Adobe Audition vs. Cubase

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe Audition
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Adobe offers Audition as part of the Creative Cloud suite, a sound and audio editing and creation application.
$31.49
per month
Cubase
Score 7.5 out of 10
N/A
Steinberg Media Technologies headquartered in Hamburg offers Cubase, a digital audio workstation and audio editing application.
$579.90
Pricing
Adobe AuditionCubase
Editions & Modules
Audition - Individuals
$31.49
per month
Single App - Business
$33.99
per month
Starting Price
$579.90
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe AuditionCubase
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe AuditionCubase
Considered Both Products
Adobe Audition

No answer on this topic

Cubase
Chose Cubase
The reason I find Cubase is best suited to my needs compared to other DAW software is primarily the ease in which the software can be edited. The MIDI integration, editing and composing aspects, in my opinion, is far superior to other software which is great when creating …
Chose Cubase
We chose Cubase in the beginning due to price differences between Pro Tools and Cubase. As we learned to use Cubase, we realized the flexibility between MIDI and audio was far more advanced than any other product on the market. We still feel like the MIDI implementation in …
Best Alternatives
Adobe AuditionCubase
Small Businesses
Descript
Descript
Score 9.1 out of 10
Descript
Descript
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Audacity
Audacity
Score 9.1 out of 10
Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition
Score 8.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Audacity
Audacity
Score 9.1 out of 10
Adobe Audition
Adobe Audition
Score 8.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Adobe AuditionCubase
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(32 ratings)
10.0
(5 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.3
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(15 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
6.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe AuditionCubase
Likelihood to Recommend
Adobe
I would recommend the program if they need to record some VO and already have the Adobe Suite. If they don't use Creative Cloud, I would say there are better programs for audio production on the market. However, the fact that I have it with Adobe Creative Cloud is beneficial and makes me choose it over other programs.
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Steinberg Media Technologies
As Cubase has different levels of product available, there is a starting point for most people in the industry who require this software with the Pro version being the top level. Therefore, it can be built around end user needs rather than paying a fortune for everything and only using 40% as other software products do. It would be less appropriate for beginners, or those who do not wish to use VSTi instruments as there are cheaper products on the market which would allow this (Reaper being one). It is all down to user preference at the end of the day, and there isn't one product that will tick every single box for every user.
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Pros
Adobe
  • Sound waves - Sound originates in the air, arising from its vibrations. The source of air vibrations can be, for example, a person's vocal cords, a drum or loudspeaker membrane, or guitar strings. These vibrations push nearby molecules together, slightly increasing the air pressure.
  • Bit depth - The bit depth (depth) of digital audio determines the dynamic range for an audio file. When a sound wave is digitized (sampled), each sample is assigned an amplitude value that most closely matches the amplitude of the original sound wave. The higher the bit depth value, the greater the dynamic range, the lower the noise level, and the higher the digital sound quality.
  • Automatic filters and special effects - Adobe Audition includes a suite of new sound effects ranging from circuit-optimized Surround Reverb to a suite of diagnostic effects.
  • Analog Audio: Positive and Negative Voltage - The microphone converts the pressure of sound waves into electrical current: high air pressure becomes a positive voltage, and low pressure becomes negative. As these voltage changes move along the microphone wire, they can be recorded (as changes in magnetic field strength) onto magnetic tape or onto a vinyl record (by resizing the grooves on the disc).
  • High-performance code - Adobe Audition has received a new redesigned code. This means increased speed of audio processing, accurate and smooth sound reproduction during preprocessing, the ability to work with multiple files and audio tracks at the same time, high overall performance.
  • Editing, enhancing and restoring audio - Any professional working with sound dreams of making the source material as close to ideal as possible. For this, special studios are being built with soundproofing, special acoustic form, and equipment. Indeed, if there is such an opportunity, then it is better to record sound in the studio. Even in this case, insignificant noises and unwanted sounds can be received at the input: a click of a switch, a weak background of a poor-quality or punctured cable, or, for example, a defect in human diction, in which some hissing sounds turn into whistling sounds. It is worth going out to record an interview, for example, in an office space - phone calls or conversations in the next room, the noise of the city outside the window, sounds of the door being opened, etc. will be added.
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Steinberg Media Technologies
  • MIDI: MIDI has been an integral part of Cubase since the very beginning. In Cubase 11, working with and editing MIDI has become a very streamlined process.
  • Advanced Audio Features: One of my favorite audio features is the ability to generate harmony voices in just one click. This speeds up the production process and helps new singers understand different harmony lines. It also gives the ability to add modern harmony sounds to our tracks.
  • Channel Strip: While we use many plugins to emulate famous consoles and outboard equipment, the stock channel strip is outstanding. The included channel strip could easily stand on its own to get a finished sound.
  • Control Room: This is an amazing tool that emulates a monitor controller right in the software. Using this allows me to set up headphone cues, headphone mixes, and different monitor configurations. I am able to insert plugins into these chains that do not affect the master bus.
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Cons
Adobe
  • It is a very expensive software, as is all of Adobe's other software.
  • The interface and all the features can be difficult [for] beginners to get the hang of and get used to.
  • When live listening to your recording with effects, there is an unavoidable latency which doesn't help.
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Steinberg Media Technologies
  • Keyboard shortcuts aren't the best, I find it tedious to zoom in and out of the timeline
