Likelihood to Recommend Pro Tools is great for recording multiple different tracks of audio at the same time with live inserts that you can later remove/edit if they do not suit the track. It always makes a backup of any file you copy in which is essential when working with original copies of files for clients, and you can rest easy knowing that any changes made can be reverted without having to start over or having any work be lost. You can compile many different tracks for larger-scale projects and group or bus them together with ease. The software is very user-friendly for beginners and is a great tool overall for anyone looking to edit audio. The only instance it is less suited it would be if you're only making small audio edits with any adobe video software. Also if your business is not heavy on audio editing or recording it may be a costly investment.
Read full review 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.
Read full review Pros Highly-customizable, application and UI (performance, function and appearance). Wide audio format compatibility; Ease of integrating audio of different formats, sample rates; equal ease of exporting. Broadest hardware compatibility. The ability to tweak performance parameters extends hardware's useful life. Read full review 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. Read full review Cons Loop-Based Production - Pro Tools is still in the old world of audio recording where you're expected to record a track from live sources. It has less features aimed at production of loop-based music like electronic music and hiphop. Sample-Based Production - While you can sequence samples, you are expected to use MIDI to trigger the samples, for the most part. Of course, you can sequence them out without using MIDI to trigger a sampler plugin, but that's not the use case Pro Tools was designed for. Creative Ideation - Pro Tools expects you to figure out what you want to record first, and does not have tools for helping you produce or create the music. Read full review 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 Read full review Usability This is a hard question - I'd give it a 10 for having so many options but a 5 for being user friendly - as it has so many options.
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Support Rating The times I've had problems with Avid, they've responded within about 48 hours, and most of the time with a reasonable solution. More often than not, however, I've had to resort to forums to get answers, because when I'm having a problem with the software, I can't afford to wait 48 hours for a solution
Read full review 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.
Read full review Alternatives Considered As discussed above, these other products are likely better suited for home audio production, especially based on their integration of software instruments and their surface-level interface and tools. Pro Tools excels as a tool for professionals, who need to move audio along efficiently towards a polished form, especially in the context of vocal production
Read full review 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.
Read full review Return on Investment I actually finish projects, because once I set up templates it's basically plug-and-play. My customers enjoy my videos more now that the audio is better. I might spend too much money on plug-ins, haha. Read full review 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. Read full review ScreenShots