Steinberg has announced Cubase 7 and Cubase Artist 7, new versions of its long-standing DAW. These will be available on 5 December 2012.
The biggest new feature appears to be the MixConsole mixer, a revised virtual console that offers built-in channel strip modules (supposedly eliminating the need to use multiple plug-ins on each channel) and a wide range of customisation options:
Also making its debut is the Chord Track; this sits in the Project window and is designed to detect harmonic structure and provide chord and scale information to MIDI and audio tracks that have been processed with VariAudio. Any harmonic changes that you make in the Chord Track are then followed by these tracks:
There's also the Chord Assistant, which can be used to generate harmonic chord progressions, plus new sounds for HALion Sonic SE and new samples and MIDI loops for Groove Agent One and the Beat Designer Library.
You can find out more about the Cubase 7 update below - various other new features have been implemented, too. The retail prices have been set at €599 for Cubase 7 and €299 for Cubase Artist 7, while upgrades from previous versions will also be available.
Anyone who's activated Cubase 6.5 or Cubase Artist 6.5 since October 25 2012 will be eligible for a free upgrade.
Steinberg Cubase 7 and Cubase Artist 7 press release
Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH today announced the approaching releases of Cubase 7 and Cubase Artist 7. Coming on December 5, 2012, Steinberg is already presenting the unique solutions and enhancements within the latest incarnations of Cubase, the most advanced music production system today.
With an array of Virtual Studio Technology (VST) instruments and effects plus production tools employed by producers around the world, Cubase 7 and Cubase Artist 7 now include the new MixConsole mixer, the newly developed channel strip, Chord Track, significant workflow improvements and integration, new content and much more.
"This time around we focused in on one of the primary features in Cubase: the mixing. The result is the entirely new MixConsole, with never-before-seen transparency, fidelity, and functionality. Thanks to the built-in channel strip modules and their excellent-sounding EQ and dynamics, the days are finally over when we opened five plug-in windows per track to get the mix going. We also took care of many details that'll make a big difference in time-critical situations, such as the Remote Control Editor, the redesigned Channel Settings window and the track, channel and plug-in finder. Version 7 is our commitment to the professional community and elevates Cubase to the top of every producer's wish list," said Helge Vogt, product marketing lead at Steinberg.
The MixConsole features full-screen mode and scalability for allowing seamless adjustment to small and large-scale displays alike. With Channel Zones, users are able to specify which channels and in which order they are to be displayed on the new mixer, while View Sets offers immediate recall of EQ, dynamics, sends and inserts. Other advantages of the new MixConsole include customizable track icons as well as Control Link and Quick Link for interlinking channels and parameters. Channel settings drag and drop, A/B comparison, global bypass on effects, plug-in search and integrated control room functionality add to the comprehensive list of new mixing features. Second in line is the newly developed channel strip with high and low-pass filters, noise gate, the four-band StudioEQ, three compressors, a spectrum analyzer, tube/tape saturation, a brickwall limiter, maximizer plus 150 factory presets, created by US producer Allen Morgan. Furthermore, the Channel Settings window is redesigned to provide easy access to all channel parameters, such as input metering and routing assignments, alongside the newly introduced Remote Control Editor for easy mapping of plug-in parameters to external controllers, supporting Mackie Control, Avid Artist Series and many others. Also available in Cubase 7 are Voxengo's studio-grade 64-band spline CurveEQ, EBU R128 standard compliant loudness metering and the latest version of MixConvert for individual downmixes in unmatched quality.
The second assembly of musical features includes Chord Track, a dedicated track within the Project window. Cubase identifies the music's harmony structure and provides chord and scale information to both MIDI and audio tracks that have been processed with VariAudio, and these in return automatically follow any harmonic adjustments in Chord Track. VariAudio is exclusively available in Cubase and has been enhanced to work seamlessly with Chord Track, allowing multiple-part editing within a single editor and harmonizing of lead vocals in choral arrangements. Another new feature exclusive to Cubase 7 is Chord Assistant for bridging chords and generating harmonic chord progressions. Implemented in both Cubase 7 and Cubase Artist 7, the Hermode tuning technology adjusts flaws of traditional well-tempered scales through dynamic retuning. Cubase also meets all demands for "in the box" content: next to the thousands of sounds already available, Cubase 7 and Cubase Artist 7 continue to stock up on samples, loops and presets: the new Hybrid Expansion for HALion Sonic SE boasts 300 new instrument sounds, while new drum samples and corresponding MIDI loops expand the Groove Agent ONE and Beat Designer library. More than 2,000 additional MIDI loops round out the extensive spectrum of sounds.
