DAWs and 4k, Pros and Cons

[antic604]

The 27" 4k by default is 150% scaled in Windows, and it said "recommended" beside it. In Mac (m1 air), the default is 200% scaled. I don't think there is someone runs 27" 4k monitor by 100% scaled.

and this gets to the heart of the issue. if you have a 4k screen that is 200% scaled, what you have is a 1080p monitor that costs a ton, and requires a beefier cpu/gpu to run properly.

...but still presents 4x as many detail as long as your software supports it. Which makes it worth it.

[Alexander_D]

Cubase have many issues in HDPi mode. I am on 27 4K now. Also have Ableton 11. Ableton works perfectly. Thinking to maybe change display. But don't know.I think that 27 without 4k will looks strange honestly. Or I need to buy two full HD 21 displays... Thoughts?

[EnGee]

What issues do you have in Cubase? It seems fine here!

[Alexander_D]

What issues do you have in Cubase? It seems fine here!

I am not only the one. Check this post here:

https://forums.steinberg.net/t/cubase-1 ... /734435/31

[antic604]

What issues do you have in Cubase? It seems fine here!

I am not only the one. Check this post here:

https://forums.steinberg.net/t/cubase-1 ... /734435/31

Yeah it's full of those little graphical glitches

It probably depends on Windows scaling factor, so it might not be visible at 200%, but definitely is at 125% that I've been using. Also a lot of icons, devices and menus still don't scale properly or are blurry. It's less than in 10.5 already, so I'm hoping they will get there gradually.

[Alexander_D]

What issues do you have in Cubase? It seems fine here!

I am not only the one. Check this post here:

https://forums.steinberg.net/t/cubase-1 ... /734435/31

Yeah it's full of those little graphical glitches

It probably depends on Windows scaling factor, so it might not be visible at 200%, but definitely is at 125% that I've been using. Also a lot of icons, devices and menus still don't scale properly or are blurry. It's less than in 10.5 already, so I'm hoping they will get there gradually.

Yes! I am at 150 Windows and in cubase on system scale as well. I tried all variants. And it works good just in 100% Windows scale but it's not possible to work in Cubase. All is so little. And in 200% but all is blurry... Regarding my post on Steinberg forum they don't fix it in the next version of Cubase... I just purchased Cubase in this summer...

[antic604]

Regarding my post on Steinberg forum they don't fix it in the next version of Cubase... I just purchased Cubase in this summer...

Yeah, I've seen that. Vote with your wallet and move to Studio One. Unless you specifically need some Cubase features, it's a much better experience overall, incl. High DPI support

[EnGee]

I can't see these glitches! Is that on Windows? This is on Windows:

[EnGee]

Are you sure you did enabled the HiDPI in Cubase?

[antic604]

I can't see these glitches! Is that on Windows? This is on Windows:

Aren't you on 200%?

EDIT: Oh, and they are there, just smaller - check the right-most icon on every track header. Also look at the icons in inspector or transport / tool bars - they're much blurrier than some of the fonts, which means they're stretched, not natively high-res.

[Alexander_D]

Regarding my post on Steinberg forum they don't fix it in the next version of Cubase... I just purchased Cubase in this summer...

Yeah, I've seen that. Vote with your wallet and move to Studio One. Unless you specifically need some Cubase features, it's a much better experience overall, incl. High DPI support

I was happy with Ableton honestly. Worked in Ableton about 3 years. But I was done one film with it and honestly it's not so perfect. It's the reason why I purchased Cubase Pro via discount and crossgrade for 250 USD. I really like the time warp tool in Cubase and disables the channels. I think for film scoring Cubase is the first on Windows

[EnGee]

I can't see these glitches! Is that on Windows? This is on Windows:

Aren't you on 200%?

EDIT: Oh, and they are there, just smaller - check the right-most icon on every track header. Also look at the icons in inspector or transport / tool bars - they're much blurrier than some of the fonts, which means they're stretched, not natively high-res.

Now I'm on 200% I like it more as the fonts are super sharp! and FM8, Massive look normal (like before) in Cubase now!

Oh, I can see them in the image I posted, but in Cubase I can't see them! Now, I'm not saying Cubase is perfect, no. Live and Bitwig has a better support, however, it seems every DAW has its own pros and cons. In Cubase some images are little bit blurry but the most important parts (especially the piano roll and other editing are sharp and nice). So, I'm still trying in the three DAWs (Live, Bitwig and Cubase) and test the most important VSTi/VST I have.

[T-CM11]

One advantage of 4K (as opposed to 1440p, for example) is that you actually can run 1080p, and it doesn't look much worse, because the monitor doesn't have to interpolate. That way you can play games in 1080p as well, if your computer can't handle 4K.

Actually, the monitor/GPU DOES interpolate - if you don't have a graphics card that supports integer scaling (my GTX970 doesn't).

OT: I know this isn't a gaming forum - but still: don't generalise "games". Many older and less demanding newer games run fine in 4K, full graphics settings, on lower end systems. Not everybody plays, or cares for, the newest blockbuster hits.

[chk071]

I play plenty of old games.

Most won't run out of the box in 4K though. There are third party patches for many of them to work in 4K, or on modern CPU's.

[T-CM11]

What's your experience with 4k monitors (especially the 27" ones), and how is your DAW showing there?

4K, 27" = 163 PPI

My DAW laptop is 15", 1920x1080, so 146 PPI - I find it perfectly useable at 100% scaling. Even my oldest plugins aren't too small (but I wouldn't mind them being a little bigger).

I run Cubase 9.5, so no scaling - I can't use a monitor with a higher PPI. I tried the Cubase Elements 11 Demo, and that would solve it - old plugins look a bit more blurry.

A 32" 4K screen (137 PPI) should be perfect for 100% scaling, even when using older plugins. The downside: you still have to sit relatively close - a lot of head movement...

My plan is to get a wall mounted 50/55" 4K TV. Maybe not ideal for an ITB desk-based setup - but it sounds ideal for my Hybrid studio.

(my) conclusion:
- (subjective, maybe?) 27" (16:9) is the largest size to use, comfortably/ergonomically on a desk. Your eyes should be level with (+/-) the top of your screen (ergonomics - neck movement).
- 4K (high DPI) now works fine in most newest versions of DAWs (hiDPI scaling!), if you're fine with older non-scalable plugins being a bit blurry.
- If you use older non-scalable plugins and a DAW without hiDPI scaling, don't use a hiDPI screen (e.g. 4K 27"). Same thing for all plugins are scalable, but non-scalable DAW.