Something interesting happening at Access Music

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by TweakHead

@MBTC

off topic: how are you liking cubase pro 8? have you noticed the acclaimed boost in performance and stability?

I liked it better, instantly. I did notice the overall loading time speed increased, which was welcome because I always thought prior version of Cubase were a pig in that regard. Not only on large projects but even starting new projects, etc.

I have not yet done benchmarking on large numbers of instruments between Cubase 7.5 and 8.0 to see how my own results compare to their marketing claims. With small numbers of instruments that are CPU-heavy, I would say I saw maybe a 10-15% increase overall with the same audio buffer size, but to me CPU efficiency is everything, so I would consider a 10-15% boost per instrument substantial. What I notice more than anything is that the CPU meter seems to peak less -- meaning spiking is reduced more than a direct consistent performance increase applied to each instrument, if that makes sense. I already thought Cubase was more CPU efficient than other hosts I had tried, but every little bit helps. There are other usability improvements that just make the overall workflow feel cleaner.

Basically it's getting better and better. The track versioning of 7.5 over 7.0 was big for me, and I've never regretted switching to it as my primary host.

The only thing is that it's clear to me that I'm forever caught in the upgrade price loop with them, so I just have to accept that it's going to cost me $100 bucks a year to use their software. Nobody is twisting my arm to upgrade but it doesn't make sense to get two or three versions behind. That is something that's a bit of a bitter pill to swallow compared to FLS where I still get free upgrades from originally buying the DAW maybe 8 years ago, and add-ons are optional.

One thing -- if you haven't already, you must get the upgrade from Padshop to Padshop Pro. The upgrade for Cubase users is only ten bucks, and you need the Pro version to import your own samples. Fucking AMAZING plug-in, the way you can grind up samples and make pads with it so easily.