Free Cubase alternative?

[donkey tugger]

I'd be curious about that too.
How well does Energy XT work if you want to do a VERSE CHORUS type song mixing audio and VSTIs?

Maybe it's time I d'led the demo and looked at those tutorials

I had a go with the demo recently (intrigued by all the hype), and it seems to be one of those 'widdlers' sequencers; great for synthy type noodlings etc, but I wouldn't fancy using it to write a pop/rock song using lots of audio. Then again I was probably hungover....

[scuzzphut]

Been having a footer with it this afternoon and it does seem to be a bit more Vangelis than Undertones.

I'll persever for a wee while , but I'm not terribly confident that I'll fall for it

[.jon]

After reading this, I can't recommend Cubase SE to anyone.

It's not 32-bit float (like most apps today), doesn't have the "New look and feel" of SX/SL2, no VSTi freeze, no fx returns, only 1 level of undo, the UI (mixer,toolbar) is not configurable, no user-made macros... just see for yourself.

IMHO this is the CUbloat without the properties that justify the bloatiness. I've used Cubase for years, and even if I've learned to like it, this version is too crippled (while retaining the clumsiness of the flagship products) when compared with Tracktion or even Computer Muzys to consider at this price (149 USD).

By all means try Buzz and Plogue Bidule, they both seem to have cult following and endless possibilities... but if you like the traditional sequencer style, you can do very well with a combo of Kristal and Computer Muzys. Kristal is excellent, I preferred it over SX when I had to record something, and as you can see the GUI is very SX-like, but better . Computer Muzys might not be the prettiest one around, but it's very easy to use after Cubase, and will get the job done.

I'm myself going the Tracktion way, it feels like the future at bargain price. Energy XT will add features to a system that leaves Cubase far behind in terms of flexibility and ease of use.

pax & flora

/ Jon