12 of 12’s best
New season, new update, new features
01 New licensing system (Pro, Artist, Elements)
It was a long time coming, but Steinberg have finally binned their dongle-based eLicensor system and replaced it with Steinberg Licensing. Available on new versions of their software, you just sign in with your Steinberg ID to activate a device and you’re good to go. What’s more, and this we really like, you can activate up to three devices at once.
03 Verve Felt Piano (Pro, Artist)
This is a brand new VST instrument that’s included in Cubase 12 but is also available as a standalone instrument. Recorded at Yamaha’s studios in Los Angeles, felt pianos have an extra felt layer between the hammers and strings, producing a warm, gentle sound. Captured with two mic arrays and with 12 velocity layers, there are plenty of ways to get your ideal sound.
02 MIDI remote integration (Pro, Artist, Elements)
Hardware controller integration has really improved with preset scripts and automatic detection for some devices. It’s also easy to design mappings from scratch, creating buttons, knobs and faders and arranging them in a gridbased layout. With that sorted, you can use the Mapping Assistant to connect hardware controls.
04 VariAudio with Scale Assistant (Pro, Artist)
Scale Assistant was a handy addition to Cubase 11, allowing you to snap MIDI to a key scale. This is now incorporated in VariAudio pitch correction, so you can now snap your audio to key. You’ll see the options in the left zone, and once again the Editor Scale includes a number of Scale Suggestions, which is great, particularly if music theory isn’t your thing.
05 AudioWarp (Pro, Artist)
The existing AudioWarp feature gets a few upgrades including phase coherent behaviour for all events within a folder track. Also very handy is the new Free Warp mode for the Time Warp tool. This means you can now use this feature directly on audio events in the Project window as well as the Sample Editor. Select the tool and simply add markers where you want them.
06 Raiser (Pro, Artist) This is a new limiter plugin that helps you achieve the best limiting for a range of different audio content. With both manual and four program-dependent release options, including the suitably titled ‘Aggressive’, you can dig in and easily make your audio loud and proud. Meanwhile the visualiser shows you what’s happening. Further options include intersample clipping detection, stereo channel linking, and super fast attack.
07 Exporting selected events (Pro, TBC)
Exporting tracks from projects is a feature that varies considerably across DAWs. Cubase 12 has a great new feature whereby selected audio and MIDI events or a range selection can be exported as WAV files. The export dialogue includes not only how these multiple events will or won’t be combined, but also the degree of onboard processing, from dry to the complete signal path plus master effects.
09 Audio to Chords (Pro, Artist, Elements)
This is another feature that helps with the musical aspects of your production. Drop an audio recording on the Chord track, and Cubase 12 will detect and lay out the chord progression for you. This works best if the audio has clear harmonic content. Even so, if you’re not happy, open Chord Assistant and under the Detected tab you’ll find further suggested chords.
11 New SuperVision modules (Pro, Artist)
Cubase’s customisable SuperVision metering plugin – nine modules in a configurable layout – has a selection of brand new modules. These include two histograms – Level and Loudness, a left/right phase Balance display and classic VU meter. Most intriguing is the Spectrum Keyboard, which analyses the note content of your audio, and uses colour to display its intensity.
08 FX Modulator (Pro, Artist)
This is a new multi-effects and modulation plugin. It has six effects slots and you can choose from 14 effects modules, including Chorus, Filter, Pan, Bit Crusher, Time Shifter and Reverb. The screen-based curve section allows you to create your own custom modulation curves or choose from a palette of predefined shapes. Rounding things off are various side chain and MIDI triggering options.
10 Sample accurate volume automation (Pro, Artist, Elements)
The volume automation system is now 100% sample accurate and independent from buffer size. You can also manually select automation precision, to define the number of samples after which a new automation event is processed. The curve between automation events is then interpolated to create a smooth transition.
12 Sampler Track improvements (Pro, Artist TBC)
The Sampler Track provides a quick route from audio file to keyboard-triggered playback. Cubase 11 introduced a new Slice option to the sampler track and in version 12 you now get more control over how those slices sound. This is because you can now select the Quality and AudioWarp playback settings in Slices mode.