Steinberg Cubasis VST 3 review

On the plus side, you don't need a powerhouse computer to run Cubasis - with the right hardware you can run a MIDI sequencer on a 286 with no problems, although audio recording and processing requires a lot more power. Cubasis needs either a DirectX- or ASIO-compatible sound card, with the latter highly recommended. Latency isn't a minor issue when it comes to audio recording and you soon notice it with multiple tracks, especially if you're trying to keep in time with tempo-perfect MIDI tracks or a metronome.

Thankfully, sound cards of this calibre don't have to cost the earth. Creative's Sound Blaster Audigy Player costs just £67 from dabs.com and offers ASIO support alongside many others, including external devices like the Media Assistance USB One (see Reviews, issue 81, p157). Depending on how many tracks you're recording, a faster processor and larger hard disk can also help out, but an ASIO sound card is essential.

Cubasis VST 3 offers an incredible amount of software for a tiny amount of money, and it should be top of your shortlist if you're on a tight budget and want to do both audio recording and MIDI sequencing. It's not nearly as advanced as Cubase, but that's only to be expected at this asking price. Its only issue is ease of use, although you'll be rewarded if you pay close attention to the manual and interactive tutorial. All Steinberg needs to do is simplify the interface and include a MIDI drum editor, then Cubasis would be a perfect basic music production suite.

Author: Ben Hardwidge