Cubase
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Overview
Cubase is a music software product developed by German musical software and equipment company Steinberg for music recording, arranging and editing as part of a Digital Audio Workstation. It is one of the oldest DAWs to still enjoy widespread use. The first version, which ran on the Atari ST computer and recorded via MIDI only, was released in 1989.
In January 2003, Steinberg was acquired by U.S. firm Pinnacle Systems, within which it operated as an independent company before being sold to Yamaha Corporation in December, 2004.
On January 17, 2011, Steinberg announced that the new version, Cubase 6, was ready and officially shipping. The many new features[1] include: multitrack drum editing and quantizing, multitake comping, advanced tempo detection, drum replacement and VST instruments such as Halion Sonic SE and LoopMash 2. This version also supports 64-bit technology under Mac OS X and Windows 7.
Versions
- Cubase 1.0 Atari (April 1989, 1990)
- Cubase 2.0 Atari
- Cubase Audio
- Cubase 3.0 Atari
- Cubase for Windows
- Cubase Score for Windows
- Cubase 2.8 for Windows
- Cubase Audio 1.6 Windows
- Cubase Audio 3.0 TDM for Macintosh
- Cubase Audio XT 3.0
- Cubase Score 3.0
- Cubase VST3.0 Macintosh
- Cubase VST3.5 Windows
- Cubase VST3.5.5
- Cubase VST24 3.6
- Cubase VST24 3.7
- Cubase VST24 4.0 Macintosh
- Cubase VST24 4.1 Macintosh
- Cubase VST32 5.0
- Cubase VST32 5.1
- Cubase SX1.0/Cubase SL1.0
- Cubase SX 2.0/Cubase SL2.0
- Cubase SX 3.0
- Cubase SX3.1
- Cubase 4.0
- Cubase 4.1
- Cubase 4.5
- Cubase 5.0
- Cubase 5.1
- Cubase 5.5
- Cubase 6.0
- Cubase 6.5
File Formats
From Cubase 1.0 (1989) to Cubase VST 5.1 (2001) the file format used by Cubase was .all (Cubase song) and .arr (Cubase arrangement) files. It was only possible to open files on a Cubase version identical or newer than the version that saved the file. The upgrade to a new version of Cubase was not a big issue.
Starting with Cubase SX 1.0 (2002) the file format was changed to .cpr (Cubase Project File) and .npr (Nuendo Project File). It is possible to open files on a newer and, in some cases, the older version. For example a file saved in SX2 will open in SX3 and work perfectly, if the VST set is the same. There have also been reports, that a project from SX3 will open in SX2[citation needed]. Cubase SX 1.0 was the first Cubase version not to open Cubase VST songs and projects. Cubase SX 1.0 allows you to import VST projects and save them in the new *.cpr format. However the import feature doesn't work very well.
Cubase SX 3.1.1 (2005) was still able to import Cubase VST songs, but with many limitations.
Some of the important data not imported from Cubase VST songs:
- tempo
- some tracks parts
- mute/un-mute track option
Cubase 4 was the first Cubase version not to support the import of Cubase VST songs and projects. To give the ability to import older Cubase VST projects and songs Steinberg decided to make the previous Cubase SX3 and Cubase SL3 versions available as a download.[2][3] But, because of the limited import capability of Cubase SX, Cubase 4 users are forced to use Cubase VST to work on old
Cubase VST files or to manually export single tracks and then create a new project in Cubase 4.[3]
It has also been reported, that there are backward compatibility issues between different Cubase versions using the *.cpr format.[3]
- ALL - A Steinberg Cubase VST file for saving songs (pre 2002).
- ARR - A Steinberg Cubase VST file for saving arrangements (pre 2002).
- CPR - A Steinberg Cubase SX file for saving projects (2002 - ).
- NPR - A Steinberg Nuendo file for saving arrangements (2002 - ).
