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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cubase

    Score6.9 out of 10
    N/ASteinberg Media Technologies headquartered in Hamburg offers Cubase, a digital audio workstation and audio editing application.

    $579.90

    GarageBand

    Score9.7 out of 10
    N/AApple offers GarageBand, a digital audio workstation packaged with its operating system.

    $199.99

    Pricing
    CubaseGarageBand
    Editions & Modules
    Starting Price
    $579.90
    Logic Pro (GarageBand Premium)
    $199.99
    Garageband for Mac
    Free
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    CubaseGarageBand
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    CubaseGarageBand
    Considered Both Products
    Steinberg Media Technologies
    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 …
    Incentivized
    Apple
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    5 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    10 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    5 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    5 Answers
    90%
    Happy with the feature set
    9 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    8 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    80%
    Implementation went as expected
    4 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    CubaseGarageBand
    Small Businesses
    Descript
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Descript
    Score8.5 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Adobe Audition
    Score9 out of 10
    Adobe Audition
    Score9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Adobe Audition
    Score9 out of 10
    Adobe Audition
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    CubaseGarageBand
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    9.4
    (10 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.4
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    CubaseGarageBand
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Apple
    GarageBand is great for demo tracking for songwriting and and simple audio editing of spoken word or podcast applications. It is also great for making EQ adjustments on audio from other macOS or iOS programs for easy export back into those programs. GarageBand isn't well-suited for mastering, however, and it's a little difficult to get volume levels up in post-production if capture wasn't just right
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Apple
    • It is easy to edit in the way that you can highlight something and simply delete a part of what you are working on.
    • I love that I can drag two or more tracks together to keep them in sync when editing.
    • It's not difficult to add a click track when you need it.
    • I think the whole process of highlighting, cutting out parts and the basic editing doesn't take huge amounts of time because it seems intuitive.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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
    Incentivized
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    Apple
    • Can't save the preferences for the tracks such as turning off reverb etc.
    • Project files are large, a 30-minute podcast episode with only 4 tracks is typically around 1 GB
    • Auto feature to silence guest not talking
    • Optimize for podcasters (I use the old version 6 as new versions hasn't had podcast options)
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    Steinberg Media Technologies
    No answers on this topic
    Apple
    It's dang simple for anybody who knows even a little about recording software. It's not something just anyone can open and immediately be a professional at, but things are clearly marked, the help documentation is great, and it's easy to explore and discover functionality that can aid in your production workflow.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Apple
    I have never tried it. It's just simple, and you should be able to navigate most of it via self-exploration and Apple Help.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Apple
    Adobe Audition is another great audio editing/recording software, in fact it is much better compared to GarageBand and has much more effects. However, it has a pretty large price tag while GarageBand is completely free. Also, Adobe Audition has a very steep learning curve which makes it hard for our staff to get used to the software. Considering all this and after deep analysis we decided to opt for GarageBand, well at least for now. We may change in the future depending on our needs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Apple
    • Amazing value
    • Very easy to get started
    • For novices and professionals alike
    • Loops library is simply awesome
    • Export capabilities very effective to share tracks
    Incentivized
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