Cubase Reviews & Insights

Score7 out of 10

12 Reviews and Ratings

Community insights

TrustRadius Insights for Cubase are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, third party data sources.

Business Problems Solved

Cubase has been praised by users for its ability to provide clear and informative help articles and videos, making it easier for users to understand the program. This feature has been highly beneficial, especially for those who are new to music production or need assistance with specific functionalities. Another prominent use case of Cubase is its excellent management of MIDI, allowing users to compose music directly on their piano. Musicians and composers have found this feature to be incredibly useful as it streamlines the process of creating music and enhances their workflow. Additionally, a significant number of users utilize Cubase for recording vocals, as it is considered one of the best digital audio workstations DAWs for this purpose. The software's robust tools and efficient audio engine enable seamless recording sessions, resulting in professional-quality vocal tracks. Producers and musicians also highly appreciate the efficiency of Cubase as an audio editor. Its precise editing capabilities make it easier to refine and enhance audio files, ensuring that every detail is perfected. Moreover, many users value how Cubase simplifies the music creation process, allowing them to record professional songs effortlessly, add virtual instruments, and quickly export them in mp3 format. The software's user-friendly interface and comprehensive features save time and enhance the overall music-making experience. Overall, Cubase stands out among other DAWs due to its versatility, making it suitable for both audio recording and editing as well as MIDI-based music production. Whether users are professionals or beginners in the field of music production, Cubase offers a wide range of functionalities that cater to their needs.

Cubase Reviews

5 Reviews

You really can't go wrong using Cubase

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

May 1, 2024

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Cubase on a regular basis for mixing tracks / soundtracks / speech etc. Compared to other DAW software, I find Cubase the easiest to navigate and operate, with all functions being clearly laid out, easy to find and operate. Cubase and it's partner product, Nuendo, are also interchangeable when working with other producers (especially in the world of post production in TV) where Nuendo is a popular platform, which means I don't have to worry about compatibility in the first stage mix before it goes to post. Cubase is also a perpetual licence unlike most other DAW's in the industry which means it can be budgeted for and costs offset rather than worrying about subscriptions, increasing prices, licence activation / authorisation through the computer having to be online as well. There is also the fact that , compared to ProTools, there is no limitation on channel counts or other software limitations which quickly become more expensive to 'rent' from the supplier when working on larger projects. All in all, Cubase is an industry recognised software platform which I am very happy with. The only thing I wish they did is release updates more often once bugs have been identified by the user community, and the user support via ticket could improve considerably.

Pros

Allow for easy mix edits
Cross compatibility with Nuendo
Works well with all VST3 plugins

Cons

Customer support
Software updates more regularly
The ability to route through several sound cards at the same time

Likelihood to Recommend

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.

Verified User

Director in Corporate (1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

7 years of experience

Cubase should be the new industry standard

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

July 21, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Cubase is the core of our business. As a recording and production studio, we use Cubase as the primary recording solution. We are using this in all key aspects of the production process. Cubase excels in MIDI production with VST instruments and orchestration. Cubase is very flexible when it comes to routing and audio mixing, making it a very valuable part of our process.

Pros

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.

Cons

Channel Conversion: The one thing I wish Cubase would change is the ability to change a mono channel to stereo. Sometimes when creating a new track, you realize after the fact it needs to be one or the other. There is no easy way to change this setting.
Automation: While the automation abilities are very inclusive, I would like to see more streamlined abilities when drawing automation curves. It can sometimes feel a little clunky in its current iteration.

Likelihood to Recommend

I have been a longtime fan of Cubase and would recommend it to anyone, whether they are just starting in recording or a seasoned professional. I find that it is really strong in the pre-production and production phases of a song. Tools like the arranger track, track versions, and the chord track make writing and experimenting very easy. I have used these tools on almost every song that I have started from the writing phase. I am able to experiment with different variations of a song, different channel settings, and even completely different arrangements all with just a few clicks. My writing process and speed have improved so much over the last few versions of Cubase.

