I know it's no big deal to some, but the dongle is a big one in the "Cons" column for Cubase.  I don't like the idea of a flimsy usb key being the most important piece of hardware on my DAW.  Perhaps an internal installation would be better for a desktop.  But this really kills any chance of using cubase on a laptop.
 
Regarding Cubase...I see it comes with two pitch correction tools: PitchCorrect and VariAudio 2.0.  Does anybody have experience with these?  I'm automatically assuming they beat Old Man V-Vocal.  (users have been begging for improvements to V-Vocal, or a replacement, since it was first introduced)

vespesian
Cubase has just announced another maintenance update (7.05), due next week.

 
Looking into Cubase 7... It's immediately apparent that Steinberg is on the ball development-wise.  I am starting to feel very amateur riding the Cakewalk train.  With all the unresolved bugs, they still do not tell customers what they are working on.  Contrast this with Steinberg:
 
     Cubase 7 - released Dec 2012 - 4 (going on 5) maintenance releases
     Sonar X2 - released Sep 2012 - 1 update; last heard from: December 2012
 
Furthermore, it appears Steinberg cares about issues, and communicates with users to ensure issues are noticed and tackled:  http://www.steinberg.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=179  (would you not love to see this for Sonar??)
 
Cakewalk instead hides out, leaving customers to ponder questions like:
   - Are any of the current bugs/problems being worked on?
   - Which bugs are on the list to be fixed?
   - Will there be another update to X2, or do we have to pay for X3 to get bug fixes?
   - If we pay for X3, what bugs will be fixed?
   - Can we expect anything in the next few weeks?  months?
 
If Cakewalk's answer to any question above is, "We can't say," then I've stuck around wayyyy too long.  We are adults here, we can handle the information.  Or do you believe ignorance is bliss?  Not I...

StudiousFurthermore, it appears Steinberg cares about issues, and communicates with users to ensure issues are noticed and tackled:  http://www.steinberg.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=179  (would you not love to see this for Sonar??)

Yes, but this is relatively new behavior for Steinberg. I stopped using their products years ago when they were a pretty crappy company to deal with. Glad to hear they have improved.
 
Regards,
Dan
 

I thought this was kind of neat. I stumbled upon this on their forums today.
[For brevity, I haven't included the long request.]
 
But I do like the response.
.............................
...Thanks for listening!

Hello,
thanks for your suggestions. Can you please move this topic to the "Feature Request" forum so that we can
consider your proposal when working through the feature-wish lists for the next versions.

Thank you very much,
Timo
Timo Wildenhain - Product Marketing Manager Nuendo - WaveLab - VST plug-ins 
Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH 
Hamburg, Germany 
....................
Gotta like that!

Studious
 
Regarding Cubase...I see it comes with two pitch correction tools: PitchCorrect and VariAudio 2.0.  Does anybody have experience with these?  I'm automatically assuming they beat Old Man V-Vocal.  (users have been begging for improvements to V-Vocal, or a replacement, since it was first introduced)

They're very deep. They use a number of different algo's (MPEX, elastique, some other one I forget at the moment), over which which you have alot of control. Variaudio events/clips/parts can even follow chord tracks - and generate harmonies - with many different voicing options. I like how any 'realtime' (ie., time & pitch editing) in C7 can be accomplished via the Sample Editor, so you actually have room to see what's happening/work.

Jeff Evans
This is not necessarily true. I find it interesting that many Sonar users think that their experiences are common to all DAW's but this is an incorrect assumption.

Maybe I should have said 'Most', and yes you are correct regarding ST1.
We have ST1 V2.5.3 on my sons machine, and it seems to run smoothly regarding the update route.
No notation was the real hurdle for me, regarding long term investment.
I must say the Macro tool bar is a great add on for getting around certain work flows and small limitations,
and the users on that forum are very good for upping and sharing their custom macros at the preset exchange.
 
Garry
 
 

dcumpian

StudiousFurthermore, it appears Steinberg cares about issues, and communicates with users to ensure issues are noticed and tackled:  http://www.steinberg.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=179  (would you not love to see this for Sonar??)

Yes, but this is relatively new behavior for Steinberg. I stopped using their products years ago when they were a pretty crappy company to deal with. Glad to hear they have improved.
 
