Cubase for me, I'm so used to it, and it is so powerful, there is nothing you can't do in Cubase. And the community is very strong and active, you're not alone.
@@DareonSky You can solve it by using the 'MIDI Modifier' that you find in 'MIDI Inserts'. For example, if you want your strings to play a bit earlier, you can use this tool to set a negative delay.
Great video! I find myself going back and forward between Ableton and Cubase. One factor I think is important to consider is the direct the company is taking the software in, as you want to future proof yourself going forward. Cubase's custom keyboard shortcuts is a plus, as it's the greatest workflow enhancer I've found.
Excited to try live 12, but yeah i feel you. If Cubase was snappier and less glitchy buggy like ableton, and got a visual makeover it would be awesome.
I went from Ableton to Cubase, Ableton is good for quick chops but Cubase is just unmatched with the depths it can go to for vocal editing and recording especially. Very fair review 👌🏾
Very honest and detailed video, without getting too long. As a sound engineer, the simplicity yet effectiveness of Pro Tools are matched by nothing else. Especially when combing or generally dealing with multiple takes. I also believed that the quality of the included plugins is more important than the quantity. If you do A/B blind-tests, then Pro Tools 's plugins are the ones that mostly make it to the final mix. - Having said that, Avid 's economic policy over the last few years, with the (now expensive) annual subscription, having abandoned the chance to get a perpetual license, really sucks! I 've been using Pro Tools since version 8, and now currently using the last perpetual license I purchased. When I will no longer be able to use it, then I will be forced to switch DAW!
Great job and completely agree. I’ve extensively used all three as well as many of the other top DAW’s. The Cubase learning curve can be quite daunting, but if you want to exclusively use one DAW it’s the way to go. Especially if your primary focus is composition, producing, editing & mixing. I found the best way to commit to learning Cubase was to delete all of my other DAW’s from my computer..best decision I made 😎
Basically Ableton allows me to get my ideas into the DAW the quickest, and that is by far the most important thing for me. Sometimes inspiration is fleeting.
I've spent at least two years with protools / ableton. I tried cubase 5 in 2015 and never looked back ... he's 100% correct about it being for people that want customization I have everything mapped out and custom commands. If you want yo get away form using your mouse and keyboard then Cubase is for you
Ableton for songwriting, sound design. Then I print the stems and mix in Cubase Mixer. I could go pretty crazy with the plugins there, including Soothe and high latency plugins.
Cubase was so easy to learn it's a toy.. I think it's the best daw out of all of them covering all aspects of music and not partially like Ableton and Pro tools
thank you for all your hard work I was on the edge between Live and Cubase.........but after watching this video I have decided to go with Live 12 Subbed
Cubase since 2010. Serving a small musician community. Yes it has a learning curve but once you get used to it you may not need anything else. One thing I always say, if you are a live performer, Abelton is your best friend.
Cubase for ALL these reasons PLUS Nuendo's smoothest integration with Wwise. Overall, Steinberg rules. Plus, the best endorsement, Hans Zimmer prefers Cubase.
ARA support for ableton workaround is this: go to option and set Melodyne as audio editor. Under the transpose there is edit button for audio clips if you click edit for audio clips it instantly opens melodyne with prints the audio right away, no recording no fuss.
This is true you can totally go that route. This is destructive audio editing though and you cannot go back and adjust things like you could do with ARA
I use Cubase 13 Pro which I love but have used Ableton before and miss the days when we were able to rewire the two together. Been Cubase for decades and don't see myself changing anytime soon.
Great! video. I'm messing with logic(like pro tool), Ableton & Cubase. You've nailed what I couldn't pin point. I hope to build a work flow optimizing all three 😢
Came in trying to replace Cubase, but the more videos I watch the more I realize why I can't leave it. Its become a part of me now, and I've barely have experience with it, its just so customized to me. Cubase might be super slow to get into, but that is solved with some learning and setting up templates for your specific needs.
in the words of Adam Sandler this video is "the best" I've seen in this comparison category. great job Lucas. the clearest and most illuminating presentation on these three Dawes. from my limited experience you are spot-on dude. I went from Sonic foundry Vegas to cubase in 2007. and it is challenging to learn but in my humble opinion it is worth the journey. I tried out some other daws and it just seems like with cubase I'm only seeing the tip of the iceberg. it seems to be an extremely heavy, dense and robust package. more so than the other guys and probably just cuz they're so old and they've got a lot of legacy stuff in there too... I dunno. but I think I could make a career out of learning every aspect of it. there is one important feature in cubase that I absolutely love and never found anywhere else. it's the ARRANGER TRACK. at one point for several years I was editing long-form spoken word. these were speeches from business conferences around the country. I also had a radio play project that was fairly long form where the ranger track was indispensable and being able to keep track of what was said an hour ago and move it around without physically moving it around. it's an amazing feature when you need it.
