Cubase 8.5 users?

[eric]

As an avid Cubase fan since the Atari days, I am looking to purchase Cubase 8.5. The Steinberg site is full of "what's new in Cubase 8.5" but not much in the way of product specification. As I will be using it with Xite-1 There's a lot I don't need or want. I want a good MIDI sequencer and Audio recording. I guess I'll have to see a demonstration somewhere before I decide but does anyone here use it? Does anyone use a lot of VST's? Your comments would be valued.

Eric

[hubird]

Cubase has all you need for sequencing and recording.
But it also is linear in method, where for instance Ableton Life is more pattern based.
The question is what your workflow needs

[Mr Arkadin]

I have 8.5 but haven't used it much yet. In terms of Scope usage it's not really changed since v4 in terms of my workflow as I don't use any of the built-in stuff.

I do use VST instruments though, Kontakt, BFD3, Oddity2, impOSCar2, M-Tron Pro, VLinn and VirtualCZ. I always route them through Scope to add Space f's FAT devices to beef them up a bit. All other audio is also bussed through Scope, so really Cubase is a bit of overkill for me. I've been considering Studio One 3 as a possible alternative.

Braincell uses Cubase features a lot so hopefully he'll chip in with more useful knowledge.

[erminardi]

I'm using it every day.
I love it, but not their (too) frequent paid-update policy.
BTW I think that you can do truly everything with this DAW.
Maybe the only concern is the learning curve for that vaste bunch of options that could be quite long and sometimes
disheartening...
[basically there are often a lot of ways to do the same thing]

[hubird]

Three arbitrary tips at hand:

- use the Project/tempo-track when you get a bunch of tracks to mix, recorded without clicktrack.

You can draw a tempo line per measure for example. Click and draw vertically to get a tempo point, have quantise 'on', for conveniency.( Left upper corner: activate...)
Just watch the well placed ruler matching the aimed start of the bar while vertically moving

Result: not only you get a visually right picture of bars and beats, but more importantly, you can use the loping function on quantise values, which is extremely helpful during mixing.

Make absolutely sure you have only 'non stop' tracks, otherwise loose parts don't stretch in sync... Don't even make cuts. Re-record loose parts to complete track.

- If you wanne shift a note or syllabus of an audio track a bit forward, you cut and move that part. But you get a small gap in front of it, which often is hearable as an unpleasant hick-up.
Go to Audio/Advanced/Close gaps (time stretch), works fine. Take care for created clicks on start- and endpoints.
This works much easier than Process/Time stretch (for these small corrections of single notes.

Oh, cut the part back to one note first, before actually stretching

- Don't forget to activate the 'midi thru' or 'monitor' button in the track name part, the speaker icon. I still trap into it sometimes

[eric]

Thank you all for those insights. Some of the tips are a bit beyond my current knowledge of the product though!

Looking at all options but as you say, it depends on my workflow which is also undergoing a re-think!

Again, thanks,

Eric

[dante]

I wont be upgrading Cubase past Cubase 8.0. I only use it to dump stuff out and now that Reason 9 will have a Mellodyne style pitch edit that will be the final deathknell for me putting $$ to Steinbug.

Reason 9 pitch edit

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