Upgrading Cubase or changing horses? What do ya think?

+1 for Logic. especially the new version "X" is just perfect. Very powerful, easy to use. Much better workflows than in previous versions. And unbeatable pricing from Apple.

Quote from londonjeepster

Pro tools 10 for me,just what you get used to i suppose but i find it very quick and easy.

Same here I LOVE PRO TOOLS but its what ive grown up on lol

I repeat what I said earlier: Cubase comes with all the plugins you need to do a professional ambitious production.
And it's always better to learn how to work a stock compressor and EQ first instead of investing a fortune in an UAD card with an LA-2A and a Pultec emulation.
This can come later if you wish to expand but you need to learn the basic tools first.

In retrospect I can honestly say that I have spent too much money on plugins over the years
And I'm using an UAD Neve 88RS channel strip which is amazing almost exclusively now.
But I could do with Logic's stock plugins just fine.

Go with Cubase, if you like it.

There are several options when it comes to a DAW, but if you're already familiar with and if you like Cubase, why change?
I've been using Cubase since 1999 and find it a great tool. I tried ProTools for a while, didn't like it, but it's a great DAW too, just a personal preference.

I've got version 6.5 since I believe I need to upgrade my computer to make version 7/7.5 run really smoothly.
So in case you do go with Cubase 7/7.5, be sure you meet the specs and have enough power for it, otherwise you might get disappointed.

Quote from mdeeRocks

Long time Cubase user (since early 90s). Switched to Presonus Studio One about a year ago and never looked back. I also work in ProTools very often and I still prefer Presonus

Same here. Very happy with Studio One Pro (comes with all plugins to start with) with pretty good results over the last two years. For some sessions we use Pro Tools. Before we bought Studio One we had a Mac with Logic. Wenn you get used to a single DAW, you come back to it again and again.

I use Cubase 7 and have used Cubase since about 1996, I think. It's rock solid on a Mac and I use it fulltime in my studio.

I've got 7.5 but will wait until I close before upgrading - definitely worth it.

There's nothing you can't do in Cubase really, with MIDI and audio.

I use Cubase 5.1 since about 4 years, I checked out other DAWs but I always come back to Cubase. It works perfect, has everything I could wish for and does its job everytime I need it.
Having worked with about 3 or 4 different DAWs I would recommend just trying it for a week or two and then see if you feel more comfortable with Reaper than with Cubase, if so - don´t switch back. If you still feel that Cubase is your metaphorical warm, comfy chair infront of your fireplace then switch back and upgrade

I'm wondering that there is no voting for FL Studio or Sonar ...
I used cubase til V 3 many years ago and liked it.

Because of an undenieable offer for FL Studio Producer Bundle I bought it and am happy with it. Worth a look !

Much earlier I used cakewalk (only MIDI) and bought SONAR X1 (upgraded to X2 last year).
I think it's a great tool, too, but I can't find out how to work with it without doing some lessons and I haven't the time for that...
so I mostly work with FL Studio - find it easier to handle.

I just read in another thread that you're not planning to buy Cubase but Cubase Artist. I hope you're aware of the differences? In case you're not, here's a list of missing features you might not like:

The Artist version does NOT include:

• Multiband Compressor
• Vintage Compressor
• REVerence impulse response based convolution reverb
• Roomworks algorithmic reverb (but a stripped down SE version)
• Voxengo CurveEQ
• DeEsser
• Studio Chorus
• 30 band EQ GEQ-30
• Expander

And this is just a list of the most important missing items in Cubase Artist compared to the "real thing".

Just trying to prevent you from disappointment.
We've been talking about Cubase all the time, not another stripped down version. This won't save you money because you'll need to get other plugins to do the job.

Whoah, just looked up the price for the different upgrade paths at Steinberg which are quite over the top IMO.

In this case I change my recommendation as you're only in the beginnings of your recording career and haven't stuck on Cubase/ haven't known Cubase for too long anyway.

1. The best would be to buy Logic Pro X for € 199.- which beats Cubase all the time. But you need a Mac and you're on PC...
2. You get a crossgrade to Studio One 2 Professional for about € 275.-. See here: https://www.presonus.com/produ…2-professional-crossgrade
Studio One is built by ex- Steinberg people and also based in Hamburg. Studio One Professional is a VERY capable DAW. Awesome plugins incl. multiband compression etc. Look up all its features.
3. Check out Reaper which is also a very recommendable DAW (only € 60.-).