Forgot one of the greatest features of Cubase - VariAudio! It is the built-in "melodyne"-equivalent from steinberg. Worked great forever and was there before ARA2-Melodyne.
Nice video ❤..so do a video about other daws ..bro like fl studio ... studio one...etc .. For me the order is : 01 Nuendo 02 cubase 03 studio one 04 ableton live 05 logic pro 06 pro tools 07 fl studio. Than other daws... For me i use Studio one and ableton live If i will go with other daw and with steinberg i will choose nuendo over than cubase.....fl studio also hase free lifetime update seems like ...need Nuendo / studio one / ableton live/ fl studio
Cubase = Pro Tools + Ableton former PT and Reaper user. Now back on Cubase 13... and finally very happy, I must say. I use Ableton not very often. Most Midi editing and arranging ist way better in Cubase, included the great composing chord stuff. Cubase has better Audio recording/editing than in PT, can´t live without Direct Offline processing.SamplerTrack, the flexible render options, the BEST Mixer and Controlroom are also very good. Cubase onstock fx are on par with Logic. Highly recommend.
@@muchlovepodcaststart with it and learn it will be frustrating at first but your goal is to be fluent in your daw where it gets out the way. That’s if you choose to start with cubase
I would just pick one and go for it, switching around is time consuming and not ideal. Cubase and Ableton are complete opposites as far as the way they behave
Cubase for me. Just the control room with 4 headphone cue mixes, click on/off options etc, makes a huge difference without affecting the master mix. Another thing is the comping/lanes/versions. Great review!
Hi and thanks for the comparison. I'm more and more convinced that I bought a Bitwig and it's the right thing to do.Sure, I had to buy a couple third-party plugins, but that's true of any DAW.
A good balanced review. Some other categories: orchestral articulation support, latency and timing, and the impact of buffer size on performance (esp with Silicon Macs), notation support, and music theory tools. I use all three and they are all good but I get the most work done in Pro Tools.
Cubase awarded the best mixer where pro tools is a contender is a surprise to me. I just havent got to Cubase because unavailability. When I decided to move from Logic to a more Composer oriented DAW It was just after Cubase 13 was out, so they interrupted their End of year promotions. That Put Digital Performer at less than half of the price. As Digital PErformer is also done more for composers than anything else, I went with it. And learning All those three is a time hog. So I think I 'll continue to watch Cubase from the audience
Ableton + Reaper are the best combo for me . Since both are different toolsets in term on "the best use case" , I don`t need thinking or judging too much . The faster I can make something from nothing suits better for me . One for building music ideas and concept , and the other one for mixing and audio editing in low cpu resources . I believe the cons with those combo is deep midi editing out of the box . There are always tricks and hacks but I know some people prefers as native features . Yeah I know , Reaper not the most easy to use DAW . But if you`re stick with simple use case with it ( like import your stems and start mixing ) it`s not that hard . And if you can spend more times , Their Action Keys - Shortcut and modifier I think comparable or maybe more capable to handle more complex tasks than Cubase or other DAW
Yeah as a natural progression after this phase I started running my sessions in S1 for a couple months. I think I like S1 and Ableton the best for day to day music making. S1 still feels a bit cluttered to me but it streamlines a lot of things that cubase has. It has a few small drawbacks though, but so do all of them.
Cuebase all day long and I can use ableton, fl, logic, pro tools. You can hit f2 or transport in cuebase and open a strip which you can move around change tempo easy.
7:53 You can customize the toolbars in Cubase which is simple to do. I don't think it's difficult to get started in Cubase. The difficulty is learning the depth of certain features. I also wish they would allow us to rearrange the order of tracks in the mixer. I really dislike this lack of feature and is why it's not my goto for mixing.
Abelton for me. Almosyt every other DAW I've tried has a cluttered UI and windows popping up for different things. Ableton is just clean and easy on the eye. It never gets cluttered.
