This program has been my nerve center and workhorse, with nothing but nicely put together music...man not much to say here but, very satisfied!!

packed with enough features to keep you busy for awhile, uh hum....quality features.

No complaints out of the 4 years i have used cubase, big jump from the vst32 version with sx and then to the sx2, haven't really felt the need yet to go to the 3.0 upgrade although i will just to stay on top of the game of this EXCELLENT program!!! Cubase should never be underestimated of it's power and stability

compared to all out there and the fact that pro tools is pretty much needing the limbs of the hardware for it to really be a cubase competitor....

Never used it once....why?

very sleek and clean....not really into the whole let's round everything off like buttons and bubble it all up type programs...like uh.....pro tools....which is still a great program but just not at the finish line with cubase in my opinion...worked with protools in school and buddies house and it's just not the same, i love my cubase. It has that adult feel to it, not meant to impress elementary kids.

Recording Engineer/Instrumentalist/writer/producer

R&B/Rap/Dance and more

Since Cubase is a sequencer program that works with the ones and zeroes of digital binary code there is no "sound" to speak of. However, if by "sound" one means the way in which the various included plugin effects shape the recorded sound that you put in it then I say that the plugins are as effective as a user is at skillfully and artfully dialing them in. If you want to record and tweak the sound with Cubase's native reverbs, eq and dynamics, all of the tools of the trade are there and much more improved from a graphic user interface standpoint. They are not boutique plugin processors that with relatively basic operation will drastically "improve" or beef up your material but they are very good indeed and if you want plugins that do what Waves or Universal Audio plugins do then I suggest that you buy them. They will work just fine with Cubase. The rule holds fast with sequencers; Garbage in Garbage out. The seqencer is not to blame.

One of the reasons Cubase is worth the money is because of it's comprehensive feature set. It is definately a professionally geared program. From start to finish and from just about every angle in between Cubase has one covered with the tools for engineering the highest quality recordings. There is the sensible and clean, customizable screen layout. The control room bus routing sub menu feature. The transport panel for quick recording control and event location as well as set up for play order tracks. All of the common engineering tools found in a professional sequencer from plug in menus to extended mixer views to surrond mixing capabilities to audio bus templates to automation. In fact there are too many features to mention. One can even work with syncing audio to film. Cubase also sports a well designed and fully functional midi and score editor, which seems to come as an afterthought in a lot of sequencers even Pro Tools. In Cubase however the focus is squarely on having both audio and midi data fully workable in the same program environment.

Using any daw to it's full capabilities is not a beginner's task, especially if the program in question professionally aimed. That being said, it's going to take some time before a novice can unleash the potential in a maturely developed and deeply concieved program such as Cubase 4. However, the basic task of recording audio is intuitive for one with prior experience. This is not a prgram for a beginner. It is for serious professionals who know what they are doing with a sequencer. From a professional standpoint though, Cubase 4 is a breeze to use. With a basic rundown in the fairly comprehensive pdf manual included, an experienced engineer can work their way around Cubase with little trouble. Once acquainted with the features and experienced with their use Cubase is very natural and as simple as can be.

Cubase is exceptionally well designed. Stienberg has been working with the basic product for well over a decade so there are no gaping holes in the design that I have noticed. I say that the quality is second only to Pro Tools HD.(and that's only because in HD the dsp processing is outboard and digidesign supplies dedicated hardware which is truly awesome) But the vast majority of this review's readers will not be able to realistically get involved with an HD system, so among the remaining native seqencers out right now I say the quality in Cubase 4 is the finest. I have not so far had any technical issues with the sequencer itself that were not due to user error.

Cubase 4 is worth the money it cost. As the best native system out right now there is no reason to expect a better deal.

Stienberg support is terrible. They truly don't want to pay for phone time so they go as far as possible to direct you to the forums or the instruction manual. This is understandable due to excessive cost but I can't help but be annoyed at having to call Yamaha (the parent company), long phone wait times and almost rude tech support guys that frisk me for my product registration when I call. They definately need improvement here.

