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Cubase vs. Logic


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I've been happily using Logic for 10 years, and I know it very well; but the sale on crossgrading to Cubase makes it very tempting to try out. I know I could download the demo and try it out myself, but I was curious if anyone knows of any major advantages of Cubase (no comparison that I've found has been current and/or from a quality source).
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Personally, I wasn't attracted to Logic. Cubase flow seems to work better for me.

 

That aside, you talking 'feature comparison'.

 

I note that a cubase owner has access to many Yamaha instruments. To me, thats a bargain in that I do not own any Yamaha gear and want access to the Yamaha palette.

 

I found Cubase and AI to be inexpensive. It was included with my Steinberg AI UR44.

 

I just upgraded to ver 10 for $9.99. Really a no brainer.

A Kronos friend somehow got it for free.

 

In addition, Steinberg offers a diverse software selection for the musician. They seem to have figured out the niches.

 

I am a n00b on Cubase so I can't be more technically precise. And I haven't used Logic.

 

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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Logic Pro has many more quality instruments and effects than Cubase does, IMO. Then there's MainStage that uses the same Logic Pro instruments and effects for live performance, there's no equivalent for Cubase.
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No reason to spend time learning another DAW.

And no reason not to.

Only you can decide if you want to plunk down time and money.

 

Sounds wise they both come with nice libraries and virtual instruments.

Steinberg makes a few cool ones that bought separately.

Most tools are matched in both but layout is different.

Cubase has a neat build your own editor if youre into hardware synths.

 

 

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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I used the upgrade discount to go to Cubase 10 for $49 this weekend, but still haven't really used the product for anything. Having explored it in depth though, I do have it lined up eventually for some very specific MIDI specialty tasks.

 

DP has been my home since the beginning, and is why I took the risk of buying a Mac vs. a Windows machine for my first home computer in the early 2000's, even though I had no experiences with Macs and the transition from OS 9 to OS X was quite messy and intimidating (no user manual, and no internet connection at the time so help was few and far between and based on a few phone calls to friends who used Macs).

 

I still consider DP by far (by a factor of at least 10x) the most stable for plug-in hosting, and the best built-in notation editor as well as great MIDI editing tools, but it still lacks some basic functions, for which I use Logic. In particular, mapping Note On velocity to MIDI CC11 (or CC2, or any other CC). This is critical for successfully switching legacy tracks, or even new tracks entered by keyboard, to tracks that are compatible with CC-based products such as Sample Modeling, Audio Modeling, and many sample libraries as well.

 

I also use Logic for Alchemy, which is 4x better (at least) than it was when it was still a universal plug-in. The cash infusion from Apple allowed the team to finally gets its timbre, effects, and basic sound to be as warm as Cameleon 5000 was. I just hate having to do those tracks in Logic, as I hate the Logic workflow and interface overall and find it highly illogical.

 

Cubase is still new to me, because I only had the free AI4 for many years, and it never really quite worked for MIDI on macOS. Steinberg has come a long way over the past four years (maybe a bit longer than that; I've lost track of time). They really take macOS seriously now, and all of their products now work almost as well on macOS as on Windows. Gone are the days when you have to know Windows Audio and ASIO and "fake out" your Mac to pretend it's a Windows box!

 

As almost everyone I know who doesn't use ProTools (at least exclusively) is a Cubase user (though some still use Logic, if they do video, and even a few are still on DP or even Sonar), I figure it's a good one to have around in case one is handed a project to complete. But I do hope to use it for some real work soon; especially as it is said to be the best for drum editing. So it would be good to at least start a project in Cubase and see whether it improves the overall workflow and the speed of getting to completion on the core rhythmic elements of a composition.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

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The one DAW that I truly despise is StudioOne. If I can find the time, I'll look into their resale policy, as I do see people reselling it so presumably it's legal to do so. I use it exclusively for quarantining new plug-ins, as it tends to fail the most (tied with Logic, perhaps), and as it handles all formats so can also help me decide in advance whether to disable a specific format (AU or VST) in DP before risking corrupting a project by introducing a new plug-in into an existing project. I find StudioOne hard on the eyes, and don't like its workflow at all. I have tried hard to like it as it is so popular.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

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Actually its simple...

 

If you dont have a mac, you use cubase..

If you have a Mac, there is no reason to choose Cubase over Logic..

 

In my opinion these 2 giants suit the same crowd

Both are old fashioned linear daws..

Logic in my opinion does almost evrything a little better at a much lower price..

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There are some who love the Cubase workflow. The Logic instruments are a benefit if you use them. I do. I also use Mainstage. I was a Cubase user for about ten years after starting out with MOTU and Emagic. When I drifted, it was usually curiosity.

 

There are some debates about sound quality, partly fueled (imo) by the placebo effect ....

 

[video:youtube]XL8aOQkfeN4

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... I was curious if anyone knows of any major advantages of Cubase...