  • Multi-track recording of multiple takes can become hard to manage
  • Composing with Midi can be hard, the midi editing is a bit outdated
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Likelihood to Renew
Adobe
Adobe Audition is now my primary software choice for all audio production. Since I have invested so much time in learning many of the features, I have no need to adopt another app or platform for the foreseeable future. As an avid Adobe fan, I trust my choice in selecting Audition and have no plans to change
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Steinberg Media Technologies
No answers on this topic
Usability
Adobe
It isn't easy to just jump in and learn the program, though most of Adobe products aren't easy to use the first time around. They UI is not friendly, and it is cumbersome and intimidating when you first try it. For simple audio changes, it seems to difficult to use, but for the more advanced audio work, it's the perfect solution.
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Steinberg Media Technologies
No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
Adobe
I’d rate Adobe Audition’s availability as very reliable. It’s almost always available when we need it. We’ve had very few issues with crashes or errors, and no unplanned outages. As long as the system meets the hardware requirements and everything’s kept up to date, it runs smoothly. Any hiccups we’ve had were usually tied to updates or third-party plugins—not the app itself.
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Steinberg Media Technologies
No answers on this topic
Performance
Adobe
I’d rate Adobe Audition’s performance as strong. Projects load quickly, and editing—whether it's applying effects, scrubbing audio, or rendering—runs smoothly, even with larger files. Exports complete in a reasonable time, especially with solid hardware. It also plays well with other Adobe tools like Premiere Pro without slowing things down. As long as your system meets the specs, performance is fast and stable across the board.
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Steinberg Media Technologies
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Adobe
I have not contacted support but given the large amount of users, I have no doubt that most problems can be solved fairly easily. A cursory search for known issues in Adobe Audition yields a support website with many workarounds posted by the official Audition team. They seem responsive and eager to continue fixing bugs and improving the application, which I take as a sign that their support is top notch, as I would expect from my experience using other Adobe products.
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Steinberg Media Technologies
Any time I've had to reach out to customer support, they've been fast to respond and answered my questions to the best of their ability. Authorization of the software is easy, and the company is great about emailing you promptly. Overall, they do a great job.
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Online Training
Adobe
Adobe offers a good mix of tutorials, videos, and help articles that cover the basics and some advanced features. It’s easy to follow, especially for beginners. That said, if you're looking for deep dives or very specific use cases, you might need to look beyond Adobe's official resources—forums and third-party videos helped fill in those gaps.
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Steinberg Media Technologies
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Adobe
Overall, I was pretty satisfied with the implementation. Setting up Adobe Audition was straightforward, especially since it fit well with the other Adobe tools we were already using. There were a few small bumps in getting everyone up to speed, but nothing major. Once we had things configured the way we wanted, it ran smoothly and became part of our regular workflow pretty quickly.
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Steinberg Media Technologies
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Adobe
Although I don't use it NEARLY to it's full capacity, Audition is the clear winner in post-production editing software. Audacity would likely come the closest, but its free. So remember... you get what you pay for. When I export a final track from Protools, I immediately open it in Audition to make sure it doesn't look "smashed" or that the transients aren't too tall
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Steinberg Media Technologies
Pro Tools is an industry standard for a reason, but does come at a cost and with a learning curve. I've found that Cubase is a great place to start, having the ability to do very advanced things, but without the need for it. While my experience has been limited with other DAWs, I think it's been worth the (small) investment.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Adobe
Adobe charges a monthly subscription fee for all its software.
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Steinberg Media Technologies
No answers on this topic
Scalability
Adobe
I’d rate Adobe Audition’s scalability as strong overall. It works well across different departments—whether it's for podcasting, video production, or training content. Since it’s part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, it’s easy to manage licenses and updates across teams and locations. The only limitation might be that it’s single-user per license, so collaboration isn’t real-time like some cloud tools, but for most audio workflows, that hasn’t been a major issue.
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Steinberg Media Technologies
No answers on this topic
Professional Services
Adobe
I’d rate the professional services for Adobe Audition as good. When we used them, the team was knowledgeable and helped us set up workflows and troubleshoot issues. While not always necessary for basic use, their support was valuable for more complex needs or training.
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Steinberg Media Technologies
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Adobe
  • Since I already have the Adobe Creative Suite, Audition is a sunk cost. But since I have it and it fits my needs perfectly, I don't have to purchase a separate product, which saves me money.
  • Since Audition looks and feels like the other apps in the Creative Suite, it's that much more approachable if you already use Photoshop, After Effects, etc. While that obviously doesn't substitute for training, users of other Adobe apps should feel right at home.
  • Even if I didn't have the Creative Suite, I would still buy Audition. At $20/mo, it's still the product I would want to perform audio editing.
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Steinberg Media Technologies
  • As a result of having Cubase in my inventory I have received 15-20 large scale projects increasing turnover by around 25%
  • Ability to work in remote areas with no internet and not have to worry about activation / licence renewals
  • The interoperability of Cubase with Nuendo provides increased scope for work with other sound designers / editors / post mixers.
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ScreenShots