Quite a big disadvantage in Cubase SX3 !!!!!

[bduffy]

That's not so hard to program ,right?? Why so many years they didn't think about it?

And I do hope they can make some update for midi function. Just like a Pattern Brush tool in sonar or somethingelse creatively helpful to make things easy. So many years there's nothing improved in Midi fuction!!
They always think about spending lots of money to make a dongle!!!!

Wow...five pages and counting! I shouldn't be surprised.

Jonathan1977, I don't see what it is you're talking about. I hope you've written Steinberg and the Cubase Forum about this, otherwise they will never know that someone wants it.

I do actually agree with Sascha, I think Cubase is really overdue for a big cleanup, not just another semi-update. Like, get rid of the scanning EVERY PLUGIN, EVERY TIME you open (like Wavelab!), make the effect slots switchable (like Wavelab!), get rid of those stupid dialogue boxes that you can only use your mouse on, clean up the ASIO engine - I'm so sick of dropouts and crashes! etc, etc.

But yet, in the meantime, I cannot abide using anything else.

[Kingston]

get rid of the scanning EVERY PLUGIN, EVERY TIME you open

That actually works decently already (like old logic). It only scans for changes, although not as efficiently as wavelab. Only the initial startup takes ages in all of these.

[bduffy]

get rid of the scanning EVERY PLUGIN, EVERY TIME you open

That actually works decently already (like old logic). It only scans for changes, although not as efficiently as wavelab. Only the initial startup takes ages in all of these.

Which? In SX 3?

[OMU]

I always had the impression that Logic's environment can offer much more in terms of midi effects than Cubase,
But I'm not that much into midi though I would like to have a really powerfull software arp like the one in the Virus.

[bduffy]

I always had the impression that Logic's environment can offer much more in terms of midi effects than Cubase,
But I'm not that much into midi though I would like to have a really powerfull software arp like the one in the Virus.

Actually, the tragic thing is that the old Cubase (Atari or PC) used to be practically unrivalled in MIDI features. But that got really screwed up when they obliterated MIDI functionality for the Nuendo 1.0 code, then turned the Nuendo engine into the SX engine, then tried to shove all the MIDI back in slowly.

I thought SX 3 had restored some stuff that longtime VST-users wanted back. I'm not a hardcore MIDI freak either, so I'm not sure. Seems kinda tragic that one of the oldest sequencers isn't the best in MIDI too.

[Kingston]

get rid of the scanning EVERY PLUGIN, EVERY TIME you open

That actually works decently already (like old logic). It only scans for changes, although not as efficiently as wavelab. Only the initial startup takes ages in all of these.

Which? In SX 3?

All the SX versions as long as I can remember.

[bduffy]

get rid of the scanning EVERY PLUGIN, EVERY TIME you open

That actually works decently already (like old logic). It only scans for changes, although not as efficiently as wavelab. Only the initial startup takes ages in all of these.

Which? In SX 3?

All the SX versions as long as I can remember.

Well I guess technically it's scanning for changes, yeah. It still bites compared to Wavelab, whatever it's doing.

[Sascha Franck]

And it bites even more compared to eXT, which needs a second (!) to boot. Now, one might guess that as a tradeoff, loading plugins and activating their GUIs would be somewhat slower. But that just isn't so either.
Brilliant, slick code.
Yeah, I know it's nothing comparable to the truly big boys, yet it's quite fascinating how far a one man show could get.
Having said that, I'm anciently waiting for XT2. It *could* be the answer to a lot of our prayers.

I'm getting a Mac nevertheless

[bduffy]

And it bites even more compared to eXT, which needs a second (!) to boot. Now, one might guess that as a tradeoff, loading plugins and activating their GUIs would be somewhat slower. But that just isn't so either.
Brilliant, slick code.
Yeah, I know it's nothing comparable to the truly big boys, yet it's quite fascinating how far a one man show could get.
Having said that, I'm anciently waiting for XT2. It *could* be the answer to a lot of our prayers.

I'm getting a Mac nevertheless

EXT's the modular one, right? I tried it out, it looks cool, ultra-flexible...but kind of strange too! I was thinking last night how people who've been turned on to computer music in the last few years, using things like EXT must look at things like Cubase, et al and just hang their heads. I'm sure it seems ultra-rigid to someone used to a modular environment. To me, modular stuff seems kinda initimidating, but as always, it's a matter of what you get used to. I've been meaning to delve into it some more, but who has time for a whole new host these days?

If EXT2 is indeed the salvation, and you think an old Cubase dinosaur could get into it, then you let me know right away.

[bleebsen]

And it bites even more compared to eXT, which needs a second (!) to boot. Now, one might guess that as a tradeoff, loading plugins and activating their GUIs would be somewhat slower. But that just isn't so either.

I think that the main reason for all this plugin scanning is to reduce the chance of the sequencer crashing in mid-session. This usually makes the user angry at the host, not the plugin.

