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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

    Sibelius

    Score7 out of 10
    N/AAvid offers Sibelius, a musical notation, creation, and publishing application.N/A
    Pricing
    CubaseSibelius
    Editions & Modules
    Starting Price
    $579.90
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    CubaseSibelius
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    CubaseSibelius
    Considered Both Products
    Steinberg Media Technologies
    No answer on this topic
    Avid Technology
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    5 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    5 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    5 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    5 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    80%
    Implementation went as expected
    4 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Best Alternatives
    CubaseSibelius
    Small Businesses
    Descript
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    Descript
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    Medium-sized Companies
    Adobe Audition
    Score9 out of 10
    Adobe Audition
    Score9 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Adobe Audition
    Score9 out of 10
    Adobe Audition
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    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    CubaseSibelius
    Likelihood to Recommend
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.2
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    CubaseSibelius
    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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    Avid Technology
    It is simply easy to use and serves the function that it needs to serve. Once you get the hang of the basic functionality and a few of the keyboard shortcuts, it will be extremely easy and quick to write out music. The option to go back and transpose to another key without writing the whole thing out again is crucial.
    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
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    Avid Technology
    • User Friendly
    • Compatible with other software/music programs
    Incentivized
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    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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    Avid Technology
    • Barrier to entry could be a bit lower.
    • Options for types of arrangements are somewhat limited and the interface is a bit convoluted.
    Incentivized
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    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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    Avid Technology
    Once Sibelius is purchased, the user is given one year of unlimited free customer service to help in using the product. After that first year, users can either pay to utilize customer service with questions or use online helps, which are very helpful. One of the bigger issues I had was getting the sounds to work properly because my Internet connection wasn't consistently working well enough to accommodate the large files, which were taking up to 10 hours to download. The download would fail, and then I'd have to start over. I wanted to get a CD sent to me but was told this would be very costly, and so I declined. I wasn't happy with the lack of customer service in that situation but was eventually able to get the files to download and the software working properly.
    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
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    Avid Technology
    I have not used Finale exclusively, but I know friends/colleagues who have. In the past, it was complicated to transfer and edit any of the music they created for me because it would not transfer to Sibelius. As a result, I would have to request the edits I wanted and ask them to make the changes themselves. If I wanted to make any changes later, it was extremely inconvenient to do so, and I often chose not to, as I did not want to bother anyone other than myself to do any edits after-the-fact. Though it is now possible to transfer Finale files to Sibelius through creating .xml files and then importing as .sib files, the files still do not entirely retain all of the integrity of the original composition (as completed in Finale). Sometimes text and markings are missing, microscopic, or shifted once opened in Sibelius. Text fonts must often be edited. When working with other major music publishers, it has been extremely convenient and helpful to have the same software.
    Incentivized
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    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
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    Avid Technology
    • Digital files are easily distributed to customers/no shipping costs.
    • Collaboration with other sheet music retailers has been established and maintained.
    Incentivized
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