Steinberg Cubase 11 £499 PC MAC

Cubase updates typically combine new features, expanded content and tweaks. Does v11 of this flagship DAW do enough to tempt us? Let’s see…

Steinberg has spearheaded music software development for over 30 years, and through Cubase, which started as a MIDI sequencer, introduced a whole generation to the blockbased arrange screen now used in the majority of today’s DAWs. Along the way they invented virtual studio technology, developed a classleading audio editor (Wavelab) and survived the dark days of software piracy. However, in the last few years the music software landscape has changed beyond recognition and their flagship DAW, once one of only two or three serious contenders, now finds itself competing in a sea of seriously powerful and yet surprisingly similar apps, many of which of course owe their modus operandi to Cubase. So, how does this market-leading DAW keep things fresh? Existing users already know the answer, and that is the regular annual updates. These are typically paid-for updates, which is somewhat annoying. However, there are usually some good new features to tempt us and Cubase 11 will hopefully be no exception.

Cubic

In cm290 we provided an extensive breakdown of the new features which include new plugins, SpectraLayers integration, MIDI Key Editor improvements, improved stem exporting, enhanced sampler track options and better score editing, and here we’re going to pick up on that and see how they perform. But first let’s have a recap of what exactly you’re buying into. If you’re new to Cubase, there are three paid-for versions (see boxout), so if you’re not ready to commit to the full Pro version there is some merit in starting at a lower level. Remember, all versions are capable of professional results and you won’t lose out financially by upgrading from one level to the next.