We have also enjoyed working with the mixing process. The mixers in Cubase are laid out much like a regular console. So for an old timer like me, the learning curve is very low. Cubase did a very good job with layout and labeling. Things are labeled what you would expect them to be and laid out in an order that makes sense. The other part of the mixer that makes it great is the ability to color code and organize tracks. My mix time has drastically decreased since using Cubase.

Dan Butler

Owner / Engineer at Seventh Seal Records (1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

18 years of experience

View profile

A user interface designed to be used

Rating: 8 out of 10

Incentivized

July 15, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Cubase is used in our audio department for, recording, editing and mixing of audio. We use Cubase in an Audio Visual Event setting.

We are often required to record and mix down audio for conferences and live stream post production for upload to youtube or similar or to be distributed within businesses as promo content etc.

Pros

The user interface is very accessible and easy to operate
Cubase will run fine on most PCs with regular hardware
VSTs are easy to manage and install
Audio routing within the mixer is very simple

Cons

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

Likelihood to Recommend

Cubase is great for mixing down all forms of audio, the included audio tools are quite good, although I believe that most users would supplement these with 3rd party VSTs. At the end of the day, most audio editing and mixing software produces the same outcome, for me it comes down to ease of use and a great user interface, which I believe that Cubase has. For this reason I believe that Cubase is more suitable for less technical users.

Cubase can edit audio with Video playback, however I have always found it easier to edit the audio and then combine with the video using another software.

Verified User

Manager (11-50 employees)

Vetted Review

8 years of experience

Cubase--Usable and powerful

Rating: 8 out of 10

Incentivized

June 28, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Initially, Cubase was utilized simply because a free version came with a USB audio interface that I purchased. Since then, I've upgraded because the software was so great and I just wanted to expand what I could do with it. I've been able to do record multitrack and master with ease with very little previous experience. I was also given stems recorded from other software that I was able to edit easily.

Pros

Ease of use
Clear, user-friendly interface
Stable and glitch free

Cons

Some documentation is confusing and may be different than the version you have
Finding how to set up more complex audio environments can be cumbersome
Audio library can be a little confusing

Likelihood to Recommend

Unless you have a specific need for something like Pro Tools, I'd recommend Cubase every time. While some basic, initial setup stuff can be confusing at first, the overall experience is very user friendly. And where you run into issues, I've found support to be very helpful. The less expensive versions are perfect for a hobbyist, but the more advanced versions have everything you need.

Walter Aho

Creative Director at Lake Superior Christian Church (1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

1 year of experience

Cubase Gets A High Score

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

October 16, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I've been a composer for film, television and advertising for over 13 years. I've been using Cubase since 2011, it's what I've used to score many award-winning projects, it's easy to learn (I migrated over to it from Cubase), the technology is cutting edge, and it's pretty stable. Overall, it's a great product to use for scoring/podcasting/audio mixing, and I'd definitely recommend it for any new composer.

Pros

Writing music to video
Quick rendering
Easy learning curve
Moderately priced for anyone starting out in the industry

Cons

Shortcuts aren't easy to learn
Can be a bit of a resource hog
Upgrades don't necessarily have enough features to make the worthwhile

Likelihood to Recommend

While Cubase is great at editing audio, and songwriting, it's a champ at creating music to video. It's easy to import the videos into a session, and syncing up the music to the video is very easy for even a beginner. And Cubase can be used all the way through the process - writing, recording, mixing and mastering, and exporting back out is practically a one-step process!

Cubase is also really adept at MIDI, something that was lacking for me in Pro Tools at the time, and allows you to render MIDI to audio in place at a high speed rate, saving you tons of downtime.

Rob Gokee

Podcast Producer & Audio Mixer in Professional Services at Rob Gokee Music (1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

7 years of experience

View profile

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Cubase should be the new industry standard

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

July 21, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Pros

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.

Cons

Channel Conversion: The one thing I wish Cubase would change is the ability to change a mono channel to stereo. Sometimes when creating a new track, you realize after the fact it needs to be one or the other. There is no easy way to change this setting.
Automation: While the automation abilities are very inclusive, I would like to see more streamlined abilities when drawing automation curves. It can sometimes feel a little clunky in its current iteration.

Likelihood to Recommend

Dan Butler

Owner / Engineer at Seventh Seal Records (1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

18 years of experience

View profile