Of course you can always get additional plugins, either by upgrading to the full version or buying 3rd party plugins.
Actually the upgrade path from Cubase 5 Essential to Cubase 7.5 Artist to Cubase 7.5 will be 458 Euro (199 + 249) total while the direct upgrade from Cubase 5 Essential to Cubase 7.5 would be 499 Euro.

A complete list of included (or not included) features can be found here:
http://www.steinberg.net/filea…on_chart_-_2013_11_26.pdf

One more thing I have to mention, although it's not in favour of Cubase 7.5:
I just bought and installed the upgrade from Cubase 7 to Cubase 7.5 and I have some serious trouble with the new version's user interface. Will have to investigate if there's an issue with my graphic card or if there's a serious issue in Cubase 7.5. I will report as soon as possible, in the meantime don't buy/order. SOLVED

Regarding the 2 features you would miss (and the others you think you won't miss):

1. DeEsser
If you plan on doing vocals as well, a DeEsser is essential. You can get lots of third party plugins as well. Some of them are really good and especially helpful when you're not experienced using a DeEsser. One example I would suggest you to watch is the FabFilter Pro-DS. They've produced a great introduction video where you can easily understand what a DeEsser does and how he does it. Sadly this beautiful beast will cost you 149 Euro.

Compared to th Pro-DS, the one that comes with Cubase 7.5 is VERY basic. Not a reason to get the full Cubase just to have this basic filter. But still a DeEsser is something to keep in mind when you plan to record vocals.

2. Voxengo CurveEQ
This one I would say is a great addition to the Cubase toolset. But it can be bought as a 3rd party plugin as well for 70 Euros (and there are gazillions of other EQ plugins on the market). The benefit of this plugin: CurveEQ enables you to compare and match spectrums visually without the need to get the expensive (but much better) Izotope Ozone. Really nice to have it included in Cubase 7.5, imho. A reason to get the full Cubase? Certainly not.

3. General remarks:
After some coffee I think it's not necessary to go through all missing features in detail. There's nothing you can't get as 3rd party plugins. It just adds to the overall cost and that should be considered. The additional features you get with Cubase 7.5 certainly aren't the best of the best, but at least you get them and they are usable, some of them are really good imho, like the REVerence or the Multiband Compressor.

Ingolf certainly has a valid point. Cubase IS expensive and since you're not already tied to Cubase, it's not a big problem to switch. I wouldn't recommend the Mac/Logic path, but I certainly can tell that Presonus Studio One is a nice DAW at a more reasonable price. It misses a few advanced features compared to Cubase but that can be helpful because it's easier to learn. I bought Studio One Producer one year ago for a guy in Nepal who didn't have any experience in DAWs ... he quickly learned to use it and as far as I can tell, it looks and feels good. An option you should investigate.

The issue with Cubase 7.5 user interface I had is solved. I had to update my Wacom tablet driver. Everything working fine now.

You should at least try the trial period of Reaper and the free version of Studio One. They both are much easier workflows that Cubase. And something Cubase never had, and probably never will: FUN to work with.

Yeah, give Studio One a chance.
I have Studio One, Logic X, Pro Tools 10 and prefer Studio One by far.

if you want to upgrade only because of missing plug-ins then don't do it. it's not worth the money as your mixing skilsl wont improve by using better plugins or more plugins. if anything use youtube. one of the best ways to learn in your situation. if you are looking for plugins check this site out: http://www.kvraudio.com/q.php
You can search for free plug-ins and you'll find a lot of good and usable stuff

I've been using just about every DAW under the sun over the past 20 years. Any of the well known packages can do the job, but they differ slightly wrt what type of production they work best for. For personal use (mostly audio recording with a bit of midi) I recently discovered Presonus Studio One. A somewhat restricted version was supplied with a guitar-synth package I'm playing with. I was pleasantly surprised at features and performance on both platforms (OSX and Windows), and had no doubts when Presonus recently offered the complete pro-package at 50% discount. That is about 1/6 of the price for a full ProTools-package.