I'm not big on sex appeal with a sequencer since they are not toys and if you're serious about it you don't care about the sexiness as much as the work it can efficiently do. It's not as sexy to look at in my opinion as Logic or Digital Performer but it does do just as much if not more. As far as sexiness compares to Pro Tools well that depends on if you like a blonde versus a brunette, (Cubase being the brunette). I wanted it becase of it's ease of use and broad range of capabilities.

Recording Engineer

Rock, Alternative

cubase 5 is a distinct sounding program, oozing quality and detail within every nuance of sound, at very high resolutions. There's a warmth to the digital programming environment which has to be heard to be understood. Each sound stands out to me and gets me to the results I desire sonically. It's cimpatible with any music style, I know this because I work in multiple genres.

The accessories included a dongle - which is the only bit that concerns me because I could lose it! - also it comes with a quick guide book and a rather weighty full manual. That's really good bedtime reading!

The interface in Cubase has, for me, always been the best. I sometimes need to spend a few hours re creating MIDI lines with a pen tool and lining them up against the original audio. Cubase has such a liquidity in the screen, plus a cool targeting feature that seems to know just what and where you wish to edit, freely (not with quantization) lining things up to guide the eye while doing work with pin-point accuracy. That's just one small but useful features I've always found so user friendly.

Cubase has always had a really sturdy and understandable look, build and interface. IT is generally always rock-solid - and with the newer VST3 technology it seems harder to crash Cubase.

this seems to be a fairly priced program and one should not forget that it is a (the?) market leader in professional sequencing. There are many DAWs out there and a few biggies, all are priced similarly and offer good value for years to come - not to forget that upgrading is always considerably less expensive than buying one of these for the first time, so it's nice when you do get the latest version

Steinberg are always really helpful, you know the people on the other end are completely dedicated to music and musicians

Very visual, usable, fully-fledged interface to help a project workflow seamlessly

Recording Artist, Engineer, Producer, Band member, DJ

Eloctronica, Druma and Bass, Techno, Trip Hop

I have used Cubase since it was only a midi sequencer. I've owned Cubase 3.7, SX1 and worked extensively with Cubase 5. SX3 blows them all away. The eq's are much sweeter and musical; the engine seems somehow to provide a cleaner, richer sound than it's predecessors (except SX1 - it seems the same); the new roomworks reverb finally satisfies. And the included Magneto is definitely better than Cubase 5's truetape. If Steinberg would only improve their other included fx plugins, this would be a 10.

The features are astounding. 5.1 Surround Sound has definitely changed my approach to composition. There are many plugins that bring it far above it's predecessors. The time warp tool, in-place editing, grouped folders and input channel strips bring the product that much closer to a decked out professional hardware based studio. The automation is much more reliable than previous versions. The archiving and general file handling is quite improved. If only the basic reverb plugins were better and it supported Dolby AC3 and DTS encoding... (I suspect that an update to support the encoders is around the corner.) I don't use the score feature, but it looks very comprehensive for those who are so inclined.

The programmers at Steinberg have obviously been doing their homework. In the world of mix and match PC components, it is surprising that this group designed a product that plays nice with almost any combination of components. Having looked extensively at Cubase user forums, I have seen so few complaints regarding hardware compatibility problems. Compare that with ProTools, which requires certain expensive add-on hardware to run well. Plus, the company seems commited to solving any problems that do crop up. The look is both funcional and aesthetically pleasing, plus it's very modifiable. The adjustment options take into account an amazing array of possible configuration needs. Again, with earlier versions (including SX1), if you installed poorly written free plugins, the program would sometimes choke on startup, leaving you to figure out which plugin was jamming it up. SX3 manages to load right up no matter what. (It's probably better to buy good plugins anyway, but...) I never worry about whether the program will make it through the boot process.

Forget ProTools! Cubase SX3 is a much better value. And it is so much more flexible than a hardware DAW.

You might not get an email response for a minor problem, but Steinberg has an excellent user forum that some of the programmers participate in, and there are other user forums, books, tutorials, etc. And there is a good update page on the Steinberg website. After 5 years of Cubase use, my impression is that though you might not get an answer to your email, it's because the techs are too busy already solving your problem to answer every email they get.

Indispensible. Beautiful. The best looking computer DAW I've seen. The most flexible and reliable. I love it.

