Cubase

The most powerful DAW on the market

Whether you're a professional in the world of music or you just like to mix your music from your home computer, you've probably heard of the name Cubase. That's not surprising as it's one of the most complete and powerful DAWs or Digital Audio Workstations on the market with over 30 years of experience in this sector. But who uses it? From the most popular artists in the world to musicians, producers, and sound engineers. They have all decided to download Cubase for PC, a MIDI sequencer with audio editing functions exactly what they need for their daily work.

Record, edit, mix, and produce music just like a professional.

Created back in 1989 by the German company Steinberg (well, that sounds like a good name for a beer if you were to ask me), ever since then its successive versions, with 5, 7, and 9 as some of the most popular, have got better and better until they've released this Cubase Pro 9, a real beast when it comes to professional music editing that also allows us to work on several tracks at the same time, record audio from multiple sources, make the most avant-garde mixes and apply over 80 sounds effects to our songs.

Most noteworthy features

Download Cubase for PC to be able to make use of the following features and functions:

• 32-bit, floating-point, audio engine with up to 192 kHz, and support for 5.1 surround.
• Unlimited audio and MIDI tracks.
• Up to 256 physical inputs and outputs.
• 64 slots for VST instruments.
• MixConsole to create professional mixes.
• Smart compositional tools including the Chord Track, Chord Pads, and the advanced Chord Assistant.
• 8-band frequency equalizer.
• Almost 100 audio effects and musical instruments.
• Workflows perfectly integrated into musical articulations.
• Compatibility with external instrumentation such as synthesizers and signal processors.

Which Cubase is the best one of them all?

Although we hadn't mentioned it until now, you should know that in this family of products we can find 3 different programs, each one of which has slightly different features. In this review, we're introducing you to the Pro version and it's, without a doubt, the best of the three as we'll see below. But it's also obviously the most expensive application in this range since it costs almost 600 dollars.

• Elements: the most basic version appropriate for home music producers. Among its limitations, we have to point out that it's only compatible with 24 physical inputs/outputs, it allows us to record and mix up to 48 audio tracks and 64 MIDI tracks, it supports 24 instrument tracks and has 16 slots for VST instruments.
• Artist: the intermediate version appropriate for experienced music producers. Among its limitations, we have to point out that it's only compatible with 32 physical inputs/outputs, it allows us to record and mix up to 64 audio tracks and 128 MIDI tracks, it supports 32 instrument tracks and has 32 slots for VST instruments.
• Pro: the most professional or full version of this software which we have been describing until now. There are no limitations regarding the number of audio/MIDI tracks or instruments. With regard to VST instrument slots, it comes along with 64 and it's compatible with 256 physical inputs/outputs, as we mentioned a few lines above.

Cubase or ProTools? Or maybe Nuendo or FL Studio?

Obviously, this isn't the only DAW on the market, although it is one of the most complete and powerful. Could we say that it's the best without making a mistake? Definitely, not. That would depend on the specific needs of each user and up to which price they're willing to pay because, as you probably already know, audio editing software is very expensive at professional levels. Is it better than ProTools, Nuendo, Fruity Loops, or Adobe Audition? It's impossible for us to say. You'd better ask real music professionals for a better and unbiased answer.

What's new in the latest version

• MIDI Controller Surface Editor now supports trigger pads and horizontal faders.
• When double-clicking on a surface element, the MIDI remote mapping wizard now opens.
• Adds explanatory text for certain settings of the configuration section for the MIDI remote mapping wizard.

Requirements and additional information:

• Minimum operating system requirements: Windows 7.