Thanks a lot for the informative video! I am still wondering if I should go for Ableton or Cubase as a composer. Ive never used a DAW, I mainly compose film/ game music for orchestra (did that with regular notation programs till today) but want to switch to a DAW. Are Ableton and Cubase both able to export into a notation file, so it can be edited and printed as a score using a notation software like MuseScore? I really like to get started quickly so i am pretty concerned about the complexity of Cubase. As a newbie to DAWs, is it that much harder and more time consuming to learn and get used to Cubase compared to the more straightforward Ableton?
Hey! I apologize in advance that my videos do not focus too much on scoring because I do mostly rock/pop/hiphop music production. I would definitely go right to Cubase for scoring. Ableton does not have any features geared toward that. Cubase is amazing for MIDI composition. It's pretty widely used and honestly it shouldn't be too tough to pick up for starters, I think most of my confusion was switching to cubase from something else is confusing. Let me know how it goes!
This was very thorough and I'm super grateful you took the time to do this. Right now, I have been learning trumpet for a year and want to start composing music. It sounds like Ableton might be a great place to start making music and eventually upgrade to Cubase once I've gotten the basics down. Does this seem like I've understood your analysis for my situation?
Awesome! Yeah definitely get some free trials, I would check out ableton and forget about switching around just find the best one and go with it! Ableton is the way if you want something fast and fun, and don't have any super complicated audio recording projects.
I'm all into Cubase. Been working with different DAWs such as Harrison Mixbus, ProTools,..., but I prefer Cubase for all the mentioned reasons plus plenty of integrated features for which you will have to buy additional software when working with other DAWs ; I never need to get Melodyne because VariAudio is already built in and does a better job. The built-in Plugins are way better than what you could get in ProTools (1176 Style Compressor, complete Vocal chaîne Plugin, extremely versatile dynamic EQs,...) not to mention the ton of samples libraries and VST instruments.
When you review Ableton Live, which version are you referring to? Version 12 has been in beta for the past 3 months and is officially being released in 2 days. I'm still stuck in version 9 but always reluctant to upgrade and mess up all my settings.
I'm on 11, and yes I will be upgrading to 12 in a few days to see what that's about. I feel you on updating but you should check out 11 it has some huge features like comping!
Nuendo/Cubase for production and then I export to Pro Tools for mixing. I don't think any DAW comes close to PT for mixing and handling audio. PT sucks with midi production but it's second to none in audio processing and mixing.
Check Warp in Cubase. Properly. All three types of Warp. Ableton, my ass. Then think of your fav pre-made Template, so that you never have to spend a lot of time when starting.
(And whats that nonsense about tracpad in Cubase? Ever tried? Apple Trackpad in Cubendo is what makes you forget the mouse, instantly. Customise, goddamit.)
I love Cubase, especially for mixing but for some reason I find I’m way quicker in my creative process using FLStudio coming up with way more unique ideas and compositions that I simple never do using purely Cubase. I don’t know if FL Studio Piano roll is just that good or if I’m just not advanced enough in Cubase. Cubase just feels a bit clunky when trying to compose I’m not as nimble.
I know, I've been wanting cubase to cover all bases and it does on paper bit in use it's the most clunky and has the most quirks. It's a shame. I end up gravitating toward ableton it's just much quicker and I'm sure FL is a similar story.
Cubase for Production/Mixing. Reaper for Mixing Reason 12 exported Stems because mixing in Reason is a chore for me. Plus it isn't M1 native so it is not efficient. And Pro Tools for recording and editing vocals.
Ableton also does not support AAF or OMF which has been a big barrier to me giving it a try. I'm very accustomed to being able to throw arrangements between DAWs. I'm a hardcore Cubase guy but am well versed in both PT and Logic.
I only use daws for practicing and recording my bass (I don't have an amp, only an audio interface). I use heavy third-party effects and amp sim plugins but my laptop is in the low-budget spectrum. In regular practice sessions, I want to worry as little as I can about the program, and only focus on my playing. I have plans for music production in the future, but I'll stick to recording for now. What daw do you think is the best one for me?
@@coldskoolbeatz Yeah, I was using Reaper while writing that comment. I thought it would be an improvement, so I switched to Ableton. Turns out, Ableton is slightly more resource-heavy than Reaper. It pushes my CPU to the limit. But Ableton's default Slap Bass preset is soo cool, just the tone I want. That's kind of the only reason why I still use Ableton. I switch between Reaper and Ableton.
@@rihamission487 I have a MacBook Pro M1. When I use other DAWs for mixing, even if they use all Performance and Efficiency cores, Reaper is the most resource lite of them all by a mile! It's not even close. How do they do it? I don't know. But that is the number 1 reason why I use it for that task specifically.