20 year musical career: Performer, Composer, Producer

Hard Rock, Progressive, Ambient, Soundtrack, Tribal Funk

I used garage band to record an R & B singer with a very short attention span for about 2 months. I had Cubase 4 installed but I always fired up garageband because it saved me about the odd 10 - 30 secs extra to set up a new session so she wouldn't loose the thought. One day I imported the audio that garageband recorded into Cubase for mastering and OH MY GOD!! did it sound SO MUCH better. The difference was ASTONISHING! It made garageband sound like garbage. Same sound card, same computer, nothing else was changed. I haven't touched garageband since. She noticed the difference immediately and now she totally REFUSES to record using anything else but Cubase 4 lol. The Cubase audio engine is OUTSTANDING!! Enough said!

It comes LOADED. I mean loaded, actually way too much stuff. Holy crap. It was counter productive to me for the first few weeks. But now I've stettled in a certain plug-in combination tool set.

I'll be honest here Cubase 4 is not for sissies. Real men do Cubase, chumps do Pro-Tools. You will have to become one with the manual for a couple of weeks. No way around it, Cubase isn't a click and figure it out program. It's like driving a manual transmission, it may seem impossible at first, but then it's no big deal.

Very high quality!

I've upgraded since Cubase VST 3. Not so expenisve to upgrade, but brand new it's almost obscene. But I tell you the audio quality is worth it, I've never regretted a single penny spent on it. Pro-Tools can kiss my **s.

When compared to competitors they just suck at support! They need to fix that! End of story. Good news is Cubase 4 is STABLE, nothing irrates me more than a sequencer that crashes mid session. Non of that going on with Cubase 4 :) I'm very happy!

I own it!

Music Producer, Recording Engineer

R&B, Rap, Techno, Drum and Bass

Well, it is not actually the easiest DAW to deal with, because lots of advanced features, that many competitor products lack, and we absolutely love it. Serious software for serious sound, that what is important to preserve. Steinberg continuously improved with every version, but we don't want to see this becoming a toy for kids as many other production suites have become nowadays.

Middle score here because have no idea how support is, never needed yet, and hopefully never will

No more sex appeal for this one please, it is already sexy enough, any additional tweaks may result in a loss of soul...

hobbyist, active musician, dj & producer

progressive & electronica

As good as the other pro DAW's out there

I have to give this a 5 because it was written for PC but runs on MAC. Problem is, documentation is geared for PC, not MAC, so trying to get around the damned program is a pain in the ass because when manual instructs to "right click to see sub parameter automation track" for example, nothing happens on a MAC because it's mouse functions are different altogether. This makes the learning curve for MAC users a real pain in the butt.

Again, great on PC, crap on MAC

Good, stable on PC. Crashed on my Intel IMAC with NO autosave, for some reason

NO, not until they get it right in the documentation for MAC.

They suck like all software DAW support. I called them a couple of times and got a machine or long wait. when I did get tech support, they were arrogant and didn't even offer an explanation why Steinberg is so damned MAC unfriendly when it comes to documentation and future support for MAC or if there will be any at all.

I have used CUBASE since VST 2.1. OK? That is going back what? some 10 plus years. I remember when they upgraded you for free. I always loved this program on my PC, but on the MAC, forget it. It runs, but getting your head around it within an OSX environment leaves you with a serious freakin handicapp. I will use it to record audio only onto my PC and run Logic on my MAC for my softsynths and whatnot then just midi them up for clock sync.

many years

ambient

the audio engine is world class, the sound you record in can be beefed up with clear precision. the filter is awsome, the EQ on every channel is clean and powerful and much more musical,in my opinion than logic or sonar. i dont know about digital preformer.

to me the mixer modes,, and surround sound and panning extras are great features. fluid work style is what cubase SX2 is all about.

even without any further upgrades or updates, this product will serve whomever or whatever the user throws at it.

fair priced, i do think it should come in a little under the going price.

great chaps at steinberg

there is no ? in my mind CUBASESX2 is one sexy beast, full featured great results

from slow moving to break neck speed

A lot of people complain about the sound, but people, if you suck...you just suck. Crappy mics create crappy sounds. There is no amount of effect thats going to change that. Well, unless you're Brittney or Ashanti or someone like that. The sound is awesome quality, especially when you combine it with quality.

