Cubase 7.5.3 vs logic Pro-X 10.0.7 performance test on a real mixing project

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Hello everyone. I regularly engaged in mixing music and always wanted my computer to run faster. Entire of my professional career i worked in Cubase on PC, since version SX1. Beginning with version 7.0, i faced with rapidly increasing demands of Cubase for the resources of my PC. Aprox. 30% more cpu loading immediately after upgrading, resulting i couldn’t run most of my old projects from Cubase 6.5. I thought it was bound with temporary difficulties after major 7.0 release, but 7.5 update didn't change anything for me. Also i started to have problems with stability. The application regulary crashed. Within 10 hours work session i experienced at least 6-7 crashes of the program during loading new vst3 plugins. Most often a had crashes with Arturia and FXpansion plugins.

I began to think, that can I blame my computer and Operating System. I have bought a new system, tried different versions of windows, and even changed the sound cards - the problem has remained the same. In the end I decided to switch to MAC.

On the Mac everything got worse. Projects, which normally run on a PC, on a Mac became a fart with a creak. But the frequency of crashes decreased. Thanks at least for that ... And then I decided to look at the Logic (because I am now on the Mac, again, for that matter).

I installed Logic Pro-X 10.7 and then transfered my most cpu demanding project from Cubase in to the Logic.

And here is the result...
Снимок экрана 2014-09-13 в 13.58.58.png
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One and the same project with the same settings Logic pulls at least twice as fast, I would even say that in the two and a half times faster. At the same time during two working days i didn't have crashes due to the plug-ins.

Increase productivity by 2.5 times as a result of a simple change of the host - a monstrous difference, just outrageous!

I have worked in Cubase for more than a decade, but now obvious to me that it is time to change the DAW. Bitter and hurt to know that all this time, Cubase users pick pitiful crumbs of perfromance they could get if only Steinberg programmer's hands would not grow out of their assholes. Now, I wash my hands and then switch on Logic.

Tested: the latest iMac in top configuration with 32Gb ram. Cubase 7.5.3 and Logic Pro-X 7- 10.7, RME UCX

Test software:
Waves Mercury
T-racks
Sonnox
Softube
Line6 Pod Farm 2
A.O.M

I am not going to buy update to version 8 until:

1. minimum 2x increase in performance on a MAC!!!!!!!!!!!
2. support for core audio on a MAC!!!!!!!!!!!
3. drop 32x support
4. drop vst2 support (leave only vst3 for cubase)
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hi,
what buffer settings are you using on each out of curiosity?
Do you also have asioguard on or off?

Lastly why are the last two points important to you out of curiosity?

"3. drop 32x support
4. drop vst2 support (leave only vst3 for cubase)"


rsp
sound sculptist

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Cubase - ASIO guard is ON. Buffer 2048
Logic - Buffer 256 (!!!!!!!!!!)

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I must admit that this is a mac only problem. I've just opened the same project on the PC - i7-4670k with steinbok ur interface, buffer 2048. Performance doubles on pc. But that doesn't make my life easier
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are you running a hackintosh?
rsp
sound sculptist

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Iva wrote:Cubase - ASIO guard is ON. Buffer 2048
Logic - Buffer 256 (!!!!!!!!!!)
Sample based plugins go crazy with such high buffer sizes. I would never go further than 1024.
"A pig that doesn't fly is just a pig."

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are you running a hackintosh?
No, Late iMac 2013 in top configuration.

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I think I remember reading a while ago on kvr that someone had huge problems running cubase with an RME interface. So I could be completely wrong, but maybe there's something funked up about how the RME drivers interact with cubase? Looking at the 2 company's track records, if this is indeed the case, I'm guessing Steinberg is the one to blame, cause RME rarely messes up :)

EDIT: Try to run cubase on Mac with the Steinberg ur interface to see if there is any difference. Also is this happening with the UCX connected vIa either usb or firewire?

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Get rid of the ridiculous 2048 buffer size - tends to cause trouble as another user has pointed out. Run 256 samples on Cubase as well and report what happens.
"I got a car battery and two jumper cables that argue different."
Rust Cohle

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Run Cubase at 128 or 256 and have asio guard on (which i see you have, bare with me).

Notice logic's buffer MAXIMUM goes to 1024? That's because anything higher is pointless.

what size is logic's cheat buffer set at in preferences (small medium or large) - logic's version of asio guard. Well, logic was the one that started it all, the finest innovation in audio engine's today.. I could never work out how i could get so much done on an old pentium 3 single core, and now I know. Thanks to Logic. It really is stupid efficient.

The thing is, if Logic was on PC, it would get 2x the amount of plugins again on TOP of it's already amazing performance. Thank Apple for that.

S1, which is THE most inefficient host, outperforms logic (by 5% ish, not much) in bootcamp on the same mac for me... S1 on MAC, is 5x worse than logic LOL.

I am a bit of a performance tester whore so if you need any help let me know. Reason is the world's most inefficient DAW and I use that alot, so it's not all about the performance, it's stability, and nothing is more stable.

BUT.. logic 10.07 is very very good.

In fact, i really truly believe this, even though i don't use it as much anymore, everything considered, the pricetag, included contents, performance, stability, and sheer capability, i truly believe in my heart, for real, that logic is the finest DAW in existence today overall. I really really do. Just a couple of niggles but it's brilliant software.

i think you have made a good choice.. but bear in mind, cubase on mac with v7.5 performs ok for me... maybe only 10-20% worse than logic...

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Going back to this old topic. Just made a quick comparison of Cubase 9.0.10 and Logic Pro X 10.3.1.

Used in test one Kramer Tape Stereo plugin per playing track. Duplicated audio tracks while playing until DAW started to crack.
Result:

Logic Pro X - 96 tracks.
Cubase 9.0.10 - 102 tracks.

Well done, Steinberg! I have to say, you finally made it and Cubase is a real workhorse now on the MAC.

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Iva wrote:Going back to this old topic. Just made a quick comparison of Cubase 9.0.10 and Logic Pro X 10.3.1.

Used in test one Kramer Tape Stereo plugin per playing track. Duplicated audio tracks while playing until DAW started to crack.
Result:

Logic Pro X - 96 tracks.
Cubase 9.0.10 - 102 tracks.

Well done, Steinberg! I have to say, you finally made it and Cubase is a real workhorse now on the MAC.
Interesting, wonder how DP compares? I would assume similar, people say DP9 does about as much as Logic. Ableton Live and Bitwig would be about as bad or worse than Cubase was before the optimizations were done on the OSX version. At least they have the excuse of real time operation being priority #1 vs track count..

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