JClosed
 
Just like I said. Cubase is highly configurable, and if all outputs would be channeled to the standard output, it would be even more work to change that all to Control Room outputs if you want to use those. Not everybody uses the same layout (and I am sure you will not use my configuration). You can configure several setups and give each it's own name, so you can switch very fast between configurations. I personally would not like it when I would have to undo the standard setup, and then change everything to my liking (Control Room routing). I then rather start with a clean state, but that's a personal opinion.
 
Anyway - I do not see the problem here. You only have to set it up once and it takes only a few minutes. After that you have years of using that program without having to configure anything.

Here's the problem. It should happen automatically. Its great that they make it so you can customize where everything goes and how its configured. But it should be configured to work automatically by default. There is no downside to that. None. As far as you being annoyed if you would have had to unto what they did to make your own configuration goes... As simple as adding 'clear all input/outputs' button would fix that wouldn't it? Don't like the auto config? Just click the clear all and rebuild your own. But at least then it would work from the get go by default. 
 
 
 

As far as I know first posts do not take day's to be approved. Mine was approved within hours. However, keep in mind that the action to lower cross-license prices has probably attracted lots of new users. Steinberg is big, but not that big that great influx is picked up without some delays in other departments. That your first post has taken day's to be approved is not very common as far as my experience goes. I can understand you are a bit agitated about that, but don't you exaggerate a bit here?
 

Sonar's user base isn't that huge and not all of them bought the crossgrade. Of those that did, not all of them would have posted in their forum. And once someone actually decides to do that work, it would take all of 30 seconds to realize my post wasn't spam and approve it. If it were an amateur owned forum run out of someone's garage, I could see having trouble keeping up. But the forum in question has Steinberg's name on it and Yamaha's muscle behind it. An intern should have been able to get this done within hours if not minutes. Even with a bump in sales from the Sonar crash.

Maybe you should look at another option rather than Cubase?

OK, enabling the Control Room sounds like what I probably need to do - now am wondering why it's not enabled by default? (rhetorical wondering, I'm sure it will become clear) .  I just started working with the Cubase 9.5 demo - I went through the Audio setup menus and added/renamed all of the available ins and outs and saved the config with a new name.
 
Next time I opened it, back to only 2 in / 2 out, and the saved config is not in the list.
Tonight I'll enable Control Room and test saving another config, I suspect there may be more rtfm involved though.  Plenty of info out there, and thanks for this tip :)
 
It is encouraging to have the (weekly?) hangouts as well, lots of tips in there.

husker
Maybe you should look at another option rather than Cubase?

Given the choice I'd stay with Sonar. But I'm not going to continue to do projects on a platform that lacks support and will die at some unspecified date in the future. I bought Cubase based on recommendations and published features so that's the horse I'm going to ride. If the workflow/overall design ends up not working for me, then I'll put it down as being worth a shot and pursue other options. I'm still hopeful it will work well for me and be a good fit in the long run. But I'm also going to point out what I think are poor design choices when I see them same I'd do with anything else. Same as I'd expect from anyone else.

So that being said, we've figured out new users have to go in and manually configure all their ins and outs. Great. Now that I know that, I'll get it done. 

Next issues is monitor insert plugins on live inputs. What's the work-around? I can't be the first Cubase user who wanted to hear amp sim plugins while recording guitar.

JohanSebatianGremlin

husker
Maybe you should look at another option rather than Cubase?

Given the choice I'd stay with Sonar. But I'm not going to continue to do projects on a platform that lacks support and will die at some unspecified date in the future. I bought Cubase based on recommendations and published features so that's the horse I'm going to ride. 

I'm in _exactly_ the same boat.  I would have much rather stayed with Sonar, but choose not to continue to learn a dead product.

Buying Cubase based on recommendations and published features, without an in-depth test run is just silly, IMHO.
 
Fact: there are no DAWs exactly like Sonar, and never will be.  Learning new features and adjusting your workflow accordingly will be necessary.  The sooner you come to terms with this, the sooner you will adapt successfully to your chosen path. 

stevethompson
OK, enabling the Control Room sounds like what I probably need to do - now am wondering why it's not enabled by default? (rhetorical wondering, I'm sure it will become clear) .
 
Next time I opened it, back to only 2 in / 2 out, and the saved config is not in the list.
Tonight I'll enable Control Room and test saving another config, I suspect there may be more rtfm involved though.  Plenty of info out there, and thanks for this tip :)
 

The control room is not for everybody, so it makes little sense to force that option on users who don't need it (if you use IKM's ARC, you *do* need it, however).
 
I suggest that you take a look at project templates.  Set up a project that way you like to start all (or most) new efforts, save that as a template, and use that template as the starting point of any new project.  It works nicely once you get used to the flow of things and I suspect it will address your issues regarding the active state of inputs and outputs.

I bought Cubase 9.5 using the 50 % discount offered by Steinberg.
 
I must say that everything seems fine but I miss some features that I always loved using Sonar.
 
One example: if you record a track (maybe a guitar) for some bars, then you need to record a second section on the same track starting on the following bar (so you need to start recording a couples of bars before) you can't hear what it was recorded before because cubase mutes the track while recording it and this is not so nice.
 
And - similar scenario - using the lanes you cannot hear overlapping clips (if the clips are overlapping a bit, you can only hear one lane at a time and the other lanes are muted)...
 
Anyway I am learning Cubase and for sure it is a good DAW in my opinion.
 
For sure I could be much happier if Sonar will stay alive .... !!!
 
Bye,
 
Giorgio
 

I'm quickly coming to love Cubase.  In fact I was watching some videos with Greg Ondo on some of the time stretching and tempo track features in Cubase and it blows away what Sonar and alot of other DAW's on the market can do in that regard.
 
It's just a huge help to me, because I have worked with a ton or projects that were not recorded to a click.  In Sonar it would take 5-10min or so to set that up, but in Cubase it's just a couple of mouse clicks.
 
While I do still prefer the visual look and layout of Sonar, I'm actually discovering there are so many advanced features in Cubase that just weren't there or were buggy in Sonar.

JohanSebatianGremlin
Next issues is monitor insert plugins on live inputs. What's the work-around? I can't be the first Cubase user who wanted to hear amp sim plugins while recording guitar.

You really don't need any workaround. Cubase monitoring works very intuitively. Most probably, you are not hearing the insert effects due to one of the following two reasons:
 
1. Either you have engaged the "Constrain Delay Compensation" button.
2. Or, you have activated the Direct Monitoring option (Studio Setup -> VST Audio System).
 
Disable both those functions and you will hear the audio track insert effects during recording.
--
Miloslav