Steinberg Cubase 10.5 - Software Review

Steinberg recently had a massive discount on upgrades for Cubase users , whereby you could upgrade your existing Cubase version to their latest version , 10.5 . It was a whopping 40% discount offer on upgrades , and seeing as I had version 6 of Cubase which has been feeling outdated for a while now , I decided to take advantage of this offer and get my DAW up-to date.

With this review I am going to be reviewing it as a user of Cubase , for over 12 years , and not as a new user to Cubase . New users may find this review helpful and I will try my best to include some information that may be helpful but more so this review is done through my own experience having used Cubase from version 2 , 3 , 6 and now 10.5 . This is also with regards to the PRO version of 10.5

Wihtout further or due here is my in-depth review of Cubase 10.5

INSTALLATION

The version of Cubase 6 that I had was a physical version , of which I got the DVDs to install from and a USB licensing dongle which as we all know is needed to register and run your version of Cubase .

Installation was a breeze and so easy to do . Once you purchase your upgrade through the Stenberg website , you are sent via email your product registration key , of which you then have to log into your Steinberg account and register . you are then prompted to download the installer . Once youve done that the download can begin . Cubase 10.5 takes about 20 gigabytes of storage .

After the download has completed and you can start with Cubase 10.5 immediately . There have been allot of discussions on forums about 32 bit plugins ( as well as some other 64 bits plugins ) that you cannot use in Cubase , I had no issue what so ever . The only issue I had with my plugins was that some of my plugins were installed in the Cubase 6 directory , but this was solved easily by adding the directory into my VST ‘search’ folder in Cubase 10.5 .

With regards to 32 bit plugins , from my understanding , these do not work or even register in Cubase 10.5 but there is a program ‘jbridge’ which allows the use of 32 bit plugins in Cubase , for more information on that click HERE

NEW BEGINNINGS

Once I loaded up Cubase I was ‘greated’ with the new template section of which their are way more than before (that is if you didn’t make your own custom templates) . There are numerous ones from recording , producing , mixing and more. Unfortunately Cubase 10.5 didn’t have my custom templates from version 6 , so I had to go and make my own once again . Loading new projects is slightly faster than my previous version and I had no issue with opening version 6 projects . Everything opened up smoothly and without any problems .

Visually speaking , Cubase 10.5 looks amazing . Its got a sleek , metalic look to it with its all gun metal grey finish. Personally I was tired of the old blue and grey colour scheme of the older Cubase versions so it was nice to see the GUI being updated with a new colour pallet . And on the topic of colours , you can now change the colours , of not just the channels in your project but also on your mixer channels and when choosing colours you can now make your own custom colours and save them to be added later.

When you first start a new project (or load up a previous project) you can be overwhelmed at first , you’ll probably be thinking to yourself ‘what is going on?’ , I know I did . But the irony is , things are much more simpler now . Adding VST instruments , multiple audio tracks and more is done by simply right clicking on the left hand column and choosing the appropriate option . In your project window , is where you’ll find everything , no more opening and closing of different windows , everything you’ll find right in the project window . For example you now see your midi channel and project channels in the same window, simple click on the midi part and then your midi part will be displayed at the bottom of the project window . The inspector channel strip now has all the options you’ve wanted and more , including sends inserts, chords , fader and more.

Cubase has now introduced a brand new spectral comparison mode on each channel . Now you have the option of adding EQ , compression, DeEsser , limiter , and noise gate, on the fly .These options are standard when opening up your channel strip. Speaking of EQ , Cubase’s EQ now has a spectrum analyzer , so theres no need now to have a 3rd party plugin to ‘see’ what is going in your EQ. When adding inserts and sends plugins they’ve also made it easier with their new drop down menus , gone are all the windows opening for ever and taking up screen space , its now more sleek and easier to add or remove plugins .

Side chaining is another example of what has become simplified , no more confusing ‘send from this channel and insert to that channel manually’ , now all you have to do is go the channel you want side chained , add the compressor and then at the top of the compressor you click the arrow for ‘side chain’ and then chose the desired channel . Its as simple as that . And that is what Cubase 10.5 is all about , simplifying things and making your life as a producer much easier in saving you time and money ( more on this later).

Another great addition is that when adding , for example a FX channel , you can now route the channels you want to be sent into the FX channel when you add the fx channel , simply by selecting the channels when you are prompted to .