 

 

 

You can use Cubase on a pc. I had Logic for pc and got burned by the rotten apple.

 

Oh well - I like Cubase much better anyways.

 

Like GregC says too - Steinberg stuff is under the Yamaha umbrella now, with tight integration with their keyboards and a lot of softsynth stuff if you're into that.

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I've got and use both. I bought into Cubase back in the days when I was using a PC for recording. I love the workflow and the built-in instruments. I added the Absolute VST Collection to mine years ago and the HALion Sonic plug in give you a virtual Yamaha soundset. I also added The Grand, HALion Symphonic Orchestra, and a few others. Retrologue is a monster. To me, who comes from the old days of linear tape recording, it was easier to grasp and learn. I think I purchased a few tutorials for it as well. Logic, as others have mentioned, has Alchemy which is another beast. There are some great basic soundsets in Logic that are awesome. I use MainStage for performing live so it's nice having stuff all in teh same place. I like that I can use HALion Sonic as a VST within Logic and I hate that I cannot use Alchemy within Cubase.

 

Now for the problems I have. I just upgraded taking advantage of the 50% off sale as well and jumped from v7.5 to v10 of Cubase Pro. I started way back with Cubase SL and have usually upgraded every other version. I hate that Steinberg charges a premium every time they offer a new version. Logic has never done that. $200 for starters from the app store and every time there has been an upgrade their have been many "WOW" moments that haven't cost me a dime. About 2015 I bought a MacBook Pro and loaded it with 16GB RAM, a 1TB SSD, and that is when I purchased Logic as well. The workflow is very similar to Cubase and should take anyone familiar with one very little time to adjust to the nuances of the other (imho). I also found that Cubase didn't play nicely with my Mac. I installed the Mac version on my MBP as soon as I got it and found it sluggish and not near as stable or fast on my Mac as it had been on my PC. I am seriously counting on Pro 10 playing nicer. Also, when I did install it on my Mac and called Steinberg about some help, I was told they no longer supported v7.5. Taking a cue out of the Microsoft playbook possibly? I dunno. I do love Cubase, aside from the things I've mentioned. I just wish they took care of the customers better as far as upgrades and support. I figured it up once that I had invested over a grand in Cubase and the upgrades (and to be fair, the add-ons as well). The few times I've called support at Apple for Logic issues, I've had wonderful support. Sorry for the length of this reply, but I hope it helps.

Hardware:
Yamaha
: MODX7 | Korg: Kronos 88, Wavestate | ASM: Hydrasynth Deluxe | Roland: Jupiter-Xm, Cloud Pro, TD-9K V-Drums | Alesis: StrikePad Pro|
Behringer: Crave, Poly D, XR-18, RX1602 | CPS: SpaceStation SSv2 | 
Controllers: ROLI RISE 49 | Arturia KeyLab Essentials 88, KeyLab 61, MiniLab | M-Audio KeyStation 88 & 49 | Akai EWI USB |
Novation LaunchPad Mini, |
Guitars & Such: Line 6 Variax, Helix LT, POD X3 Live, Martin Acoustic, DG Strat Copy, LP Sunburst Copy, Natural Tele Copy|
Squier Precision 5-String Bass | Mandolin | Banjo | Ukulele

Software:
Recording
: MacBook Pro | Mac Mini | Logic Pro X | Mainstage | Cubase Pro 12 | Ableton Live 11 | Monitors: M-Audio BX8 | Presonus Eris 3.5BT Monitors | Slate Digital VSX Headphones & ML-1 Mic | Behringer XR-18 & RX1602 Mixers | Beyerdynamics DT-770 & DT-240
Arturia: V-Collection 9 | Native Instruments: Komplete 1 Standard | Spectrasonics: Omnisphere 2, Keyscape, Trilian | Korg: Legacy Collection 4 | Roland: Cloud Pro | GForce: Most all of their plugins | u-he: Diva, Hive 2, Repro, Zebra Legacy | AAS: Most of their VSTs |
IK Multimedia: SampleTank 4 Max, Sonik Synth, MODO Drums & Bass | Cherry Audio: Most of their VSTs |

 

 

 

 

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I forgot to provide a bottom line opinion in my post above ... which is that you are choosing between good and good. These are both powerful tools. :cool:

 

Also, for more research & discussion than is practical in one thread, scan the "Your DAW" subforum at VI-Control. Many different issues are discussed and it will give you a feel for the different types of pros and cons. An issue which is unimportant to others may be a dealbreaker for you (and vice versa).

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I don't have the frame of reference to answer any comparison questions. I've only used Cubase. I finally vowed to never buy another Cubase upgrade. I can't speak to Logic but Cubase installs and updates are an utter pain in the ass. I'm tired of users being treated like criminals. At the time I built MS and Sybase SQL servers on boxes and VM slices for a living and the biggest pain in the ass software I had to deal with on a regular basis was my DAW. Still running Sybase 6. If I ever upgrade it will probably be Reaper.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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I don't have the frame of reference to answer any comparison questions. I've only used Cubase. I finally vowed to never buy another Cubase upgrade. I can't speak to Logic but Cubase installs and updates are an utter pain in the ass. Reaper.

