I'll be the first to admit that I bitch a LOT about software. I could actually list a million things that irk me about any package-including Cubase4...but, I thought I'd start a running list of positives.

-MIDI Insert for microtuning. F'n sweet. If you're doing strings and not using some form of microtuning, you're missing out. Nice to see it built into the app, rather than relying on the sounds/modules to tune on a per song basis.

-Instrument Tracks. Finally, this Logic'ism made it over. Still not quite as slick...but, a quick, usable way to go.

-Sound browser. Incredible for someone with a lot of modules/softsynths that wants to pick them as a lot together. All your string sounds in one place, etc. Still...it would take me thirty years to actually input and categorize everything. Still-cool if you have an intern to do the cataloging.

-Folder Tracks. Again...pretty standard, but they've done a nice job of implementing them. Say you have 4 track in a folder called "Band"...track three is a sucky gtr take. You mute it alone. Collapse the folder, mute IT--band goes away. Unmute it--band comes back without the sucky gtr track. Makes organization and experimenting with different arrangements pretty painless.

-The XML import for definitions of synths...and the subsequent ease of creating the intsruments--gone are the days of "what midi cable is that on?" Now, if only I could find an XML template for the main instruments in my studio. They should really have them in one place on their site. Hell, really, there's nothing new in my studio--they SHOULD come on the DVD.

Feel free to chime in with what you love about it.

How's midi latency compensation?
Can you finally swap plugins in v4?
Does track EQ have HPF on it?
Is snap to grid & copying to the next bar as annoying as it used to be?

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How's midi latency compensation?
Can you finally swap plugins in v4?
Does track EQ have HPF on it?
Is snap to grid & copying to the next bar as annoying as it used to be?

1) I've never had an issue (with this version). I play it--it plays it back as accurrately as any sequencer I've ever used.

2) What do you mean...? I read something about people complaining they could drag&drop the order...is that what you mean?

3) Always has...granted, I've used lower versions of Nuendo more than Cubase, but--was there a version that didn't? It's lower band is switchable between hard filter and shelf, if that's what you mean--it's not "in addition to" shelf. It's either/or.

4) I don't know what you mean. If you select a two bar section and copy, every time you hit paste, it puts it at the end of the last paste. 30 pastes yeilds 60 bars of the two bar repeat. Give me a step by step example--be glad to test it.

I have the Cubase 3.1 and I like it better than Sonar. I've been wondering if I needed to upgrade or not.
My 3.1 has HPF on each track or group folder.

The freeze files get screwed up(lost, wave files disappear, very annoying)in the 3.1, is that resolved in the new 4??

The vocal comping is great, works good on instrumentals also.

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1) I've never had an issue (with this version). I play it--it plays it back as accurrately as any sequencer I've ever used.

Have you tried VSTi-s? Nuendo 3 is killing me with it's VSTi latency compensation, absolutely terrible, not only that it doesn't compensate it right, but yet it manages to compensate it differently every time.

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drag&drop the order...is that what you mean?

Yes.

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It's lower band is switchable between hard filter and shelf

Seriously? I'm terrible user!!!! Never noticed, have to go try now...

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Give me a step by step example--be glad to test it.

MIDI loop not starting at the beginning of measure. Select grid relative & drag & drop a copy to the next "measure" or whatever they call it. For some reason it snaps it to a different starting point in Nuendo 3, used to work fine in Cakewalk years ago.

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4) I don't know what you mean. If you select a two bar section and copy, every time you hit paste, it puts it at the end of the last paste. 30 pastes yeilds 60 bars of the two bar repeat. Give me a step by step example--be glad to test it.

This is how old versions of Cubase used to work. My SL3 doesn't do that anymore - I wish it did. Man I miss that. The paste on SL3 puts the paste where ever the song scrolling has stopped.

I think for all of Steinberg's flaws - mainly customer service (pre-Yamaha) in my case - they make some pretty decent apps. I've tried a lot of DAW software over the years, everything from early Cakewalk Power Tracks Pro and Sonar, Ableton, etc., and Steinberg stuff still seems to be the best to work with. Matter of preference though, people like what they like.

Cool to hear about 4.0. I've been wondering about it as well.

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The paste on SL3 puts the paste where ever the song scrolling has stopped.

True certainly for the first paste. I'll check subsequent ones.

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MIDI loop not starting at the beginning of measure. Select grid relative & drag & drop a copy to the next "measure" or whatever they call it. For some reason it snaps it to a different starting point in Nuendo 3, used to work fine in Cakewalk years ago.

So, song's in 4/4. You play only on the 3&4 of the first bar. Ctrl+drag+drop doesn't put those two beats on 1&2 of the next measure? Have you tried highlighting...then ctrl+C then Ctrl+V? Does it act the same? Does it act differently if you turn the "snap to grid"(defined as bar+beat, I assume?) off?

I'll play with the paste next time I open it up. I don't think I've run into anything I thought was odd about it--but, I'm admittedly not doing a ton of drum stuff anymore. Life's too short.

ctrl+V does actually put it wherever the "song cursor" is-even on repeated pastes...that is a change from N2, I think.

However, Alt+Ctrl+Drag will take that measure (with data in the last two beats) and duplicate it at the nearest snap point to where you let go.

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It's lower band is switchable between hard filter and shelf

Seriously? I'm terrible user!!!! Never noticed, have to go try now...

High band has the same switchability to a LPF. Not that you'd ever use one.

Do any of you Cubase masters know if you can get it to "grid" at smaller subdivisions? It'd be cool if it would snap to 8th or 16ths instead of just the quarters.

Yeah it will snap up to 32nds I believe or turn the snap off completely. Version 3 anyway.

Look up on the top right of the app. There should be a flyout up there with all of the different "snap to note" measurements, beat vs. bar, or off completely, etc.

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ctrl+V does actually put it wherever the "song cursor" is-even on repeated pastes...that is a change from N2, I think.

The older Cubase VST versions used to drop "pastes" sequentially. One right after the other. I miss that. VST 5.0 and 5.1 were a pain in the ass to patch/route things around, but a few of the shortcuts were pretty helpful back then. Another strange thing - the old VST versions you could record at 192k sampling rate. Version 3 is backed down to 96. I wonder why.

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However, Alt+Ctrl+Drag will take that measure (with data in the last two beats) and duplicate it at the nearest snap point to where you let go.

I wonder if that works in v.3. That would be helpful.

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Do any of you Cubase masters know if you can get it to "grid" at smaller subdivisions? It'd be cool if it would snap to 8th or 16ths instead of just the quarters.

Yes. Any division you want. Not that I'm an expert.

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The older Cubase VST versions used to drop "pastes" sequentially. One right after the other.

I'm pretty sure Nuendo did that up to v2, which is the last I used--you didn't have to go as far back as VST5.

Hey Pop, are you using Cubase on a Mac? I'm kinda curious about how it runs on Mac.

Nope. XP box.

I'm actually a Logic guy. I used it until it just wouldn't anymore on the PC. I still think for MIDI/softsynths, it's the stuff. But, this version of Cubase is close enough for me...and for the little audio I do--I do prefer it to Logic on that front.

However, that said...C4, BFD, and the VSL VIs are fully Mac compatibile. And Logic's EXS24 is the only "giga compatible" sampler I've actually gotten good translation out of...so, I'm set to switch. Hell...new Mac Pros out now...must resist...must resist...

I have breifly used it on a Mac...not doing much, but the GUI was snappy as hell. That doesn't seem like much, but that was my biggest complaint with Logic6 and why I didn't jump PC ship right then...it all seemed to kind drag around compared to 5.5 on Windows. Call it anecdotal, but...