Cubase - what do you use that makes the Pro version worthwhile

[kritikon]

Odd question, but as there's a sale on I mulled over upgrading Artist to Pro once again. I had another look through some of the features/plugins etc and TBH came away again thinking - not much in Pro that I need or want. But it might be that I'm just not aware of useful stuff in there or how others use it creatively.

I used to use the full version for 20+ years then had a break, came back to music and got Artist. Which does pretty well all of what I need (I think). I don't diddle around with audio that much, though I do record live played keys/synths (which I might tweak in the editors also), but no other live instruments or vocals, so I really don't use much of the fancy vari-audio and stuff like that. When I record audio, TBH mostly I turn it into a part so I can chop/glue/move/copy/arrange like other parts, and again the audio side of things is occasionally handy but not really essential to me - I dick around with fade-ins/outs, audio levels within the clips (very useful), even recently got into the sampler side of things since they spruced it up. But nothing in there has made me think "Artist is missing A or B that Pro has". I don't write music as in annotation - never will. Artist has the same number of channels/buses etc nowadays AFAIK. I'd be happy with 8 buses anyway like I used to on a real desk.

So what specifics of Pro do you find essential that makes you pay the extra for it?

[Scotty]

Variaudio (also in Artist) , Control Room options, Batch Export,VCA, , Import Tracks from Project , Direct off line Processing, Direct Routing are the most important for me.

[skijumptoes]

Looking at the comparison chart, Artist is pretty well specc'd. Better than it was when I jumped back to to Cubase @ ver 9 i'm sure.

It'd be control room that I'd miss the most - but for what I actually use it for I could just create a bus within the project to control levels and apply room corrections. So not wholly critical for me, but just being so used to it would be immediately a problem if someone took it away!

I'd also miss expression maps, It's an aged system that is in need of being updated and therefore not something I'd actually want to pay extra for however. Sound Variations in Studio One is just so much more slicker that it makes me want to cry!

The additional mixer views I constantly make use of too, as I like to output guitars, bass, drums, vox etc into their own busses for mixing - People call this top down approach I think? But I have a mixer view for those busses, and then another for the separates, and have got so used to seeing my projects in that fashion now - as they're aligned via screenset presets.

Listen Mode I would miss, You can use this to solo tracks, but unlike a normal solo you can instead chose to dim the tracks by a set level that would normally be muted - This allows you to 'listen' to a snare at full volume, and still hear the rest of the tracks dimmed in the context (For example).

PLE (Project Logical Editor) I've used many times in the past and I know many users herald this as a must have feature... For me the input transformer is something I will use to correct MIDI Channels into separate tracks, but the PLE has never been a critical element for me - But I do like to have it there should I ever need it for one-off tasks.

Reading that list, not sure any are actually all that critical in truth. But the additional stock plugins and extras just make it a better buy for me. I use a lot of the stock plugins.

[DevonB]

The only thing for me that I need Pro for it looks like now is the 256 inputs vs 32. I have 3 MOTU 828 Mk3's on my system. Not sure what Cubase would to do 'limit' those, or if it only be 'ports in use' and what I have configured. Either way, I'm using at least 42 ports already, so that would stop me from using Artist.

Devon

[kritikon]

Batch export sounds useful, though not sure how often I'd really need that.
VCA - I never really looked into that - what is it? I can automate the mixer already, so it can't be that...
Project logical editor - I used to use logical editor way back in time when it was all midi and it was very powerful - TBH too complicated and couldn't be arsed nowadays.
I'm just never going to need 256 inputs. I can barely keep up with 2

[Scotty]

You don’t need VCA until you do, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_n3clORtsRE

[kritikon]

Ok, useful in some situations, I guess.

[lfm]

Ran Elements 7, then Pro 8.0, 8.5, 9.0, 9.5 then dropped CB.
Ran StudioOne until 4.7, the back to good old Sonar Artist 2015.

