Get a FREE fully-working copy of Steganos Security Suite 7 (worth £49.99) when you sign up to the Practical PC Newsletter. Review: Steinberg Cubase SX Part 2
In this second and final part of our look at Steinberg's new flagship sequencer, Cubase SX, Ian Waugh explores the new features and draws a conclusion...
| Product | Steinberg Cubase SX Part 2 |
|---|---|
| Company | Steinberg |
| Web | www.steinberguk.com |
| Price | £529.99 Upgrades from £69.99 - £199.99 |
| We like | New automation, unlimited Undo/Redo, new Mixer, enhanced editors, good upgrade prices |
| We don't like | USB dongle |
| Rating | 9/10 |
| Requirements |
In the first part of this series we looked at the state of the professional sequencer market with particular reference to Cubase SX. We'll now look at the changes from Cubase VST and at some of the brand new features.
The Arrange page is seriously different with a new layout and a new Transport Bar. It shows more information per track using Track List boxes on the left and an improved Inspector now has tabs to show even more information about the currently selected track.
In particular, you are now able to see effects, EQ and the track's mixer channel making it so easy to adjust settings. You can now do so much more from the Arrange window than in VST - this is good stuff!
The Mixer has also been overhauled with a much better layout and you can configure it to show just those items you want to see such as VST instruments, ReWire channels and so on. Normal mode shows basic mixer controls such as pan volume, mute and solo buttons, while the Extended mode shows effects and EQ settings.
In addition, the Mixer automatically adjusts to the number of tracks in the project, and channels appear in track order making it far, far, easier to find your way around.
Mixer automation has been radically improved and virtually any VST instrument or effect can be automated by twiddling knobs or by drawing in data. There are several shapes such as sine, square, triangle and parabola to help draw in curve settings. A sine or triangle wave, for example, can be used for filter sweeps and a square wave for on/off effects, volume gates or pan.
SX's Undoing
Audio files are handled slightly differently. The original files are stored on your hard disk and "edits" are not performed on them directly but on copies of them. This allows an unlimited number of Undos and Redos and you can even go back half way through the editing process to Undo a single edit in the middle of the chain. Very neat.
The audio editor no longer relies on lining up hit points, which were rather fiddly, to sync time and tempo. Now hit points can be applied automatically to divide the audio into slices in a process not unlike that used by Propellerhead's ReCycle. This gives you far more power and flexibility over editing samples and loops.
We must not forget MIDI. This has been overhauled, too, with better integration of audio and MIDI. SX now also supports MIDI FX (catching up with its competition) which include MIDI echo, chord processing, and a compressor. There's also a step sequencer which can be used for many creative effects.
There are virtual instruments, too. As well as a revamped LM drum machine and virtual bass guitar from VST, there's a brand new analogue synth called the A1 created by Waldorf.
There are 25 effects, many from VST but also some new ones including a new reverb, a new vocoder, and a de-esser. There's also a surround sound plug-in, and SX can be configured with up to six outputs for surround sound mixing.
The MIDI Key editor has also been revamped and each Controller can be viewed in its own lane, a most welcome improvement. You can also draw in Controller data using the shape tools such as sine, triangle and square. However, dedicated MIDI-philes will still find areas for improvement here.
VST System Link
One of the innovations in SX (and soon to be added to VST 5.1) is VST System Link. This allows several computers to be networked via a digital audio connection. It allows the main controlling computer to access the processing power on other machines. This means, for example, that you could use one machine to play audio tracks, another to run VST virtual instruments, a third for virtual effects, a fourth for mixing and so on. It also allows several people to work on the same project at the same time.
If you upgrade from Cubase VST 5.1, you can run 5.1 and SX on the same or different machines so as and when you buy a new computer you can link it to your old one for an instant music network.
Summary
We've only scratched the surface of new features in Cubase SX. It shouldn't take existing users long to become familiar with it and the improvements and enhancements certainly make it a Must Have upgrade. Take advantage of the excellent upgrade prices now and remember that you get to keep your existing version of VST, too. Apart from anything else it's Steinberg's new sequencer and any new developments will take place with SX rather than VST.
SX must also tempt first-time users looking for a serious professional sequencer, and users of other sequencers thinking of changing. With Apple pulling the rug from under Logic PC users - see Part 1 - those who want to stick with the PC now have less choice.
There's no doubt that Steinberg has produced a cracking program and it's impossible not to do anything other than recommend it highly.
