Digital audio workstations (DAWs) continue to be the backbone of recording studios, with some of these tools more oriented towards music production and some more oriented for recording, mixing and post-production. German company Steinberg Media Technologies (part of Yamaha) continues to be one of the leading names in this field and offers both Cubase for music-oriented workflows, and the powerful Nuendo, for recording, mixing and post-production.
Many other software makers have opted to offer combinations of both workflows in the same DAW, creating a modular structure that can be extremely powerful but also confusing, besides creating a more expensive solution. But more importantly, as DAWs are increasingly offloading features to the cloud and enabling collaboration features, also the updates approach has changed, with many of the leading players such as Apple Logic Pro or Avid Pro Tools, embracing almost invisible incremental updates.
It's always refreshing to see that Cubase still embraces the concept of releasing major updates and consequently generating larger awareness of what it offers new, and how users can benefit from the new tools. Not surprisingly, this strategy has worked very well for Steinberg, which is celebrating the 35th anniversary of Cubase in 2024.
"Cubase 14 is designed to inspire creators to explore their creativity without limits," says Senior Marketing Manager Matthias Quellmann. "Guided by our Creativity First philosophy, Cubase 14 encourages producers to experiment, innovate, and take their music in exciting new directions."
"We felt that the last versions of Cubase had a strong focus on workflow improvements, helping our customers to achieve their goals faster. This was great and really appreciated by our customers since workflow is crucial, and we improved Cubase in some core areas. But for Cubase 14 we wanted to try a different approach and go back to our roots by remembering Steinberg’s fundamental north star, which is putting creativity first.
"So, we thought about what would help our users most to be more creative. We wanted to encourage them to experiment and to have fun playing around. The new Modulators, the Pattern Editor and the Drum Machine are the result. Each covers the basic features expected, but they also add creative functions that let the users explore: like the Euclidean mode or the probability features of the Pattern Editor or the extensive sound design tool set of the synthesis engine in the Drum Machine. Our instrument team really pulled it off for this release!"
Cubase 14 introduces six powerful, intuitive Modulators which allow users to modulate any parameter of a track or channel that contains an audio signal. A new addition to Cubase’s track types, the Drum Track is an all-in-one environment for the creation of complex drum patterns and offers comprehensive features that allow users to build custom drum kits. At its core is the new Drum Machine, a versatile hybrid of drum sampler and percussion synthesizer, and the Pattern Editor for programming propulsive, dynamic beats, randomizing grooves, and exploring new rhythmic worlds with just a few clicks.
The full MixConsole can now be opened in the Lower Zone of the Project window, allowing channels to be re-arranged via drag and drop for faster, more intuitive mixing. The event volume curve editing in Cubase 14 has been enhanced so that users can optimize their audio with draw tools that are familiar from automation editing to edit fades and adjust static event volume offsets.
New effects in Cubase 14 include Shimmer, a reverb plug-in that lives up to its name. Then there is StudioDelay, a distinctive, easy-to-use delay with quick access to built-in effects like modulation, distortion, reverb, and pitch. Autofilter is a filter specially designed for modulating its cutoff frequency via the input track or sidechain signal. Cubase 14 introduces Underwater, a brand-new signal processor for building atmosphere and space for vocals or lead instruments with the well-known "party next door" effect. And to round out the new additions, a Volume effect allows control of volume independently of the MixConsole volume fader.
Cubase 14 also introduces a revamped Score Editor built on technology from Dorico, the music notation and composition application from Steinberg. The new Score Editor provides a powerful, notation-based MIDI editor which will allow users to quickly and easily examine and edit music as notation while producing great-looking parts for live recording projects.
As always, Steinberg offers Cubase 14 in three different versions — from those taking their first steps with Cubase Elements, through intermediate-level users with Cubase Artist, and all the way to the comprehensive, industry-standard features of Cubase Pro. The suggested retail price for Cubase Pro 14 is 579 euros or 579.99 US dollars. The suggested retail price for Cubase Artist 14 is 329 euros or 329.99 US dollars. The suggested retail price for Cubase Elements 14 is 99.99 euros or
99.99 US dollars.
A range of downloadable updates and upgrades, crossgrades, and education versions are exclusively available through the Steinberg Online Shop.
www.steinberg.net