In Pro was a couple of things
- list editor, in other daws called midi list view, easy to look through what is there
- time warp as I recall, ability to in timeline readjust bars position and tempo and such
- I think some metronome custom beat pattern was also in v 9 Pro
- not sure if arranger tracks was Pro only

and think was mentioned above in different wording
- track templates, to export tracks to xml file that you reuse in other projects
- even though unreliable at the time at least, people had serious issues including me

[Weasel-Boy]

There are quite a number of features in the Pro version I use that Artist doesn't have... but for me, hands down, it's the Control Room. I can't work without that thing.

[kritikon]

I guess control room is more useful if you're doing proper studio work?

[billcarroll]

Cubase Pro has "Import Tracks from Projects" which I use a lot.

Also Control Room and Direct Offline Processing are only in Pro. Control Room is great for things like Slate VSK, SuperVision, and other analysis tools. The plugins are out of your export signal chain and they are global for every project. Very useful.

[sin night]

The control room is useful even in a home studio, if you need to setup multiple monitors, if you want to dim the volume or listen to mono (and you don't want to use and external monitor controller), if you want to have some plugins on your main output (for example acoustic correction software) that you don't want to include when you export the audio (if you inserted it on your master channel, you'd need to remember to disable it everytime you export and then enable it again)...

There's a video by Dom Sigalas showing some of the advantages of the control room.


Speaking of why I use the Pro version:
- I need more than 32 I/O (I have a few hardware synths and they all have their dedicated input).
- the "advanced audio export" sometimes is useful (although it would be more useful if I actually made more music )
- Direct offline processing is useful sometimes (although I mainly work with midi, so I rarely use that feature... but it's nice to have)...
- I do use the control room (where I can switch to mono and set the click level... and I should invest some time adding some meaningful analyzer on the control room inside my template project, too).


Honestly, I would be quite ok with the Artist version, for me the only compelling reason for the Pro is the bigger I/O count... but I can't deny that I'm happier by using the full version, with all the plugins and without any artificial limitation decided by the marketing guys (even if I'll never experience those limitations, for example I'll never use 32 groups but I'm happy I can go up to 256, it means I'll just take for granted that I can add another group).

[musicproducerdee]

since we're here and even I'm considering getting Cubase 12 Pro on the current sale, does anyone have any insights as to if Steinberg plan on modernizing the GUI of Cubase? It's just feels too old skool in comparison to Ableton/Logic and even Studio One.

[billcarroll]

since we're here and even I'm considering getting Cubase 12 Pro on the current sale, does anyone have any insights as to if Steinberg plan on modernizing the GUI of Cubase? It's just feels too old skool in comparison to Ableton/Logic and even Studio One.

They recently updated some of the effects, and they are always updating GUI elements. You can look at newer effects like FX Modulator or MultiTap Delay to see the current design direction. You need to buy it as is though. Expect exactly what you get right now.

I find the arrange page of Cubase to be so well done, and I love the design and display. For me Cubase arrangement timeline, automation, and MIDI editor look better than any other DAW and I enjoy working in it. That's just me.

It's in some of the preferences and menus that you get some older design. At least that's the way it occurs to me.

[musicproducerdee]

since we're here and even I'm considering getting Cubase 12 Pro on the current sale, does anyone have any insights as to if Steinberg plan on modernizing the GUI of Cubase? It's just feels too old skool in comparison to Ableton/Logic and even Studio One.

They recently updated some of the effects, and they are always updating GUI elements. You can look at newer effects like FX Modulator or MultiTap Delay to see the current design direction. You need to buy it as is though. Expect exactly what you get right now.

I find the arrange page of Cubase to be so well done, and I love the design and display. For me Cubase arrangement timeline, automation, and MIDI editor look better than any other DAW and I enjoy working in it. That's just me.

It's in some of the preferences and menus that you get some older design. At least that's the way it occurs to me.

The 2 effects you mentioned indeed look newer. Actually the UI is fine and functional, it's just the graphics that look oldish. And yes, the menus by far look the oldest.