MEDIA BAY

One of the biggest improvements is the addition of the media bay. The media bay is found on the right side of your project window . With the media bay you can now easily add VST instruments , import audio/midi files , add loops/samples and more . No more going to ‘import audio’ file and having to add audio tracks without hearing what the imported audio would sound like within the project . With the media bay you can now browse any sort of file (example audio/midi ) , hear the audio track and play it in rhythmic time within your project . And if you want to add it to the project , simply drag the file into the project and its automatically added . You can search and add just about any file type . So no more importing , trying and testing sounds now you can sample the track within the project before adding it to your mix. Whats also particularly awesome is that Cubase 10.5 comes with preset sound bank packs, playable in Halion Sonic SE . There over 10 different packs ranging from hip hop , electro, jazz and more , of which you can browse through and then add to your project . You’ll find loads of drum patterns and melody loops that can be added as midi tracks(through Halion Sonic SE) and then you can edited it how you see fit . No need to load up Halion and then manually search and add loops , now its done all through the media bay

SAMPLING

No need for 3rd party plugins any more , you can now easily sample any audio file . This has become such a useful tool and its so easy , simply by adding an audio file into the project then at the bottom of the prohect window click on the ‘sampler controller’ and drag and drop the audio file . Now you can play the audio file on your keyboard . I cannot tell you how much fun I am having with this tool . So easy to use and sample now . If you want you can edit the audio file before sampling by , for example, chopping the file up or adding some effects to it or you can add the track to the sampler and then add effects after .

In the sampler you also have the option to edit the audio , for example you can change the tempo , continuously loop the file , pan and change the speed .

PLUGINS AND VST’S

Cubase 10.5 comes with a chock full amount of software VSTs and plugins . With regards to newly added VSt’s you’ll find :

Padshop 2 : a granular synthesizer with over 100 presets now with a brand new spectral oscillator and arpeggiator to help you create new and unique sounds

Halion Sonic SE 2 : A VST stacked with a huge library of presets anything from strings , drums, bass , synth sounds and more

Retrologue : A classic analog synthesizer featuring virtual analog oscillators, exceptional filters, an adaptable arpeggiator, powerful modulation system and FX rack to help create warm synth sounds

Groove Agent SE 5 : Drum Production software which comes with a huge library or one shots and samples to toy around with of which you have an array of sample manipulation tools, FX, slice editors and much more

From previous versions of Cubase you’ve got Prologue , Spector and Mystic synths

Newly added plugins are :

Mutli Tap Delay : With this delay you can create up to 8 taps per delay loop and add effects

Frequency EQ : Frequency provides eight bands, mid/side channel support and Linear Phase mode for each band, Auto Listen to hear the adjustments you have made, Spectrum Display and even a musical keyboard to help you find the right tone.

These are only the newly added plugins and VSTs , theres plenty of other plugins and VSTs in Cubase’s library from Reverb , RoomWorks , Filters and more .. the full list you can find HERE

CHORDS AND CHORD PADS

Chord pads is also something new that has been added . If you want to quickly add a chord progression simply click the ‘chord pad’ option at the bottom of the screen (when you’ve selected your midi track) and then see what chord options you have and then simply drag and drop the chord you like

Creating a unique chord progression has now never been more easier nor more fun than using Cubase’s new ‘Chord Track’ . You can now browse through hundreds of different chords and create some truly inspirational content . Cubase’s chord track can even recommend to you what chords sound better together .by analyzing your chord pattern and give you a few options of which chords could follow one another .

FINAL THOUGHTS

For some reason , maybe its just me , but I find the audio quality much better now . Sounds are now more pronounced and the quality of my end result of my productions are much better now . There is still so much I could have written about with regards to Cubase’s DAW but then this review would have taken forever to write. I could have written about the amazing standard plugins that come with Cubase , like their amazing compressors and reverb plugins, their advanced score editor and so much more. I focused most of all on what I use as a producer and what I think stands out most with this truly amazing DAW . I did struggle a little bit learning to use the new features but all I did was head on over to Steinberg’s YouTube channel and watch a couple of their tutorial videos which I highly recommend for everyone to do( Click HERE ) . Like all DAWs there is a learning curve and that is why Steinberg has poured so much attention into producing tutorial videos to help us learn and understand the newest features in Cubase .

I’ve been using Cubase 10.5 for little over a month and I’m still learning all the new features and shortcuts, but so far all I can say is that I am absolutely blown away with this DAW. Steinberg has definitely up’d their game , they have taken producing/mixing to a whole new level. If you’re a user like me who is upgrading then it is a no-brainer , you have to upgrade to 10.5 . The amount of features , plugins & VSTs you get it is well worth your money . You don’t need to buy 3rd party plugins anymore for sampling , or a drum machine VST or even synths . You get so much with this bundle. Theirs a reason why top music composers Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL use Cubase , because its the best . Cubase 10.5 is such a huge leap from version 6 that I was using. Everything looks cleaner and neater . Producing now has become fun again , you have an assortment of tools at your disposal and all these tools are now even more easier to use . Yes there is a learning curve , but Steinberg has got a such a great support system via their weekly ‘Cubase hangout’ sessions where they do Q & A’s and their forums. Did I mention also the stability ? I have found in the short time that I have been using Cubase 10.5 that is much more stable than version 6 . I don’t get any forced crashes or random changes in sample rates. I have fallen in love with this DAW , Cubase never dissapoints and with their current version of Cubase , that have knocked it out the park . From the installation process to opening up projects , everything just works here and I am sorry to repeat myself , but its easier more than ever before. I cannot recommend Cubase 10.5 anymore .

For more information please visit the official Stenberg website HERE