Steinberg Cubase 5

Steinberg Cubase 5

(Reviewed by John Verity)

(Typical Education price £219.00 with Studio 5 Educational @ £140.00 and Cubase 5 Essential @ £62.00)

Cubase 5 is Steinberg’s latest version of the popular Cubase music sequencing (DAW) software. The different packages become more sophisticated as they become more expensive – but the specifications would suggest that every one of the packages is capable of excellent results when recording both audio and MIDI files with even the entry ‘Essential’ package allowing up to 64 audio tracks. Many schools and colleges are now successfully creating all of their audio work using a DAW, rather than hardware/ tape/hard-disc multi-track recorders, and Cubase can perform admirably in this area – with the added advantage of being able to free up valuable recording studio space by allowing learners to take their newly recorded live track out of the studio, to a nearby computer lab or workroom suitably equipped with Cubase, thereby freeing up the studio for other learners to use. Files can be easily backed up and moved in this way to a suitably equipped, convenient location.

Getting started

The first task is installation using the disc provided – not forgetting the Steinberg Key (dongle). The process was painless, and once installed I checked the Steinberg website for updates – my studio computer is not connected to the Internet so I simply downloaded the update to my office computer, and transferred it via a memory stick. It is always advisable to update to the latest version, as any bugs found on initial release will hopefully have been cured by the time you are ready to use your version of Cubase. In the case of the current update there were also added facilities – free of charge, so it really was worth the little extra time. I now have Cubase 5.5.

In use

In order to test in a practical setting I decided to put together a multi-track recording using both audio and MIDI, then set up a stereo mix utilising some of the included effects – similar to the way a typical learner would approach elements of BTEC Firsts Units 3 & 9 or BTEC Nationals Unit 25... As I was also reviewing a MIDI drum kit at the time, it seemed appropriate to use this for the MIDI element – an opportunity to check out the MIDI Drum Editor in Cubase.  Guide guitar and vocal tracks were first recorded onto separate audio tracks, utilising a click track in Cubase to keep nicely in time, followed by initial run-throughs to set up the triggers on the MIDI drum kit properly.

The Drum Editor in Cubase is an excellent way to view and edit drum parts – every drum beat of every drum and cymbal is shown clearly on a grid, with the facility to edit/move/copy/delete any part or parts of the drum performance. Soon we had an excellent drum part using sounds from the included ‘Groove Agent One’ sampler, to which I added bass guitar, then replaced the guide vocal/ guitar tracks, and added a second guitar on a further audio track.

For the guitars I used one of included VST instruments – ‘AmpSimulator’. For the purposes of this review I felt that at this stage I had enough to work with, so went ahead to set up the stereo mix, utilising only facilities available inside Cubase. For effects I used ‘REVerence’ reverb, and the ‘StudioChorus’ plug-in, with ‘Compressor’ on bass guitar and ‘MonoDelay’ on vocal.

In creating the piece in this way, I have utilised Cubase to target Grading Criteria 3 & 4 of the BTEC Firsts Unit 9: Producing a Musical Recording, and Unit 7: Exploring Computer Systems Used by Musicians (GC 4) effectively. Unit 9 criterion demands that the learner records a range of audio sources using both microphones and direct techniques, and also must produce a completed mix of a multi-track recording using appropriate processing and mixing technology. Unit 7 (GC 4) requires learners to produce musical pieces, using available techniques in audio/MIDI computer software.

The piece would also work well for a number of Level 3 BTEC Nationals units where multi-track recordings and mixes are required. The more sophisticated versions of Cubase 5 would be appropriate for BTEC Nationals, whilst Cubase Essential 5 is adequate at Level 2. At BTEC National level, certain bands of grading criterion require CD mastering techniques to be used, requiring facilities not available in a typical DAW – I will be looking at mastering software in future reviews, and hopefully Steinberg’s own ‘Wavelab’ will be available in its latest incarnation for me to look at then...

In conclusion

There is much discussion about which of the rival packages available is best but I must say that this reviewer found nothing to fault in Cubase 5. It is totally suited to the creation of product both in education and in the ‘real’ world of music production (important when teaching a vocational qualification) with the added advantage of being a true cross-platform solution. Cubase 5 works equally well in PC or Mac. In writing this review I have barely scratched the surface with regard to what can be done with this software, and with this in mind the following links should prove useful A comparison of the features available in each version of Cubase 5: http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/cubase/cubase5_featuredetails100.html