Cubase 8.5 problems and solutions

[EnGee]

I'm having random crashes and instabilities with Cubase Artist 8.5. I'm not sure if it is related to Windows/Graphic driver update! But it seems I can't work with Cubase more than few minutes, then a crash or sound is lost!

I'm thinking of changing my main host (again! ).

Anyway, I'm moving my last post here from another thread as promised. If you have any thoughts/solutions, please write it here for those with Cubase problems. (I'm on Windows 10 64bit using 64bit only (except just one 32bit plugin, not bridged).

Well, yesterday it was peaceful! No crash whatsoever! I have a 'testing' project which I insert anything into it, from demos to ..etc. Yesterday, I unloaded Reaktor (and all related). So the tracks were of : Retrologue, Padshop pro, Avenger beta, LuSH, Hive, Korg synths (Mono/Poly, MS-20), Groove Agent SE, Dark Planet demo, Synclavier V, Predator and Midi/Audio for my Blofeld.

It saved without error and everything seems to work fine. Hmmm, is it Native Instruments non compatible with Cubase and Studio One? It seems if I stay away from NI, I don't have a problem (especially Reaktor and Kontakt!).

I'll test again today with 'everything but NI' plan and see!

Update
---------
Nope!! I just had a crash with Synclavier V! I clicked the Next button, and I had this:

Cubase_Crash.JPG

I'm not going to sacrifice Synclavier V for Cubase! Never! So, I'm going to test other hosts I have. It must be a host that very stable with the few synths I have, if not, then 'Next'

[Googly Smythe]

I have no advice for you but my experience with Win10/Cubase was similar. I tried everything - fresh install, up to date drivers, old drivers, you name it. I tried 3 times over the year and finally gave up, and went back to Win7.
Was using Win10 Pro (ha!).
RME audio card, i7, 16gb ram, AMD soundcard, bought 2 years ago from Scan. All software legal and paid for.

[JonSolo]

There are times I believe it to be Windows 10. But I also believe it to be how Windows 10 handles audio drivers. And for that matter while I do not expect hardware manufacturers to deliver drivers indefinitely I would expect, as in my case, a product that is just a few years old to be supported. My 6i6 never had official Windows 10 drivers, though it was said to be compatible.

On the other hand, other DAWs that I have work without the same freeze-ups, sound drops, MIDI stopping, etc. that I get from Cubase 8.5 (and older). So when it comes to Cubase, while I do not believe it is a faulty product per se, I DO believe it to not address audio in Windows 10 in the same fashion as other DAWs, at least from a hardware point of view. And this could be the cause of audio/MIDI drops and freezes.

There could be other issues with plugins or drivers, or even issues with my specific system, but I cannot duplicate the issues in FL Studio or Ableton. So I have to narrow the field to Cubase.

[UltraJv]

Plugins usually cause crashes.

[Googly Smythe]

Plugins usually cause crashes.

Generally speaking, I would agree. But often I didn't get a chance to load a plugin before Cubase vanished from the screen.
Others, though, have no problems with Win10/Cubase.

[Dr.Future]

"Plungins usually cause crashes" - yes, that's ok and I can deal with that, the only thing that sucks is the error-message that helps 0% in finding the cause. If there's only a little hint WHICH plugin or process is the cause...but this way it's really frustrating.

[EnGee]

I really don't know why! I mean Cubase was so good with Windows before many years, what happened now?! Is it the legacy code? I really have no idea about the coding and how they do it in Steinberg.

Anyway, there is no way I go back to Windows 7 (I have Win 8 DVD anyhow! not Win 7). I also can't sacrifice any synths I consider from my favourites. So, the solution for me is to use another host that doesn't have these problems (S1, FLS or even Live intro) till Cubase version 9 comes. I'll try the demo and if the problems are the same, then I continue with whatever I chose instead.

By the way, S1v3 (Artist with VST support) has a better loading and saving/exiting times than Cubase, but it is little bit more in the CPU. The same applies on FL Studio. I have zero problems with those hosts! (Well, almost anyway).

[Resonant- Serpent]

I went to Win 10, and completely regretted it. Windows Defender and Update were messing with my settings, and really screwed with the Ilok. When windows would update, it would change the settings I had put in services. And, for reasons I still couldn't figure out, my Lynx ASIO driver would disconnect, and I'd have to reinstall my drivers. Sometimes several times a week. Cubase would crash every time the driver was lost, and Windows would change my audio perferences. I also had trouble in Sonar Platinum with NI vsts. Continual crashing. And, Ilok is incompatible with Studio One and Win 10. I don't know if you use Ilok, but I think that may have been part of the problem. Cubase and Sonar both coded around Ilok being incompatible with Win 10. Studio One didn't.

I went back to Win 7 three weeks ago, and haven't had a problem since. Zero crashes or needs to reinstall. Cubase also uses less resources in Win 7. I'd say either 7 or 8 would be better than Win 10. Cubase is my favorite daw, so I'm staying where I'm at. Win 7 is supported until 2020, so I can get a lot of music done by then, and hopefully things will have worked out by that time.

[lfm]

I really don't know why! I mean Cubase was so good with Windows before many years, what happened now?! Is it the legacy code? I really have no idea about the coding and how they do it in Steinberg.

