Cubase 12

[mothra]

Yeah its got its strengths and weaknesses just like every other DAW out there. Its all about whether the workflow, included toolset and layout works with your brain or not.. If it does great, if not go find the DAW that does, there are plenty out there unlike 20 years ago.

Had no trouble jumping right in to Cubase 11 after a 20 year absence and move to Logic Platinum/Pro (from Cubase 5/VST32 of all things), and regularly bounce back and forth between the two along with Ableton Live and Renoise. Go figure I start up Reaper and I want to punch my monitor after 20 minutes because nothing in it 'makes sense' in the way the other DAW's I use do. Some folks dont have the time to start from scratch again, and what works for some, doesn't necessarily jive with others, etc, etc.. Choose the one you can deal with the best and just learn it forward and backwards.

[OscSync]

This isn't a Cubase 12 issue per se, it was happening in 11 and I've not yet updated this machine to 13.

When I play back a project, doesn't matter how complicated or basic, occassionally the volume dips in and out. Not to silence or a glitch like a buffer issue, merely like an LFO on volume but with a 30 second pre-delay.
ie, playing fine for 30 seconds or so (it's not regular BTW), then the volume will fade in and out to about 20% for about 1 second and then back to normal.

Tried with 3 interfaces, buffer size at max, different projects, brand new projects, ie all the usual things.

However it's not glitching so I'm at a loss. Thoughts?

[Weasel-Boy]

OscSync:

I have never heard or seen a report like yours for any version of Cubase. Wouldn’t hurt to know what OS you’re using….but I don’t think that has anything to do with this. Since you say you’ve tried three different I/Os (and they are?)…I have to ask:

How soon after you start up Cubase does it occur and is there a measurable interval between volume dips? And does the main output metering on Cubase reflect the dip as well?

My guess is pretty out there…and only if you are observing this with amplified speakers and Cubase doesn’t reflect the dip in its output metering (as well as any metering on the I/Os you’re using).

If this happens with headphones and Cubase’s metering shows the dip…then I’ve got nothing.

[EnGee]

I sometimes get strange behaviour from connecting two midi keyboards (with mapped knobs or sliders). It is like some knobs are fighting over the value. I would check the midi messages to see if something is controlling the volume. Of course there is a possibility that the midi keyboard is faulty. I did have pitch wheel instability with old midi keyboard which keeps changing its value without touching it.
Another thing might be an automation is going on behind the scene! Can't think of a reason other than those really!

[OscSync]

OscSync:

I have never heard or seen a report like yours for any version of Cubase. Wouldn’t hurt to know what OS you’re using….but I don’t think that has anything to do with this. Since you say you’ve tried three different I/Os (and they are?)…I have to ask:

How soon after you start up Cubase does it occur and is there a measurable interval between volume dips? And does the main output metering on Cubase reflect the dip as well?

My guess is pretty out there…and only if you are observing this with amplified speakers and Cubase doesn’t reflect the dip in its output metering (as well as any metering on the I/Os you’re using).

If this happens with headphones and Cubase’s metering shows the dip…then I’ve got nothing.

Hi, thanks for the response.

The good news is, since posting this message I was determined to solve it, and fingers crossed I may have. Too soon to confirm fully though.

However, to answer your questions first.
OS: WIndows 10
Interfaces: Arturia AudioFuse, Roland MX1, Mackie Blackjack, Novation ReMote 25 (w/ Generic Steinberg ASIO driver), two Behringers which I forget the names of (again, w/ Generic Steinberg ASIO driver). All with the same issue.
I should also note, there was no issue for several years using the above combinations until one day it started acting up. Unfortunately I'm unable to pinpoint that exact day because it would answer all my questions.

Also to mention, this is my travel setup so every time I'm listening to normal (ie, non-music) output it's on the speaker and every time I'm in Cubase it's on headphones via an interface. Therefore, I've never had an issue outside of Cubase which hints at an interface/driver issue.

However, like I said, I was determined to resolve it so I've tried all manner of combinations since this post. Using Generic ASIO on the AudioFuse instead of the Arturia driver seemed to work and I then changed back to the Arturia driver. After 5 mins of playback no fadeouts.

If I still have issues when trying again later tonight, I'll install Cubase 13. I have it on my other machines, just not yet on the travel computer. Failing that it might be time for a clean OS install.

[OscSync]

I sometimes get strange behaviour from connecting two midi keyboards (with mapped knobs or sliders). It is like some knobs are fighting over the value. I would check the midi messages to see if something is controlling the volume. Of course there is a possibility that the midi keyboard is faulty. I did have pitch wheel instability with old midi keyboard which keeps changing its value without touching it.
Another thing might be an automation is going on behind the scene! Can't think of a reason other than those really!

Yes, logical thinking however there are no MIDI devices connected to the machine. This is a travel PC so the only thing ever connected to it is an interface.
Again, logical on the automation, however I have the same issue even on new projects.