Review: Graeme Hague

On the other hand, if your usual recording session involves a dozen mono tracks, maybe a few stereo channels, and chucking in two or three VST instruments, it can all be time-consuming, and that’s when these templates will be handy. My recommendation is to use the templates sparingly until you have a good understanding of creating the different kinds of tracks individually, then you shouldn’t fall into any resource-hungry traps.

The Arrange Window, the heart of every DAW, has by default a utilitarian look of neutral greys and white. You can customise this as much as you want, adding colours to your wave files and tracks, and you can take your preferences a step further by saving your setup into a Workspace. It’s probably not something you’ll do right off the bat, but as you gain familiarity and workflow habits, creating your own default appearance is a real time-saver.

Speaking of appearances, Cubase 12 continues a modern theme of working in the digital medium. Icons, controls and menus are clear and sharp, with most of the icons being self-explanatory although hovering a mouse will pop up a description anyway. The array of menus on the upper taskbar is another testament to Cubase’s long evolution and some functions will be a little bewildering to new users (and many seasoned ones) but be assured everything on offer is the result from years of development. As your skills improve, these functions become useful.

DIVE INTO THE POOL

Something that hasn’t changed much is the Pool Window — and that’s a good thing, because it works and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. A constant problem for new DAW users is how they unwittingly amass a glut of unwanted takes and wave file fragments that choke your computer. Even musicians well-versed with digital recording can regard good file management practises like doing their tax returns (with all those cash gigs you’ve … ahem … declared, right?). The Cubase Pool window keeps things simple and easy for everyone to understand. Nothing fancy and everything clearly labelled.

MIXING IT UP

When I say that Cubase ‘looks’ digital, this is very apparent in the Mixer Window. In other words, aside from the fader knobs, Cubase doesn’t try to emulate an analogue console in appearance or operation. Of course, the layout does have a certain traditional form and function, but while some DAWs try to recreate coffee-ring stains and cigarette ash on virtual mixers, the Cubase 12 Mixer Window is all business, and very 21st century. For experienced engineers, this can shift you outside a comfort zone — old habits die hard — until it becomes obvious how the Cubase Mixer provides clear functions and a simpler, well-thought-out design that allows the most novice of users to quickly put together a basic mix. Important numeric values are displayed large, and good-sized thumbnails represent any tweaks to EQ and Panning. To dig deeper, an Edit button on every channel opens a more detailed window, or double-clicking will provide something similar.

When you want to get really into the art of mixing, Cubase 12 comes with a comprehensive selection of plug-ins. You get everything you need, including a few that follow the trend of providing a complete set of tools, such as the Pitch Correction plug-in, and the VST Amp Rack and VST Bass Amp, the latter two providing enough guitar effect simulation to have shredders and pickers alike happily fiddling with knobs all day. Again, some of the plug-ins will be too specialised for beginners, but like the more esoteric Menu functions they do have a purpose which can make that crucial difference.

YOU CAN DUMP THE BAND

Cubase 12 comes with a variety of VST instruments — and they’re all you’re ever likely to need. The HALion Sonic SE3 is actually the lite version of Steinberg’s flagship VSTi that regardless of the ‘lite’ tag comes loaded with a huge array of orchestral, strings, brass, synths, pianos… you name it, you’ll doubtlessly find something, and the sample quality is excellent. Then you have Padshop, which offers the full palette of synth-based pads, and Retrologue, which is a virtual analogue synthesiser providing those cutting, Moog-like sounds which only analogue circuitry can do so well. Verve is a new piano VSTi that takes piano sounds to the next level. Last to be mentioned here, and definitely not least, is Groove Agent, a drums and percussion VSTi that gives Cubase 12 an edge over the competition because not all DAWs come with such excellent virtual drums. Groove Agent is one of those VST instruments that, the more you dig around, the more you’ll find it can do. All the above, paired with audio plug-ins like the Amp Racks, means there are no gaps in your recording choices. Whereas before, things like good guitar amp emulations and virtual drums would need third-party software, Cubase 12 has it all.

SCORE!

