Is Cubase the most frustrating DAW ever created?

[zerocrossing]

YES! It literally has invisible buttons that only appear if you mouse over them. I’ve been doing this since Studio Vision Pro, and I’ve yet to be as stumped by a DAW than I am while trying to learn this mess. I hope it’s worth it.

[swilow11]

The thing is it can basically do everything including things you would never really want or need. My issue with it, and a large reason I switched to Bitwig, was persistent corrupted projects, crashes, and a tendency for things to mysteriously just ... change. I would set up the visibility options I liked for each track and they would just seem to revert. Possibly user error...nay, likely user error. But I'm not really wanting to spend lots of my very finite free time just troubleshooting annoying shit. Bitwig, being simpler in many ways, relieved most of my issues and besides some plugins like Synthmaster 3 and Decent Sampler sometimes crashing, I've had far fewer time-wasting issues (although a significant uptick for the recent versions and Bitwig support seem totally disinterested). Cubase also has a layout in which large projects with 150 tracks (midi and audio bounces) or whatever gets very confusing to navigate.

But it's still an amazingly good DAW. Audio editing is just so comprehensive and off-line processing of FX and the like is a brilliant feature. Plus the Steinberg native plugins (FX more so than the synths which I hardly touched) are some of the best out there. The channel strip alone just suited my workflow ridiculously well.

As to your issue- not sure I totally get it tbh, maybe an example?

[kritikon]

Can't say I've come across any invisible buttons. But I guess if they're invisible...no wonder I've not seen them
It's no more frustrating than any other DAW. I found Cakewalk far more frustrating. Back in the day I just couldn't understand how to get Logic to do even the basics. Perfect? Not by a long way, but I find it mostly intuitive and logical. I find the audio editing a bit byzantine unless you fit to part but I suspect that's just me being an old fart. Midi is one of the easiest IMO. I find the arrange setup to be instantly easy too. The mixer used to be better, but it's still OK. Any time you start a new DAW it's going to be head-scratching time, just can't be helped...

[vertibration]

UAD Luna is the most frustrating just because it lacks so many basic features

[osiris]

The new Cakewalk frustrated the heck outta me.

[mothra]

No problem with invisible buttons here. It's been fairly rock solid since I came back to it at v11. It's no more frustrating than any other DAW, ever tried learning Renoise? I went from Cubase VST->Logic Platinum/Pro->Cubase Pro and had no trouble getting into the swing of things, but I also kept the manual handy when I needed to look something up for the first year or so and make sure I ask questions at Steinberg's forum when I get stuck.

Everything @kritikon said is right on the money.

[zvenx]

I too am curious about these invisible buttons. Been using Cubendo as my default DAW since about 2002 or so, and don't recall the invisble buttons unless I am so accustomed to them I stopped noticing them.

I am not at all saying that Cubendo isn't buggy and unstable for some, but I really haven't had unstable versions or corrupted projects since about Cubase 8 or so... neither on mac or pc, neither on cubase or nuendo.
really unfortunate that not everyone has that same experience.
rsp

[Resonant- Serpent]

Some buttons are more than invisible. If you hold shift and left-click to the right of the automation lane exposure button on the track header, the color palette for the track pops up.

And yes, they all have issues. Cubase seems a bit more schizophrenic in their feature implementation/deprecation than other DAWs to me.

[jonljacobi]

Once upon a time, I would've said yes, but at this point, it's no better or worse than most. I do miss some of the customization features it once had.

I've found that users of other DAWs switching to a new one often complain the loudest as they're used to doing things one way, and the new DAW does them another. RTFM.

[BBFG#]

Cubase is solid for me, however I do find it less intuitive than other DAWs I use and something that's probably just me, but if I shelve it for a couple of weeks, I find I have to go through the learning curve of using it again and sometimes even have to revisit a tutorial to remember where they've put something in what drop down function. And they've changed some of those between versions as well. I do now prefer Bitwig for simplicity and a more intuitive flow, but the last version has broken dropped USB connections and driver conflicts that make it unusable. Forcing me to go back to Cubase and trudging the learning curve again. So I haven't recorded anything for almost two months because of these both requiring me to deal with them instead of a musical idea.

[seangm]

No Cubase is good, I'm not even that smart and I'm able to use it fine

[zvenx]

I would never call pop up/context sensitive menus, invisible buttons...rsp

[Uncle E]

Cubase seems a bit more schizophrenic in their feature implementation/deprecation than other DAWs to me.

Agreed. This is why I left Cubase. Every few versions, they make such drastic changes that it's like learning a new DAW. Conversely, Studio One 6 feels about the same as all earlier versions.

[rageix]

I understand the feeling. I've learned Bitwig, Ableton, FL, Cubase, Logic, and Studio One. When I open a new DAW there is always some frustration as you learn your way around.

Cubase really isn't that different from any other DAW though and it's most similar to Logic and Studio One. It does have a lot more advanced features than something like Ableton though. You'll get it. Some things in Cubase are legit stupid though. I just recommend watching someone work in it, it makes learning it way faster.

[elassi]

Tried the latest Cubase due to its tempting price tag and the memories of the past. And knew within a day why I stopped worrying about DAWs. I want them to be my helpful secretary, not my stressful boss.

Happily using Reaper for the more 'compositional' types of music without going overboard with its funcs (think I use only 15-20% of its capabilities) and Ableton Live for the quick and dirty but simple techno I still like a lot. For that, I wouldn't need the latest Live 12 or 11 or 10 or even 9.