Regards,
Dan
 

Agreed - I used to use Cubase back in Atari days but moved to Sonar 1 for 3 reasons.


1) technology wise it was cutting edge in its day
2) customer centric business model
3) this forum (or usenet as it was then) lol
 
It feels as though the tables have turned with Cubase 7. Cakewalk have been addressing (IMHO) frivolous features such as touch - aimed more at the consumer market - whilst Steinberg have been really nailing their pro features, improving stability,a dding features  and listening to feedback.
 
Its all good healthy competition. I think Cakewalk will come good eventually - clearly the Roland merger is taking time to bed in.

I'm amazed to see how people compare Daw , specially according to upadtes and fixes !! lol for real i'm amazed !!!
 
a lot of updates indicates 2 things :
 
1) Good maintenance
 
2) a lot of bugs 
 
OR 
 
1) alot of bugs 
 
2) Slow maintenance ....
 
Anyway ....
 
Funny thread ....
 
All i can say is that all the "pro's" that see me working with sonar X1 and my VS 700 dowload the demo as soon as the get back home !! and this even if they have Cubase , nuendo , PT, logic ...ect ....
 
I handle 3 projects at the same time now  nad still on X1D that is rock solid , X2 is sleeping on my HD and this is the way it should be , pro's don't upadte in the middle of projects unless they keep both version and all ...
 
 
Also i must point out that each upadtes (in vesrion) are alwayz deep !! having the fx chain in the Pro channel is not like "support tracks Icons !!" lol ...
 
 

 
I'm interested in tempo mapping to live takes the way it's supposed to work.
 
I think the smart harmony stuff is interesting.

Studious

vespesian
Cubase has just announced another maintenance update (7.05), due next week.

 
Looking into Cubase 7... It's immediately apparent that Steinberg is on the ball development-wise.  I am starting to feel very amateur riding the Cakewalk train.  With all the unresolved bugs, they still do not tell customers what they are working on.  Contrast this with Steinberg:
 
     Cubase 7 - released Dec 2012 - 4 (going on 5) maintenance releases
     Sonar X2 - released Sep 2012 - 1 update; last heard from: December 2012
 
Furthermore, it appears Steinberg cares about issues, and communicates with users to ensure issues are noticed and tackled:  http://www.steinberg.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=179  (would you not love to see this for Sonar??)
 
Cakewalk instead hides out, leaving customers to ponder questions like:
   - Are any of the current bugs/problems being worked on?
   - Which bugs are on the list to be fixed?
   - Will there be another update to X2, or do we have to pay for X3 to get bug fixes?
   - If we pay for X3, what bugs will be fixed?
   - Can we expect anything in the next few weeks?  months?
 
If Cakewalk's answer to any question above is, "We can't say," then I've stuck around wayyyy too long.  We are adults here, we can handle the information.  Or do you believe ignorance is bliss?  Not I...

The way Steinberg appears to deal with issues on that forum should be the benchmark for all major software companies. When you've paid $300+ for a product that doesn't work properly, you have a right to expect it to work as advertised. If it doesn't, not only should you feel entitled to a timely fix, but the expectation should be that the developer will inform users exactly what issues they're aware of, which ones are being addressed and what they should expect to see in the next release. We're not talking video games here, we're talking commercial tools with which people rely on to make their living. You have to be able to plan ahead. If the DAW you're using has a problem which is affecting the way you work with it, it seems reasonable to expect the company who made it to let you know how likely a fix for that problem is. If it's not forthcoming, then you can make the choice to stick it out or jump ship for another DAW. I'd like to know: by what standard of value is keeping your paying customers in the dark acceptable?
 
Look how Sonar users react on the very rare occasions in which Cakewalk staff make an appearance in forum threads. We feel privileged! We thank them for taking the time out of their busy schedules to let us know that problem-X is being worked on! But really, they should have a permanent presence on the forum like Steinberg. We shouldn't feel privileged to get a reply. We all have skin in the game, and without paying customers like us they would not have jobs! I don't want to put them down because quite clearly there are some nice people working at Cakewalk and what few appearances they make are always very pleasant and informative, but let's be honest, it's nowhere near enough. I think the patience is wearing thin even in those who have "blind" loyalty. The temptation to hurl one's self overboard and try ones chances on another ship grows stronger and stronger.