Cubase 14 is out and has some interesting new features.
I’ve been using Cubase for some time now, since 2018 back when Cakewalk closed it doors. I’ve been happy with it. Initially it took some getting used to but it was worth the effort. In the DAW world, it is the 800 pound gorilla – there’s nothing it can’t do and plenty it can that others strive to emulate.
First off, there’s the completely revamped score editor. It looks very much like the score editor in Dorico, another great music product from Steinberg. (I probably spend more time overall in Dorico than Cubase.) The output rendered is clean and professional – just like Dorico. It’s obvious the Cubase development team borrowed from the Dorico guys to make the new score editor happen. Good thing too, Dorico is the best in the business of scoring editors. Now, the new score editor is not nearly as featured as Dorico, which is s dedicated scoring editor, but it does the job that’s needed from a DAW perspective. What’s great about it is that it brings from Dorico the ability to treat midi data sensibly. A human-derived, or (computer) humanized performance doesn’t always fall on exact boundaries of time or duration, but the scoring editor looks past that and display the notes as you would expect them to be on paper. It does this while maintaining the timing and imperfections of the midi performance. Yes, I’m quite impressed with the new score editor,
There are few new features that can liven up a performance. There’s play probability which control the whether or not a note is played, and also velocity variance which can add randomness to key velocities. These are immediately useful. I’m always employing tricks to make computer performed music sound more human and anything that makes that job a little bit easier is a plus.
Other new features is a pattern sequencer. This grid-type sequencer that is designed for percussion. You can easily create and modify drum beats patterns and there are facilities to randomize and humanize the output as well. There’s a new pad-based drum machine, Akai style, that lets you work your drums and percussion in that style as well.
Another interesting new feature are modulators. Modulators can be used to automate the controls of a VST synth. This adds new capabilities to existing a synth. Before modulators, if the synth itself didn’t provide a method to modulate a parameter you were out of luck or had to resort to manual midi automation. With the new modulators, you simply select an appropriate modulator and click the VST control you wish to modulate. Even better, the modulators can be stacked together for even more effects.
There are also some new audio effects provided, some work flow improvements for gain-staging, and the project files are now 64 bit. There’s lot’s to like.
A nice Christmas gift for the Cubase community.