Steinberg Cubase 11

The venerable DAW gets its annual boost up and spruce up, bringing with it some tasty new treats and a few welcome once-overs…

We’re finally nearing the end of this damnable year in which uncertainty is the only certainty. It seems we can no longer take anything for granted – except, apparently, for Cubase’s annual autumnal upgrade.

Normally, we’d crack wise about Steinberg’s predictability (or is it punctuality?), but as 2020 begins to fade, we find ourselves feeling thankful for their dependability. Cubase is an old friend, coming around just in time for the holidays. What’s more, it’s shown up with an armful of goodies. It’s a nice touch of the familiar in these tumultuous times.

And Cubase is nothing if not familiar. After all, it has been around for more than three decades now, expanding to meet its users’ needs and keeping pace with the swift evolution of technology. Along the way, we’ve seen some truly innovative additions to the package – VST effects and instruments among them. While this latest version may not offer anything quite so groundbreaking, it does provide a number of enhancements that not only help Cubase keep current with today’s productions trends, but solidify its role as a competitive professional studio production tool.

We’ve compiled a pictorial walkthrough of some of the most impressive features, though this is by no means a full list of all of the additions and enhancements Cubase 11 brings.

COMPUTER MUSIC

Indeed, there’s something for everyone in Cubase 11, particularly in its Artist and Pro incarnations. Studio professionals will appreciate the ease with which Cubase Pro 11 can export stems, tweak the stereo sound field, and monitor the signals with the help of a new multimeter tool.

Working composers will be inspired by improvements to the Score Editor and the new Global Tracks, while those with no musical training will find an invaluable partner in the new Scale Assistant.

As we’ve come to expect, there is a massive library of content included, ranging from plugin presets to loop collections, all ready to drop into your latest project.

For example, sound designers are going to love the Sampler Track’s new features, especially the dual global LFOs – powerful modulators with loads of options. Beat makers will likewise dig the Sampler Track’s new quality modes that can add vintage lo-fi grit. Oh, and how about some mono legato glide for those slinky basslines?

There are, of course, loads of minor tweaks and touches, too, along with the usual bug fixes and optimisations. Apple Metal Acceleration is now on tap, and Windows 10 users get more scaling options – even plugins that don’t support HiDPI can be scaled.

Pro users will find that 5.1 surround support has been added to the Multi-tap Delay plug. Other plugin enhancements include multiple side-chain support, debuting in the new Squasher and Frequency 2 plugins.

If you’re lucky (or loaded) enough to be using a computer with more than eight cores, you’ll find that Cubase 11 is up to the task, having been optimised for huge multi-track mixes that demand heavy real-time processing.

Those of you who own one of the latest Avid Eucon control surfaces will be very pleased to know that Cubase 11 will support your swanky new console.

It all adds up to what promises to be an engaging and inspiring production environment. If you’ve never used Cubase, this would be a great time to start. Prices for Cubase Elements, Artist, and Pro (including eLicenser key) are $99.99, $337.98, and $587.98, respectively. You can upgrade from Cubase Elements, Artist, and Pro versions to their version 11 counterparts for $29.99, $79.99, and $99.99, respectively.

There are, of course, upgrade paths from one version to another (ie from Artist to Pro) and even from older versions to the latest. There is, as ever, a grace period if you’ve bought a copy of 10.5 within a specified window.

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