I have Ableton from a purchase, Cubase and Luna. I've tried Cubase and Ableton and it didn't work for me. I'm going to dedicate the next month to trying them again.
As a person that use Cubase and Ableton in the past, I totally recommend you to use Studio One, is like Pro tools, cubase and in some way ableton have a Child lol.
I'am sure if I'd started with Cubase, I 'd stay with it. BUT I started with Sonar (as a professional), which is super clunky, and has too much of everything, and I quickly switched to Studio One which is total oposside; fast, intuitive and FAST. But Cubase is my 2nd DAW due to the clients (and sentiment, I started with SX) it has all, but Studio One is best of both worlds, I mean Logic and Cubase.
Cubase has no trackpad functionality?! That is wild. No thank you for me! Gonna get ableton now - easy! Context: I already use studio 1 for recording and editing & demo mixes… was looking for a second daw that’s better for production
hey Lucas, thanks for the video, these are actually the sequencers i'm thinking about learning (apart renoise), but i'll probably try them all in the next years. also, that's some kool outro beat you got.
I was a cubase user for the sound (summing engine)now i am all the way Ableton because i dont care any more . I love the fast workflow and music trips i get out of this program.. Cubase feels old to me.
It's a shame you didn't add Presonus Studio One to this comparison battle. 😋 Oh, and I own Studio One, Ableton, BitWig, Cubase, Luna, Pro-Tools (before they turned subscription only) and Reason. My go to is Studio One, when I am with an artist or musician with live instruments. then Ableton for EDM music only. I sold around $85k of Avid equipment when the Pro-Tools subscription fiasco happened and switched to Studio one. My entire studio was AVID gear since I come from the analogue days. 😋
There will be a video coming soon on this. I really ended up liking S1! That's crazy that you had that much Avid gear, the subscription is quite expensive.
Hi Lucas. Fun video. I just wanted to mention something about the tempo adjustment in Ableton: When dealing with samples, Ableton ruins long samples because it is set to adjust them on import. Cubase is the other way around. You can have the same functionality in Cubase. You just import, then put on music mode in the pool window. In Ableton you have to turn it off first, then turn it on again if the sample is long. I've had tons of issues with this in Ableton. I would also disagree with your notion that Cubase is diffcult to learn. I found it easier to understand the workflow in Cubase, than I did in Ableton due to it all being ease to read from the UI. I feel that your conclusion at the end with suggetions for who the different DAWs could fit was very good. I use both Ableton and Cubase.
Hey thanks! You can disable that behaviour in ableton by unchecking "auto warp long samples" in the preferences. And lastly, glad you feel that way! I like them both for different reasons.
@@cosignnetwork5784 Have been studying cubase for about 10 days and I'm still more used to using ableton haha. Cubase has so many buttons and customized options that makes it hard to find some specific botton, and it really takes efforts to set everything up. But I have to admit that Cubase has way more features than ableton (I'm kind of awe-struck by that). Anyway, it will be so cool to be a dual-daw producer! and learning new things is always inspiring and exciting.
It can be stable... once you stop using plugins it does not work well with, if you only used stock plugins it is pretty much rock solid, and 95% of other plugins are fine and don't crash it, but man is it a nightmare when a new update comes out and a certain plugin does not work anymore and crashes ableton, then you gotta spend time finding the plugin that caused it, if they sandboxed the external vsts like bitwig, it would fix that problem.
@@foljs5858 I love Ableton. It’s my go to but it definitely crashes and my other DAWS studio one, pro tools, logic, Luna don’t crash nearly as much. So there must be a difference in the way they handle plugins
Hold up.. all daws do the same thing, and that is recording vocals, creating melodies, and making beats. I have all of them because I work with a lot of artists and producers.
PT was the first to come out with hardware and software integrated and stable for large setups, and therefore has been a staple in commercial studios. And it is the best for audio editing especially if you have big sessions - like a band, console, etc. Cubase is more geared toward midi/composition and it is amazing, but for me personally is a bit cluttered and has too many quirks.
Cubase for me, I'm so used to it, and it is so powerful, there is nothing you can't do in Cubase. And the community is very strong and active, you're not alone.
There is what you can't do with Cubase. It has no negative delay on expression maps.
Cubase community is mostly old heads😅
@@DareonSky You can solve it by using the 'MIDI Modifier' that you find in 'MIDI Inserts'. For example, if you want your strings to play a bit earlier, you can use this tool to set a negative delay.
