Steinberg Cubase 11 Pro
With no promise of avoiding Spinal Tap-related puns, this review investigates the latest version of Cubase — 11 — featuring major enhancements to the Key Editor, Audio Mixdown window, Sampler Track, and more. Is this the workflow update you’ve been waiting for?
Note: this article is currently a work in progress, so do check back!
For the last eight years Steinberg have released a significant annual update to Cubase, the company’s Advanced Music Production System, towards the end of year. Starting with Cubase 7 in 2012, even years have seen full integer releases, with n.5 versions in odd years, such as last year’s Cubase 10.5. However, no matter the numerical nomenclature, Steinberg have annually delivered solid, significant functionality, from Cubase 7’s new MixConsole window to version 10.5’s improved track import and video export features. So it’s reassuring that, during one of the most tumultuous years in a generation, Steinberg have managed to overcome the odds and maintain the company’s traditional schedule in delivering Cubase 11 before Christmas. And since this is Cubase 11, Steinberg naturally chose to release it on the 11th day of the 11th month.
Cubase 11 is downloaded via the Steinberg Download Assistant, as per usual. However, this time, rather than needing to download a full installer containing packages you might not require (Cubase 10.5’s installer weighed in at over 21GB and included an abundance of optional content) you can download only the packages you do need. The main application is around half a gigabyte, and installers for plug-ins like Halion Sonic SE 3, Groove Agent SE 5, and the included factory content can be downloaded separately and individually, which is most certainly a welcome change.
Speaking of content, Cubase 11 comes with 19 Content Sets in VSTSound format. Some of these provide factory content for bundled plug-ins, such as Halion Sonic SE, Groove Agent SE, Padshop 2, LoopMash, and so on. But Cubase 11 also includes a collection of six new sound and loop sets, starting with Hard Knocks from Grammy-winner Beat Butcha. According to Steinberg, Mr. Butcha has apparently cooked up “a sizzling pack of hip-hop heat.” Hot!
Those looking for sounds to use in cinematic trailers should find something interesting in Noir, from sound designer Robert Dudzic. And finally, Black Octopus Sound rounds out the collection with Bloom (for blossoming vocal lines), Dance Floor Tech House, Nightcall Synthwave (to fulfil your ’80s needs), and Lofi Dreams (for some additional, dirtier “hippity-hoppity” sounds).
In terms of requirements, Steinberg recommends a system with a minimum of an Intel i-series or AMD Ryzen processor (an i5 or faster is preferred), at least 4GB memory (8GB is recommended) and 35GB of free storage space. Windows users will require 64-bit Windows 10 version 1909 or 2003 (support for Windows 7 has been discontinued), whilst Mac users need to be using either macOS Mohave or Catalina, and the forthcoming Big Sur release is also supported. For graphics, you’ll need a display with a minimum resolution of 1440 x 900 pixels (1920 x 1080 is recommended), and Windows users will need a card that supports DirectX 10 and WDDM 2.0 (most modern systems and anything supporting display scaling should be fine).
Cubase remains available in the established Pro, Artist, and Elements variants, and while Cubase Pro 11 is the primary focus of this review, differences in Artist and Elements will be mentioned where relevant. For example, while Pro and Artist users will require a free USB-A port to connect a hardware eLicenser, Cubase Elements can be licensed via the software eLicencer for a particular computer.
Putting Things into Perspective
One of the biggest changes in Cubase 11 concerns the adoption of new graphics technologies, and this advancement is arguably an essential reason to upgrade — particularly for Mac users — as the application now looks a little cleaner and crisper.
On Windows 10, Cubase now fully supports HiDPI.
However, on macOS, Steinberg has completely rewritten the way graphics are displayed in Cubase to use Metal, Apple’s framework for hardware-accelerated graphics. This makes Cubase feel snappier than before (such that it performs on a par with the Windows version) and scrolling through and navigating large Project is significantly smoother and more responsive. Despite this change in the underlying plumbing, Cubase should look visually identical on the surface, although you might notice the odd, occasional graphical anomaly given the fundamental nature of this change. Steinberg will no doubt be ironing out such kinks rather swiftly, and any temporary temperamentality is clearly worth it.
All The Way Home
In the next part, we’ll be looking at the new Global Tracks feature and other welcome additions to the Key Editor window…