Likewise, scoring and notation within a DAW used to be the remit of dedicated, expensive software and it’s only within the last decade or so that ‘normal’ DAWs started including a high-spec Score display. Cubase 12 has a full Score feature, and it’s very impressive to my musically untrained eye, but I do know it’s never been a perfect science in any DAW, including those dedicated programs of yore, so if your focus is strong on the Scoring functions, do your homework. Scoring in Cubase 12 provides a great visual reference, and it’s a clever tool for people who work best with notation. However, for composing from scratch, that’s not really its purpose.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

Longstanding DAWs can suffer from feature bloat (where features cumulate over years and years of updates) making them daunting for newcomers. Which is why, even now, we’re seeing new DAWs enter the market — often to be more ‘lean and mean’. Cubase isn’t daunting. It’s designed to satisfy rusted-on users and be attractive to first-timers. That said, rusted-on users may lament the phasing out of a few long-time plug-ins and VST Instruments.

If you’re looking at Cubase as your first serious DAW, being a significant update, this Cubase 12 is an excellent release for stepping into the Cubase world. There will be a learning curve, sometimes steep, but just remind yourself that curve comes from 33 years of doing what Cubase has done so well — record and mix music of all genres, by people of all ages and musical backgrounds.

Steinberg today announced the immediate availability of its new range of audio interfaces, comprising the UR22C, the UR44C and the UR22C Recording Pack. An additional UR816C rackmount interface will be released in November.

Designed for musicians and producers, the entire line-up of UR-C audio interfaces

provides USB Type-C (USB 3.1 Gen 1 SuperSpeed) connectivity to ensure universal compatibility with both PCs and Mac computers, as well as iOS devices. Every model features 32-bit/192 kHz audio resolution, MIDI and delivers DSP power for using effects when monitoring audio without latency. Alongside the dspMixFx mixer that accesses the DSP effects, each interface comes with a comprehensive software bundle: the Cubase AI music production software, the Basic FX Suite consisting of effects and sound processing tools, and the iOS Cubasis LE iPad music production app.

Boasting a compact design for optimum portability, the UR22C has two balanced Neutrik combo inputs, each with a Yamaha D-PRE microphone preamp behind it. The rear panel holds the MIDI ports and two balanced line outputs. 

The UR44C offers increased I/O options, with four balanced Neutrik combo inputs each feeding into a D-PRE preamp plus two headphone jacks on the front panel. There are two additional balanced line inputs, four balanced line outputs plus a main stereo output and MIDI in and out on the backside. The UR44C can be powered from any USB-C equipped Mac or Windows computer as well as the iPad Pro.

The UR816C is a 1U rack-mountable interface perfect for medium-sized recording studio setups. It features eight balanced Neutrik combo inputs, together with the D-PRE preamps, eight balanced line outputs and two ADAT ports for a total of 16 channels. It has MIDI and word clock connection which is powered by SSPLL jitter reduction technology.

The UR22C Recording Pack provides all the hardware and software required to create studio-quality recordings with a Mac computer, PC or iPad. Including the UR22C, with all its outstanding features and the included large software bundle with the additional WaveLab LE audio editor, the UR22C Recording Pack also comes with the ST-M01 studio condenser microphone, offering a wide frequency response range that picks up every nuance, alongside the ST-H01 studio monitor headphones.

Steinberg’s Senior Marketing Manager, Stefan Schreiber, commented: “I’m very excited to introduce this new line of audio interfaces. Not only do they offer one of the latest standards in USB connectivity, but also set a very high standard with their 32-bit/192 kHz resolution. Each piece of hardware sounds great, the build quality is simply next level, and the wide range offered covers all demands put into the hardware. Together these interfaces offer a feature set that is without parallel.”

• UR22C – 2 x 2 URB 3.0 Audio Interface with 2 x D-PRE – $269.99 (RRP)
• UR22C Recording Pack $449.99 (RRP)
• UR44C – 6 x 4 USB 3.0 Audio Interface with 4 x D-Pre – $499.99 (RRP)
• UR816C – 16 x 16 USB 3.0 Audio Interface with 8 x D-PRE – $1199 (RRP)