestly do not want to be forced to ignore a large share of what’s depicted on a Swiss Army Knife screen. Yep, I’m a less-is-more guy. My wants most certainly don’t call for more than four tracks. Hell, most often my wants are amply answered with two tracks! The recordings that I make I use (9 times out of 10) for critiquing my playing. When I share a recording, it’s only with those people I occasionally play with.

If it helps the perspective: I’m a man of simple needs. e.g. I have a flip phone and I will have as long as they can be found. It makes and receives telephone calls and handles ordinary text messages. I ask no more, I want no more. These days I get good quality recordings with my Zoom H2n but I’d like to find some software that’s far less awkward than the H2n for simple edits.

 

[And I]

Try Audacity?

 

[MonetBass]

Try Audacity?

This is exactly what I was going to recommend for @StatesideRambler. It's free and fairly basic. Sounds like from a DAW standpoint, it's precisely what you would want.

 

[StatesideRambler]

Try Audacity?

This is exactly what I was going to recommend for @StatesideRambler. It's free and fairly basic. Sounds like from a DAW standpoint, it's precisely what you would want.

Thanks, I’ll give that a look. Right now I’m learning a new (to me) software called Transcribe! for (obviously) transcribing. Once that’s in hand I’ll go look into Audacity.

 

[byacey]

I started on a Tascam 38, moved up to a Tascam MSR16, Adats, and finally took the plunge and bought Cubase 4.5 in about 2004, along with the Steinberg Hammerfall 9652 ADAT lightpipe interface card.
I've been using the same software since then and have no desire to move to anything else.

 

[filmtex]

The closest thing I have to that is using ProTools. I used the free version on Windows a long time ago, then when I bought a mac for the studio, tried it again. I can forgive a power tool being non-intuitive, because obviously there are a lot of things that take patience to learn. But the software was incredibly balky and crashy, even on my mid-high end mac. I dropped the $200 on Logic Pro and never looked back. It does everything I need it to (and more) and is very intuitive to use for the most part.

That’s my story as well. I also use StudioOne and Ableton Live when I’m not up to my ears in FinalCut X.

 

[Bassist30]

I have been using Cubase for awhile. I usually do the updates as it usually 59.99 for the update. The Daw is getting better and better that you can make a pretty good mix with the plugins it already has. So do I think you should update. I say yes. But some have what I see here old computers running older windows with some limited ram. I am not trashing that and I think you can make very good products with the older models. You don't need the fastest computer to work with cubase 10.5. My computer is a few years old and working fine. I should be doing more and trying to get more inspired.