AudioMedia - October 2008 - (Page 25)

experimental arranging and even more experimental live use. It’s not quite an Ableton Live k iller, but it does make Cubase a more creative environment. On the plug-in front, there’s now ver y welcome sidechain support for VST3 plug-ins. The distortion, chorus and Roomworks reverb plug-ins have been updated, UV22HR dither makes a reappearance, and there’s a new dualfilter HP/LP effects, ideal for those filtered loop DJ effects. The VST system has been expanded with improved compatibility for legacy plug-ins, which also means that 32-bit VSTs, including both effects and instruments, can be run in Vista 64. Mac users can run PowerPC plug-ins on newer Intel hardware. Conclusion Existing users will of course want this upgrade, especially because all of it including the new sample libraries is available as a free download. For newcomers, Cubase continues to hold its own in the high end of the prosumer and project studio sequencing market. It’s still one of the better sounding sequencers, especially for PC users, and in trained hands it remains more than capable of professional results. ∫ I N F O R MAT I O N £ Cubase 4 GB£473.16 (inc.VAT) Upgrade from 4.0: Free to registered users As a footnote, Cubase now supports MusicXML, which is a music notation meta-format designed to make it easy to import and export music notation between different editors. This could be more significant than it sounds, because there are now many applications that can scan sheet music and convert it to MIDI and/or sequencer files. With MusicXML it becomes much easier to scan sheet music – including complete orchestral scores – and convert it into an instant MIDI arrangement. It’s still not possible to replace instruments in one of the VST Instruments window slots without having to reassign them to a track. Creating a new track for a VSTi mutes the MIDI record for the track above it. And overall the Cubase routing system isn’t a model of straightforwardness. Also, Cubase now does so many things, with patching, filing, searching, content management, patch management, synthesis and processing, accessed through so many windows and levels of interaction, it sometimes felt as if it was about to implode under its own weight. Some of this might be inevitable, but there are times when it’s tempting to wonder if a simpler approach might not be possible. Musically Suppor tive A Steinberg Media Technologies, Neuer Hoeltigbaum 22-32, 22143 Hamburg, Germany T +49 (0) 40 210 350 W www.steinberg.net Steinberg is trying to differentiate Cubase from Nuendo, although in fact many of the new Cubase 4.5 features have also been added to Nuendo 4.2. Under the surface the similarities remain more obvious than the differences. Project studios and smaller facilities can certainly use Cubase as Nuendo-Lite for many post applications. Nuendo has better automation, plays better with professional video hardware, and offers much better network and file management for collaborative projects. But for basic music and sound editing, and synchronisation to file-based video, the differences may not be critical. Shopping Is O ptional(ish) DPA 4017/4080 JP AudioMedia.indd 1 27/08/08 15:04:42 AUDIO MEDIA OCTObEr 2008 25 http://www.steinberg.net

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - October 2008

Audio Media - October 2008 Content Recording Post Broadcast Geofocus:�Portugal &�Spain What's Up UK IBC Report Microtech Geffel UM 930 Steinberg Cubase 4.5 ADK�Hamburg &�Vienna Final Cut: House of Fallen Lexicon PCM96 Review The Conch Awards Feature Sound Devices 788T Review Lexicon PCM96 Allen &�Heath Zed R16 Power: Fact & Fiction, PT.2 Product Sampler Plug-ins Video Guide AMSR Plasa Report Audio Technica IEM�M3 Rushes Live Mixing Techniques:�Bruce Johnston Drawmer 4x4 Kickbox

AudioMedia - October 2008

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