The final feature set delivers functional enhancements that boost the performance in various ways. ASIO-Guard is newly implemented into the Steinberg Audio Engine to improve stability and prevent data dropouts. Included for troubleshooting and diagnostics is the additional safestart mode to disable user preferences temporarily. With the keyword-oriented search engine, individual tracks and channels can now be quickly found in large projects. MemZap stores positions and zoom factors within the project at any particular time, while the new Steinberg Hub appears on start up, comprising an enhanced Project Assistant plus additional information services, such as news and a regularly updated list of video tutorials. Another highlight exclusively available to Cubase 7 is the brand-new VST Connect SE collaboration software, with talkback and chat functionality as well as real-time video and audio streaming over the Internet.
"Cubase 7 is bound to remain the widely acclaimed production software for recording, editing, mixing and producing music to the highest standards. With this major release, we've introduced new mixing and composition tools, improved on VariAudio, included Voxengo's CurveEQ and many other really useful and important features to Cubase," remarked Cubase product marketing manager Carlos Mendoza Rohde on the latest additions.
Cubase 7 has been tested on professional HP Z workstations for maximum reliability and certified performance.
Availability and pricing
The Cubase 7 and Cubase Artist 7 full retail versions are available from resellers and through the Steinberg Online Shop from December 5, 2012. The suggested retail price for Cubase 7 is 599 euros, including German VAT. The suggested retail price for Cubase Artist 7 is 299 euros, including German VAT. Various boxed and downloadable updates and upgrades are also available from resellers and through the Steinberg Online Shop from December 5, 2012. Customers who have activated Cubase 6.5 and Cubase Artist 6.5 since October 25, 2012, are eligible for a free, downloadable Grace Period update to the latest version.
Cubase 7 features at a glance
- State-of-the-art music production system used by thousands of professionals around the world
- Award-winning 32-bit floating-point Steinberg audio engine with up to 192 kHz, 5.1 surround, flexible routing and full automatic delay compensation
- Unlimited audio, instrument and MIDI tracks
- Superb composing, editing and mixing features with unparalleled multitrack editing and quantizing, take comping and automation tools
- All-new MixConsole provides the ultimate mixing experience with unmatched flexibility and integrated EQ/Dynamics channel strip modules for epic pro-console sound
- Comprehensive set of 8 outstanding virtual instruments with over 2,800 sounds, including HALion Sonic SE workstation, Padshop granular synth, Retrologue virtual analog synth, LoopMash 2 and the MPC-style Groove Agent ONE drum machine
- Complete suite of 66 high-end audio and 18 MIDI VST effect processors, including VST Amp Rack guitar tone suite, REVerence convolution reverb, Voxengo CurveEQ and many more
- VariAudio for MIDI-style note editing of monophonic audio tracks and automatic voicing harmonization and auto-tuning effect
- Chord Track for easy chord management and re-harmonizing plus intelligent composing assistance for generating beautiful chord sequences
- VST Expression 2 for unique instrument articulation management and expression control on single-note level
- Professional music notation and score printing
- MediaBay file and preset management system
- Cross-platform 32/64-bit for Windows and Mac OS X
Cubase Artist 7 features at a glance
- Complete music production system, offering a set of superb audio/MIDI recording, editing and mixing tools
- Based on proven Steinberg Cubase technology used by professionals around the world
- Award-winning 32-bit floating-point Steinberg audio engine with up to 192 kHz, flexible routing and full automatic delay compensation
- Supports 128 MIDI and 64 simultaneous audio tracks
- Includes 8 outstanding virtual instruments with over 2,400 presets, including HALion Sonic SE workstation, Padshop granular synth and Retrologue virtual analog synth, LoopMash 2 plus the MPC-style Groove Agent ONE drum machine
- Comes with a suite of 46 audio and 18 MIDI VST effect processors, including Pitch Correct for vocal intonation correction, VST Amp Rack guitar tone suite, Brickwall Limiter and Tube Compressor
- Chord Track facilitates working with chords in a project context
- Streamlined score editing feature set
- MediaBay file and preset management system
- Project Assistant with dozens of common templates helps getting started quickly
- Cross-platform 32/64-bit for Windows and Mac OS X Intel