@@lX-NDRAnd if you check FL and Ableton forums for feature requests, they all want what Cubase had for years 😅
thanks, this was very helpful. i'm currently using Ableton but as a band guy Cubase's features are looking good!
They do but it's buggy and clunky. I have to make an official decision if finishing a track is actually faster or more fun than ableton.
Great video! I find myself going back and forward between Ableton and Cubase. One factor I think is important to consider is the direct the company is taking the software in, as you want to future proof yourself going forward. Cubase's custom keyboard shortcuts is a plus, as it's the greatest workflow enhancer I've found.
Excited to try live 12, but yeah i feel you. If Cubase was snappier and less glitchy buggy like ableton, and got a visual makeover it would be awesome.
In pro tools now you can customize shortcuts as well
I went from Ableton to Cubase, Ableton is good for quick chops but Cubase is just unmatched with the depths it can go to for vocal editing and recording especially.
Very fair review 👌🏾
Thinking of doing this as well...Do you think the cheaper version (elements) is worth it?
great video! i'd like to see logic in comparison to live when it comes to live performances, i.e. artist/djing.
Very honest and detailed video, without getting too long. As a sound engineer, the simplicity yet effectiveness of Pro Tools are matched by nothing else. Especially when combing or generally dealing with multiple takes. I also believed that the quality of the included plugins is more important than the quantity. If you do A/B blind-tests, then Pro Tools 's plugins are the ones that mostly make it to the final mix.
- Having said that, Avid 's economic policy over the last few years, with the (now expensive) annual subscription, having abandoned the chance to get a perpetual license, really sucks!
I 've been using Pro Tools since version 8, and now currently using the last perpetual license I purchased. When I will no longer be able to use it, then I will be forced to switch DAW!
Great job and completely agree. I’ve extensively used all three as well as many of the other top DAW’s. The Cubase learning curve can be quite daunting, but if you want to exclusively use one DAW it’s the way to go. Especially if your primary focus is composition, producing, editing & mixing. I found the best way to commit to learning Cubase was to delete all of my other DAW’s from my computer..best decision I made 😎
Thank you so much for the detailed comparison, especially at the end mentioning who each is best for
Glad it was helpful!
Basically Ableton allows me to get my ideas into the DAW the quickest, and that is by far the most important thing for me. Sometimes inspiration is fleeting.
Thanks for your views, by far the best and least complicated. I have now made a choice of which DAW to use, Ableton. Thanks.
I've spent at least two years with protools / ableton. I tried cubase 5 in 2015 and never looked back ... he's 100% correct about it being for people that want customization I have everything mapped out and custom commands. If you want yo get away form using your mouse and keyboard then Cubase is for you
Ableton for songwriting, sound design. Then I print the stems and mix in Cubase Mixer. I could go pretty crazy with the plugins there, including Soothe and high latency plugins.
Used all 3 as well and kept coming back to Cubase
Cubase was so easy to learn it's a toy.. I think it's the best daw out of all of them covering all aspects of music and not partially like Ableton and Pro tools
thank you for all your hard work
I was on the edge between Live and Cubase.........but after watching this video I have decided to go with Live 12
Subbed
Cubase since 2010. Serving a small musician community. Yes it has a learning curve but once you get used to it you may not need anything else. One thing I always say, if you are a live performer, Abelton is your best friend.
Cubase for ALL these reasons PLUS Nuendo's smoothest integration with Wwise. Overall, Steinberg rules. Plus, the best endorsement, Hans Zimmer prefers Cubase.
ARA support for ableton workaround is this: go to option and set Melodyne as audio editor. Under the transpose there is edit button for audio clips if you click edit for audio clips it instantly opens melodyne with prints the audio right away, no recording no fuss.
This is true you can totally go that route. This is destructive audio editing though and you cannot go back and adjust things like you could do with ARA
I use Cubase 13 Pro which I love but have used Ableton before and miss the days when we were able to rewire the two together. Been Cubase for decades and don't see myself changing anytime soon.
The rewire function is not available anymor??????? sh/*!
LOL rewire was crazy ...
Cubase 13 for me. Daw's I worked with and know is FL Studio, Studio One Pro , Pro Tools, Logic and Abelton. Cubase just have everything covered.
Great! video. I'm messing with logic(like pro tool), Ableton & Cubase. You've nailed what I couldn't pin point. I hope to build a work flow optimizing all three 😢
I use Cubase with the Reason rack. It's the best of both worlds for me. Thanks for a very informative video.