If you can't, won't, or don't know how to read a book use a mouse. It comes with a book, however there is tons of available information to guide you in the process of making beautiful music. Web sites, plenty of books, CD-ROM's, online help, forums. People complain about tech support.....well with all the support thats out there, who needs them. I guess Steingberg made a reasonable assumption that when you purchased the audio software, you were computer literate.

I had this software for about 6 months now and so far no freeze ups, shut downs, lies, or anything. IT WORKS PEOPLE!!! Quality is really a subjective thing. however, I havent had any complaints. Most audio software is susceptible to the creative ability of the user. I've used Pro Tools, Sonar, Nuendo, and to be honest, its the equipment that is used with it that made the difference...including the right side of my brain...

Great price.......nuff said.

Only because this is what other people experience. Me, personally, I havent needed them...I just do my own research. You can find alot of your solutions to your problems by going throught the forums. Unfortunately, a lot of people try to operate Cubase with minimum or less than minimum requirements....WORD TO THE WISE......Recommended is normally minimum.....

WANT IT.....Bought it....love it!!!!!!! Highly customizable..if thats a word. Works like a charm.

Recording Engineer

World Music, Neo-Soul, Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, Gospel

if you want broadcast quality audio recording with audio, midi, samples, loops or any combination of these, cubase sx is amazing.

VST is an amazing platform for audio, midi, plugins, and virtual instruments.

The quality exceedsd my expectations and gave artistic freedom

yes, it is far less expensive than pro tools, and sounds better. It's also dual platform *mac*win* so you can run it on either system

Steinberg is all about end-user support. There are many excellent users groups qround the world, and good focums on the technology in groups.yahoo. See groups.yahoo.com/group/cubase-nuendoatlanta

many major artists use steinberg, like Stevie Wonder, Outkast, Kathy Mattea, Dixie Chics, Public Enemy, and a long list of superstars.

producer

broad range, from folk. to sound for picture

Kiss pro-tools goodbye. Cubase SX offers incredible sound quality without any additional hardware. Easy to use (although you do need to scan the manual, if you are a first time user, don't despair, it's relatively easy to use) If you're starting to build up your home studio, this is THE full stop solution for recording audio and midi. If you can afford it, the version SX2 is much stabler and has important MIDI features (e.g. Freeze). Save and buy it. it is worth every penny.

Never needed support. The manual helps you through the setup and the online forum is the best way to get your questions answered.

Progressive rock, orchestral

Snap, Crackle, Pop

Even ig you can get past the bugs and clicks, don't expect to complete your project with this program alone. You still need Sound Forge, etc.

Where's the damn manual. Only a pdf?

Snap, Cracke, Pop.....Crash, repeat over

Horrible.

Hello, anyone there, I've been on hold for 8 days now!

I have it (In my garbage pail)

Hobbyist

Jazz

my recordings sound better than ever

well over a 100 features

i have'nt been out of the studio in days, it it nearly perfect

worth every benjammin

have'nt had a problem yet

our head engineer seen showed us what it can do we went and got it

You can pop in about any sound you want in this.Any reverb any sample any vst.UNBELIABLE seqeuncer.You want to make professional music.You use Cubase No question's ask

THIS THING IS LOAD...REPEAT LOADED...5.1 surround sound, Beat Creation and Loop Mangling,seriously i cant even name them all cause its endless.You can do whatever whenever you are inspried or wanna lay down some vocals or make a beat.You name it YOU CAN DO IT!!!

I would give this a 10 because for me this is a breeze to use.But for a beginner to use cubase it might take alittle to get used to.But when you feel comfortable with this DAW WOW get prepared to blow your mind away.Ive tried all the other seqencers and i hated it.This DAW is the best for any machine.Alot of people say pro tools or logic etc.In reality use what your comfortable with but when using cubase its like grabbing the sound by its horns.

This DAW was built for proffesional's. Its built to be used like a workhorse for musicians.The way its designed just gives you a wow this is made for pro's feel.No stupid buttons no ugly designs or flashy colors.Its straght to the point.Its not to show off your friends,its for you to get some quality work done.