Have a vague memory reading that Cubase started using JUCE multiplatform libraries at some point, not sure which version. But not all sure.

Jules of Tracktion built those, and from experience of Tracktion 4 I don't trust that guy at all. I felt like bleeding paying betatester.

But Cubase has been all stable in Windows 7 for me, so maybe all the fixes needed to be up to date with Windows 10 is to do with it not working for some. I can't believe Microsoft changed so much that all kinds of software needed fixes to run properly, everything from audio drivers, even graphics drivers and stuff.

I looked a year ago, and just a month ago at new computers - and vast majority have Windows 7 preinstalled still - at least the ones I looked at. There is a reason for that, we all love W7 and how it just works. If computers had W10, they always notified it had downgrades to W7 as well. This is public demand ruling this. Not to W8 - to W7.

What is good about W10 anyway, you are forced to have an everchanging machine - updates are not optional anymore, it's not even your machine anymore, Microsft says jump you have to jump.

I read just a couple of days ago on Adobe forum, one guy had to back graphics drivers version after W10 upadted itself. When is an update just making Syncrosoft key for Steinberg go bezerk, or iLok for that matter - we all saw the early releases of iLok2 and Windows 10 disaster. I'm waiting for it. And with 500 or so plugins, that is 500 software products that may be affected too - did they all go through W10 adaptions.

Microsoft are desperate trying to restore it's position - since iPhones and Android came about 10 years ago and people don't really need a PC in the same way as before. And in Windows 8 they started this Windows Universal Platform thingy, with apps and stuff to work on both PC and phones and xbox. They bought Nokia trying to force phones on us - but my bank(Forex) don't even bother making apps for Windows Phone - nobody uses it. One would think Forex had enough customers for that to happend - but no - so that is my conclusion from reply from bank.

I buy a lot of tv-series on dvd since I don't have tv as such. And one series has Windows Phone as product placement there all the time as well as PC with the category colored squares that apps have - they sponsor/advertise this way to think anybody use Windows Phones. I used Nokia a lot in the 90's, very good phones, it's not that - but OS is not spread enough. And the apps I've seen on xbox does not want me to know more about it either - xbox has windows 8 core it's built around.

Forgive me for this rant - I just had to get it off my chest....

[vintagesamples]

try running Cubase in compatibility mode

[igoramos]

Cubase 8.5.20 on OSX Sierra is almost unusable. Crashes constantly for such a variety of actions that I can't really track down why. I have to save projects as templates for it not to crash on save.

[EnGee]

@lfm:
I have Windows phone and I really like it It has been for about 3 years, very rare frozen. It still working fine! (Nokia 520).
I don't know, for most of my life I have been using Dos/Windows. A little bit of Linux and OSX (and even Sun Solaris!) but, I got used to it.
I don't know about the JUCE framework, but it is strange for me that Steinberg is using such framework. Do, they need it really?! Anyway, I suspect it is mostly due to changes in security and permissions policies in Windows 10 maybe is breaking those programs with extra maniac protection!

try running Cubase in compatibility mode

This is might be the solution I have run it in windows 7 compatibility mode, and couldn't make it crash! But it is noticeably slow in loading projects and saving.

I have been playing with Synclavier for about two hours without any problem

But, I have ordered Studio One producer v2 and the upgrade to Pro v3 about 10 hours ago from JRR Shop ($20 + $85) which is a steal IMO. So, I don't know if I be happy or not I guess I should be happy

[lfm]

@lfm:
I have Windows phone and I really like it It has been for about 3 years, very rare frozen. It still working fine! (Nokia 520).
I don't know, for most of my life I have been using Dos/Windows. A little bit of Linux and OSX (and even Sun Solaris!) but, I got used to it.

I was investigating to get a Windows phone, since I feel Google almost own my life - you need Google account for many things like Android updates etc. And search engine, youtube and all.

But bank stopped me doing that - no plans to make app for it.

I don't know about the JUCE framework, but it is strange for me that Steinberg is using such framework. Do, they need it really?! Anyway, I suspect it is mostly due to changes in security and permissions policies in Windows 10 maybe is breaking those programs with extra maniac protection!

It simplifies developing for both Windows and Mac - that is main reason. You don't need separate codebase that much.
There are other libraries like QT which is more widely spread, I think, we used at a place I worked.

[vintagesamples]

Cubase 8.5.20 on OSX Sierra is almost unusable. Crashes constantly for such a variety of actions that I can't really track down why. I have to save projects as templates for it not to crash on save.

Cubase has been unstable on mac for a long time

try running Cubase in compatibility mode

This is might be the solution I have run it in windows 7 compatibility mode, and couldn't make it crash! But it is noticeably slow in loading projects and saving.

I have been playing with Synclavier for about two hours without any problem

But, I have ordered Studio One producer v2 and the upgrade to Pro v3 about 10 hours ago from JRR Shop ($20 + $85) which is a steal IMO. So, I don't know if I be happy or not I guess I should be happy

try running it on windows 8 mode and see which one suits you the best

what about loading & saving projects that created under compatibility mode?

[EnGee]

try running it on windows 8 mode and see which one suits you the best

what about loading & saving projects that created under compatibility mode?

Good idea. I'll start a new project today under Win8 compatibility and report back the result. Thank you