If a plugin would crash it would crash upon starting the host, not during work. Less damage done. Logic even has this plugin enabler tool, which is just a decoy to not crash the precious sequencer itself. You can just keep starting logic until it does not crash, too. The tool is just to distract. (**in my humble drug-infested opinion**, speaking to mr. logic himself ).

So my guess is eXTs would be easier to crash with buggy plugins.

[Sascha Franck]

bduffy - as a Cubase user you NEED eXT. And yes, you needed it yesterday already!
Of yourse you don't need the sequencer portion of it (which I am not using either), but it's just freaking marvelleous as a subhost.

See, Cubase users are complaining about the lack of FX not being exchangeable (without completely unloading them that is). A no brainer with eXT!

In addition, you can even run FX parallely (without some wicked group routing scenarios, you just do it).

Then, you can layer synths, yay! Sure, you can record on multiple tracks simultaneously as well in Cubase - but it's something entirely different!

And finally (and that's where the true fun starts), you can control EACH VST(i) parameter with whatever MIDI controller you like. Just imagine, you'd setup a chain of a synth, a distortion unit and some delay, and by simply turning your ModWheel up, the cutoff would be slightly lowered (you can scale it how much effect the CC movements have), resonance would go up, drive of the distortion unit would raise as well and probably the delay's feedback too!
And, as if that wasn't good enough to make you wet your pants allready, you just save the complete shebang as one single preset to have it available once and forever.

All that for some lousy 50 bucks - can't beat that!

Btw, it's going to become the heart of my new live guitar setup as well. Mainly because:
- I won't have to use a dongle.
- I can (hopefully, not completely there yet, waiting for a new controller) control it in whichever way I like.
- It does an excellent job on "tap tempo" (with some additional MIDI plugin from soma of these parts), which is gonna be a key feature in my live setups.

Oh yes, this pretty much sounds like fanboyism - deservedly so. And I haven't even touched the sequencer part myself yet.

Ahh: It even has it's own onboard sampler. And while it's pretty plain, especially for someone owning Kontakt allready, it does a better job on slicing loops and exporting MIDI files (you just drag them into your arrangement).

Seriously, wouldn't know of anything offering a better bang for the buck.

[jens]

And it bites even more compared to eXT, which needs a second (!) to boot. Now, one might guess that as a tradeoff, loading plugins and activating their GUIs would be somewhat slower. But that just isn't so either.

I think that the main reason for all this plugin scanning is to reduce the chance of the sequencer crashing in mid-session. This usually makes the user angry at the host, not the plugin.

If a plugin would crash it would crash upon starting the host, not during work. Less damage done. Logic even has this plugin enabler tool, which is just a decoy to not crash the precious sequencer itself. You can just keep starting logic until it does not crash, too. The tool is just to distract.

So my guess is eXTs would be easier to crash with buggy plugins.

theoretically you are right - but e.g Sonar crashes a lot on me due to the usage of plugins (often during saving while playback is activated - don't do that with Sonar ) - and the adapter checks all plugins and offers to disable buggy ones... - eXT on the other hand rarely crashes and it's always easy to find the bad boy because if it crashes it's usually when you tweak the plugin and even then most of the time just an error-message pops up which you can close, then save and close eXT and reload the project. With Sonar on the other hand I got used to losing work.

[jens]

EXT's the modular one, right? I tried it out, it looks cool, ultra-flexible...but kind of strange too! I was thinking last night how people who've been turned on to computer music in the last few years, using things like EXT must look at things like Cubase, et al and just hang their heads. I'm sure it seems ultra-rigid to someone used to a modular environment. To me, modular stuff seems kinda initimidating, but as always, it's a matter of what you get used to. I've been meaning to delve into it some more, but who has time for a whole new host these days?

If EXT2 is indeed the salvation, and you think an old Cubase dinosaur could get into it, then you let me know right away.

eXT is my main sequencer and I usually do not use the modular enviroment at all (I'm a 'classic' sequencer-guy)

[Sascha Franck]

You surely have a point there, bleebsen - but then:
I have experienced more plugin based crashes with Logic than with eXT. Actually, that's one of the very reasons I'm using it. It just expands Logics compatibility enormously.
I don't even think I ever had an eXT crash at all (might be related to the fact that I'm only using it as a subhost, not really stressing the critical things).

In any case, the startup plugin scan doesn't help Logic much with some plugins. The only thing I experienced was that it actually f**ked up things in some weird way: After adding the TBT plugins (mind you, FX plugins!), all of a sudden both Battery 1/2 and DR-008 wouldn't show up as a multiout plugin anymore. 100% reproduceable. Weird, huh?

And btw, the plugin enabler is only working for DX plugins.

[bduffy]

Sascha and jens: Most interesting...I forgot you can load it as a subhost, a la Fruity. Huhn. I'm not much of a live synth guy - yet - as I just finally got a crappy keyboard at home, but really, if you can use Ext to load VST/VSTi's, that solves a lot of problems. Do you get total recall with Cubase projects?