I gives this a 8 beacuse yes it CAN put a big dent in your pocket for a program.BUT ITS WORTH IT.For a person who gets scared of the price i say dont be.

Never had to use it cause this DAW just runs so smooth.Ive heard some negative things about cubase 4 which is why i waited and bought 5.Alot of people support the new version with its stablity and i approve also.

Its not much sexy but EFFECTIVE.The design doesnt make you sick after awhile.you just start loving it more.

PRODUCER,DJ

TRANCE,TECH TRANCE

How do you define sound, and what do you mean by sound quality? Clearly this is an expensive and serious product and would not be where it is today if the "sound quality" was not good. It's excellent is the short answer, but it takes a lot of knowledge and understanding to attempt to get it there.

There are a few things missing from the software. At this expensive price there is NO SAMPLER whatsoever! A HUGE omission by any standard. It's a great sequencer but without a sampler it's missing an essential ingredient! If you want a decent software sampler it's going to cost another 300 euro (roughly) to get one. This product as it stands is INCOMPLETE. FACT! The many, many features are well designed and in the main are well implemented, but there are still many bugs that have remained for years. Seriously!

This is COMPLEX software and unless you're prepared to put in YEARS of work, forget it. This also applies to any decent sequencer software. It's about as tough as it gets. FULL STOP! No easy option on this one. If you're committed and dedicated you'll begin to master it gradually but it will drive you nuts in the process. The printed manuals(s) help to explain what the software does, in great dense detail, but it does not tell you how to do it.

It's a good product. Full stop, despite what I've said so far. Steinberg/Yamaha have added some very useful stuff, but at the same time they have ignored fixing some long lasting bugs. Basically it's reliable but at the same time extremely annoying too. The problem here is that the company already supply VSTi plugins and an expensive sampler (Halion 3). The also have Wavelab which is designed for editing and mastering. (Editing in Cubase is excellent by the way. So you see there is a conflict of interest. It's not in Steinberg's corporate strategy to provide the best they can (Hence no decent mastering tools, or sampler). This has to change, otherwise people will buy alternative products, especially as the existing alternatives provide a lot more and are considerably cheaper.

It's over priced. The competition offers more for less.

I don't know, some people say its rubbish, others seem ok about it. I've never used it so far, I use the Cubase forum at Steinberg.

This isn't a sexy product. Sequencers are not SEXY. To even think in theses terms is childish and totally ridiculous!

Producer, Sonic Designer, recording artist and engineer.

Electro and soundtracks, and the occasional jingle too

Perfect

In my humble opinion its the best DAW out there, especially for VSTi midi orchestration and mockups.

You need to become familiar with any DAW. I have used several and this is the most intuitive.

I have compared them all. This is the best. Rule of thumb, don't buy a DAW for its plugins and other "throw in the box" gimmicks and giveawya like other companies do. Plugins are a dime a dozen and should be purchased on their own. This is a recording platform and it is the best one on the market.

Simply the best audio engine, midi editing, audio editing and work flow. VST implentation is the best there is.

I haven't had a need to use it yet but the forum is fantastic.

Its got the best lookinhg interface out of all the DAWs on the market.

sound quality is awesome. what really rocks is delay compensation - you can now use your external gear (midi AND audio) and integrate it without any delay. I haven't seen any other workstation that can do that

Mind blowing sound quality.

Impressive feature set.

Amazing quality.

It's expensive, but it's worth it.

Support is unmatched.

Hell yeah.

incredible tool

just I bought Cubase sx 1.0 and it worked pretty bad, with lots of bugs, but after returning it and buying cubase sx 2.0 everything works more or less correct, still some little bugs, but usually works more than ok.

i rate this one in the right in the middle for neutral. i haven't actually gotten the chance to hear it do anything yet.

depends on how you look at it...i didn't realize that the "freeze function" meant that the program would "freeze" every time that i tried to load it.

well made? obviously not.

a $600 paper weight at this point.

the absolute worst. in the system requirements, they claim that this program will work with mac os x. however, there is no mention of the fact that os x.3.2 is not compatible. you have to spend hundreds of dollars to find that out.

you've gotta be kidding

You name it!