 

I will try to be more specific even I am a Cubase n00b.

 

The 'elicensor ' box of controls seems like overkill to me. I was on 9.5 and my Kronos friend told me to wake up and get ver 10 for free.

 

Anyway he got the free upgrade and I did not. I f'd around with his link and many others to get the freebie. I gave up, as it was apparent Steinberg wanted a $10 from me. I gave in finally, as I figured ver 10 is a good improvement.

 

Bottom line it seems Steinberg puts in several gauntlets and far away hoops to protect the licensing. I suppose they know what they are doing. I was successful with the upgrade but I had to be very patient.

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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The eLicenser is a much more sensitive dongle than the iLok. I have to connect mine directly to the back of my iMac, taking up a precious port, as even putting it on a high-powered external USB port isn't good enough. And in spite of that, it still can be prone to lose its connection -- sometimes mid-session, which can ruin continuity of thought as one usually has to reboot and also unplug and re-plug things. At least it works on macOS now; for over a year a few years back, the eLicenser was barely functional on that OS.

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

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The dongle shit, pardon my French, is very outdated and kracked regardless of their efforts to make things harder for paying customers. I believe you can authorize a machine with the ilok management software so to dont need the dongle if you dont jump machines on a regular basis. Does the elicenser from Steinberg offer the same? Logic obviously only needs you to login to the App Store and download Logic - done.

 

Ive used Cubase, Logic, DP, and ProTools often over the last 20 years. Current versions Im most familiar with are Logic and ProTools. They all have neat features or ways of accomplishing this or that. But the principals of production are the same regardless of the tools. So I tend to recommend learning one well and sticking with it. Toying with others is more hobby, unless you just have to use ProTools or whatever because you need to work most easily with a collaborator. Although for this you can export as OMF or export all stems from the start of the project. Heres a handy link on how to do this with ProTools.

https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/home-page/2014/4/10/moving-an-entire-pro-tools-session-to-another-daw.html

 

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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The dongle shit, pardon my French, is very outdated and kracked regardless of their efforts to make things harder for paying customers. I believe you can authorize a machine with the ilok management software so to dont need the dongle if you dont jump machines on a regular basis. Does the elicenser from Steinberg offer the same?

 

No. Inexplicably, several Steinberg entry-level products do offer dongle-free activation, but their flagship products are still shackled to the eLicenser last time I checked.

 

 

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Yes, i am considering moving from an old Mac Pro to a shiny new MacBook Pro, and in this case i would consider using (also) Logic, just because i cannot afford the risk to loose the eLicenser dongle in the Paris metro or in a plane ...

 

Maurizio

Nord Wave 2, Nord Electro 6D 61,, Rameau upright,  Hammond Pro44H Melodica.

Too many Arturia, NI and AAS plugins

http://www.barbogio.org/

 

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Thanks for the input! There doesn't appear to be any big advantage of Cubase (or any DAW at this point for that matter). I'll have to download the demo and play around. I have no intention ton of switching from Logic, but sometimes it's fun and inspiring to play around with something new.
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Thanks for the input! There doesn't appear to be any big advantage of Cubase (or any DAW at this point for that matter). I'll have to download the demo and play around. I have no intention ton of switching from Logic, but sometimes it's fun and inspiring to play around with something new.

 

Very true. Trying new things, especially when theres a demo available is always fun and interesting.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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There are for me more technical considerations for a digital & Midi recorder and audio processing / plugin host. For instance is there a no dropped samples guarantee, is there some processing built in track recording/playback as opposed to complete bit for bit transparancy. Also there are technical questions about which digital synchronisation source is used, and what the accuracy of certain midi timestamps and playback timing is.

 

T

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No. Inexplicably, several Steinberg entry-level products do offer dongle-free activation, but their flagship products are still shackled to the eLicenser last time I checked.

 

 

Thats mostly correct from my experience

 

I bought the Steinberg UR44 over 1 year ago.

 

With it was the current version of Cubase.

 

The e-license routine was software based, like an on line protection scheme, with a series of hoops to jump thru.

 

No hardware thingie or 'dongle ' required.

 

I have also upgraded to ver 10, and same routine, e-license software hoops to jump thru.

 

 

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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FWIW right now there is a significant crossgrade discount for Cubase 10 Pro.

 

I already have Cubase AI 10, a really old pro version of Cubase (edu license), and an elicenser (on a USB hub next to my iLok...no issues here).

 

The latest pro upgrade path from these options was a hair too much.

 

However, I was able to leverage my Ableton license for the crossgrade, and given the current 30th anniversary promos, it was a decent deal.

 

Logic users should be able to take advantage as well.

 

I make software noises.
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