Steinberg Media Technologies has upgraded their flagship DAW, Cubase Pro, to version 9, as well as Pro’s baby brothers, Cubase Artist 9 and Cubase Elements 9. For the first time in the long history of Cubase, the entire range is being made available at the same time, allowing customers to select from Pro, Artist and Elements editions that are each crafted to suit the very different needs and levels of expertise in music recording and production.
While Cubase Pro 9 has clearly been engineered to meet the standards of professional producers, composers and mixing engineers, Cubase Artist 9 steps down a gear yet provides a comprehensive set of tools tailored to instrumentalists and songwriters. Cubase Elements 9 is the gateway to the world of Cubase, providing a straightforward way for recording high-quality audio.
Cubase Pro 9 Features:
» 32-bit floating-point Steinberg audio engine with up to 192 kHz, 5.1 surround, flexible routing and full automatic delay compensation
» Unlimited audio, instrument and MIDI tracks and up to 256 physical inputs and outputs
» MixConsole for pro mixing desk experience and integrated high-end channel strip, VCA faders, Loudness Meter, Wave Meters
» Complete suite of over 90 high-end audio and MIDI VST effect processors, including Quadrafuzz v2, VST Amp Rack and VST Bass Amp guitar and bass tone suites, REVerence convolution reverb, Frequency 8-band EQ and many more
» Set of 8 outstanding instruments with over 3,000 sounds, including HALion Sonic SE 2, Groove Agent SE 4, Padshop, Retrologue 2 and LoopMash 2
» Intelligent compositional tools like Chord Track, Chord Pads and advanced Chord Assistant for creative and playful composing of harmonic progressions and advanced voicings
» VariAudio for MIDI-style note editing of monophonic audio tracks, automatic voicing harmonization and auto-tuning effects
» Full VST Expression 2 with Note Expression, VST Dynamics and Expression Maps for fully integrated workflows with musical articulations, dynamics and controller values
» Integration of external hardware effect devices and instruments, such as synthesizers or signal processors, into the sequencer signal flow
» VST Connect SE and VST Transit cloud collaboration services
All three versions introduce the new Lower Zone, allowing for a dedicated area in the Project window to be used for the mixer and other tool panels. The second highlight of this iteration is the Sampler Track, a feature requested by many customers that provides an easy way to play samples chromatically and manipulate these with included filters and controls accessed through the Lower Zone; also on board, the Sampler Track’s very own Caleidoscope library with hundreds of samples.
Third up is a Cubase Pro only feature: Frequency is the new EQ processor with eight bands, each with the new Linear Phase mode to preserve the band’s signal phase. There is also?M/S support, Auto Listen to monitor adjustments, Spectrum Display and reference keyboard. Cubase Pro 9 also comes with up to ten marker tracks, providing users with even more freedom to specify ranges within music projects and to use these to export individual stems and group mixes.
Cubase Pro and Cubase Artist versions now offer MixConsole History that tracks all changes made in the MixConsole, allowing users to undo/redo mixing actions in a very flexible way. With the newly introduced Audio-Ins capability, users can send audio to VST 3 instrument plug-ins supporting side-chaining. Speaking of capabilities: version 9 also includes cloud collaboration, with VST Transit featured in both Pro and Artist while the next incarnation of Steinberg’s remote recording software, VST Connect SE, is exclusively available to Cubase Pro users.
Cubase Artist 9 Features:
» 32-bit floating-point Steinberg audio engine with up to 192 kHz, flexible routing and full automatic delay compensation
» Simultaneous playback of 64 audio tracks, 128 MIDI tracks and up to 32 physical inputs and outputs
» MixConsole for pro mixing desk experience and integrated high-end channel strip with dynamics and EQ
» Comprehensive set of 8 outstanding instruments with over 2,600 sounds, including HALion Sonic SE 2, Groove Agent SE 4, Padshop, Retrologue 2 and LoopMash 2
» Suite of over 70 high-end audio and MIDI VST effect processors, including Pitch Correct for vocal editing, VST Amp Rack and VST Bass Amp guitar and bass tone suites, Quadrafuzz v2 and many more!
» Intelligent compositional tools like Chord Track and Chord Pads for creative and playful composing of harmonic progressions and advanced voicings
» Thousands of MIDI construction kits, audio loops and samples as building blocks to create sketches, play-alongs or even full songs with just a few clicks
» Lightning-fast multi-take comping with the dedicated lane tracks and the click-and-drag comp tool for conjuring the perfect recording TrackVersions for playlists-like editing and render-in-place for easily bouncing MIDI and audio parts
» Streamlined music notation and score editing feature set
Included in all three versions of Cubase 9, the overhauled Maximizer plug-in magically enhances audio, lending it more volume while remaining clear and brilliant. AutoPan is the eminently exciting panning tool newly designed from the ground up, while other graphically redesigned audio processors include Brickwall Limiter, Compressor, Expander, Gate and Envelope Shaper. The new Plug-in Sentinel scans plug-ins on startup so that stability is ensured at all times. The 64-bit environment of Cubase and plug and play support for USB devices under Windows only adds to the software’s consistency. To round it out, the Production Grooves library has extended Groove Agent SE 4, offering a wide scope of loops and samples for many music styles.
The Cubase Pro 9, Cubase Artist 9 and Cubase Elements 9 full retail versions are currently available from resellers and through the Steinberg Online Shop. Product availability may vary depending on reseller. The suggested retail price for Cubase Pro 9 is $739.99. The suggested retail price for Cubase Artist 9 is $419.99. The suggested retail price for Cubase Elements 9 is $130.99.
Various downloadable updates and upgrades are also available through the Steinberg Online Shop. Customers who have activated Cubase Pro 8.5 and Cubase Artist 8.5 since October 26, 2016, are eligible for a free, downloadable Grace Period update to the latest versions, respectively.
