$28.00 you have to shell out to demo cubase for 30 days.. And there is zero live support . Support only available through email only.. And as Mike said if you buy the dongle and then decide to demo cubase and buy it afterwards you'll have an extra dongle .. Pretty fing stupid! And a waste of money .

mike_mccue
 
I have a question about mixing in Cubase.
 
I am getting the impression that you can not mix effectively from the track view because you can not access all your controls in it.
 
Is that correct? I haven't seen the console view of SONAR in a decade.
 
Consoles seem so last century to me, but I am getting the impression that I would have to use the console view to mix in Cubase.
 
Yes? No? How is it different from SONAR's track view?
 
Thanks.
 
best regards,
mike

The track view in Cubase is really around recording and editing. The mixer is where yuo are expected to do the mixing. I - like you - used track view to do both. I miss this feature actually.  if there is a way to do this I haven't found it - yet. +1 for Sonar.

djjhart@aol.com
Hows the learning curve with cubase?

Learning curve is absolutely fine - a few keystroke short cuts and changes in terminology. Pretty easy and plenty of free video tutorials from Steinberg to get you going - all integrated into the Steinberg Hub - which is the first thing you see when you fire it up. After 2 weeks I am using Cubase 7 exclusively. I've actually migrated in flight projects over. When I dip back into X2 it strikes me how little info is available on screen compared to Cubase. As a general rule of thumb I reckon I can see 3 times as many tracks in Cubase as I can in Sonar. As a result I have to do less scrolling as I can generally see everything I need on screen at the same time. I remember feeling the same post 8.5. I really think this could be addressed by Cakewalk. 

dorism
Honestly, other than smart tools and skylight, Cubase is light years ahead in every department. I suspect Roland have realised this.

Cubase has some great tools (I have version 7 here), but there are some areas where it's lagging:
Off the top of my head...

• No EFX per-clip
• Doesn't offer 64Bit dual-precision float summing (which makes rounding-error a moot point)
• Doesn't provide more than 6-channel surround (not a big deal to many users)
• Doesn't allow free routing of VSTi outputs (Sonar can route any VSTi output to any audio track which is nice for working with multi-channel virtual instruments)

Again, Cubase has some great features... but all hosts have limitations.
Find the ones you can best live with... or have the "perfect DAW" by committee (using numerous apps).
The later is my solution...

mike_mccue
Their new exclusive dongle makes it difficult to run a demo without buying a dongle.
 
Hence my most basic question about the track view.
 
I guess if you like it and buy it you get a an extra dongle?

 
Hi Mike,
 
You can access all the same mixing controls in Cubase.
In the Track Inspector (left side), you should see tabs for the following:

• Chord Track
• Inserts
• Strip
• EQ
• Sends
• Channel
• Notepad
• Quick Controls

 
This is one area where I prefer Sonar's UI.
You can see a lot more... though it does take more screen space.

Thank you Jim.
 
Both posts are very informative. I feel like I should give Cubase7 a try... I haven't tried since I demo'd it against Cakewalk Pro Audio 6 and choose Cakewalk. You probably don't remember but you sold me a Waves 4 card to make it all work great. :-)
 
 
Can someone explain how the E-license works? If I buy one to demo do you also get one when you buy the software? or is it always the case that you purchase that separately?
 
Does it work similarly to an iLok? Will I be able to get all the things I need and get it licensed even though my actual DAW never gets on the internet?
 
Thanks.
 
best regards,
mike

J4R10

But if the X3 is coming this fall, I'm pretty sure that the upgrade costs X1 users $200-$300. Then it's time to make a decision between Sonar and Cubase. 

 

By all means, give Cubase 7 a whirl.  Has many great features...
Also has some weak areas (which I mentioned above).
You'll make some compromise either way...
 
Currently you can upgrade from X1 Expanded to X2 for $99.
The upgrade to X2 from X1 is $119.
If you wait for the "sale" (right before release of a new version), you typically buy the current version with a free upgrade to the next.  If things stay the same, you'd be able to upgrade to X3 for ~$100.

I found the answer:
 
from: http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/accessories/usb_elicenser.html
 

USB-eLicenser is included with the following products*:

• Cubase 7
• Cubase Artist 7
• Nuendo 6
• WaveLab 7

USB-eLicenser is not included with the following products:

• HALion 4
• HALion Sonic
• The Grand 3
• Nuendo Live
• Yamaha Vintage Plug-in Collection
• Rupert Neve Portico Plug-ins

*This applies only for the full version of the product, as updates do not contain a Steinberg Key (USB-eLicenser).

mike_mccue
Both posts are very informative. I feel like I should give Cubase7 a try... I haven't tried since I demo'd it against Cakewalk Pro Audio 6 and choose Cakewalk. You probably don't remember but you sold me a Waves 4 card to make it all work great. :-)
 
Can someone explain how the E-license works? If I buy one to demo do you also get one when you buy the software? or is it always the case that you purchase that separately?
 
Does it work similarly to an iLok? Will I be able to get all the things I need and get it licensed even though my actual DAW never gets on the internet?
 
Just saw your last post... guess I was a little too late...   
 
 

If you buy the boxed retail version, it comes with an eLicense USB key... and the code to redeem your permanent license.  If you buy the download version, you'll need an existing eLicense key.
 
You have to run the eLicense Control Center to transfer your license.  It can be installed/run from any computer (doesn't have to be your DAW).  Very similar to the iLok scheme...
 

Thank Jim!
 
I was posting at the same time: :-)
 
 
And this answer:
 
from: http://www.steinberg.net/en/support/productactivation/usb_elicenser.html
 
"In case you have no connection to the Internet on the computer on which you wish to use the USB-eLicenser, you can always use a different computer for activation. Simply install the eLCC separately on the Internet computer without installing the complete product. Download the latest installer for Mac and PC"