Came in trying to replace Cubase, but the more videos I watch the more I realize why I can't leave it. Its become a part of me now, and I've barely have experience with it, its just so customized to me. Cubase might be super slow to get into, but that is solved with some learning and setting up templates for your specific needs.
in the words of Adam Sandler this video is "the best" I've seen in this comparison category. great job Lucas. the clearest and most illuminating presentation on these three Dawes.
from my limited experience you are spot-on dude.
I went from Sonic foundry Vegas to cubase in 2007. and it is challenging to learn but in my humble opinion it is worth the journey.
I tried out some other daws and it just seems like with cubase I'm only seeing the tip of the iceberg. it seems to be an extremely heavy, dense and robust package. more so than the other guys and probably just cuz they're so old and they've got a lot of legacy stuff in there too... I dunno. but I think I could make a career out of learning every aspect of it.
there is one important feature in cubase that I absolutely love and never found anywhere else. it's the ARRANGER TRACK. at one point for several years I was editing long-form spoken word. these were speeches from business conferences around the country. I also had a radio play project that was fairly long form where the ranger track was indispensable and being able to keep track of what was said an hour ago and move it around without physically moving it around. it's an amazing feature when you need it.
Hey thanks and appreciate the comment! Agreed!
Forgot one of the greatest features of Cubase - VariAudio! It is the built-in "melodyne"-equivalent from steinberg. Worked great forever and was there before ARA2-Melodyne.
Agreed.
Nice video ❤..so do a video about other daws ..bro like fl studio ... studio one...etc ..
For me the order is :
01 Nuendo 02 cubase 03 studio one 04 ableton live 05 logic pro 06 pro tools 07 fl studio. Than other daws...
For me i use
Studio one and ableton live
If i will go with other daw and with steinberg i will choose nuendo over than cubase.....fl studio also hase free lifetime update seems like ...need
Nuendo / studio one / ableton live/ fl studio
Cubase = Pro Tools + Ableton
former PT and Reaper user. Now back on Cubase 13... and finally very happy, I must say. I use Ableton not very often. Most Midi editing and arranging ist way better in Cubase, included the great composing chord stuff. Cubase has better Audio recording/editing than in PT, can´t live without Direct Offline processing.SamplerTrack, the flexible render options, the BEST Mixer and Controlroom are also very good. Cubase onstock fx are on par with Logic. Highly recommend.
Would you recommend a beginner start with Ableton and then move on the Cubase or start right away in Cubase?
@@muchlovepodcaststart with it and learn it will be frustrating at first but your goal is to be fluent in your daw where it gets out the way. That’s if you choose to start with cubase
I would just pick one and go for it, switching around is time consuming and not ideal. Cubase and Ableton are complete opposites as far as the way they behave
@@muchlovepodcast Trial both and see what clicks.
@@muchlovepodcast don't even waste your time .. go straight to cubase and watch dom sigalas, chris selim and jef gibbons tutorials.
Cubase for me. Just the control room with 4 headphone cue mixes, click on/off options etc, makes a huge difference without affecting the master mix. Another thing is the comping/lanes/versions. Great review!
Thanks for the video. Very entertaining to watch!
If you already own a DAW you can get Cubase PRO version for around $250. You just need to show proof of purchase for the DAW that you already own.
so in depth. awesome job man, thanks
Hi and thanks for the comparison.
I'm more and more convinced that I bought a Bitwig and it's the right thing to do.Sure, I had to buy a couple third-party plugins, but that's true of any DAW.
A good balanced review. Some other categories: orchestral articulation support, latency and timing, and the impact of buffer size on performance (esp with Silicon Macs), notation support, and music theory tools. I use all three and they are all good but I get the most work done in Pro Tools.
Cubase awarded the best mixer where pro tools is a contender is a surprise to me. I just havent got to Cubase because unavailability. When I decided to move from Logic to a more Composer oriented DAW It was just after Cubase 13 was out, so they interrupted their End of year promotions. That Put Digital Performer at less than half of the price. As Digital PErformer is also done more for composers than anything else, I went with it. And learning All those three is a time hog. So I think I 'll continue to watch Cubase from the audience
Ableton + Reaper are the best combo for me . Since both are different toolsets in term on "the best use case" , I don`t need thinking or judging too much . The faster I can make something from nothing suits better for me .
One for building music ideas and concept , and the other one for mixing and audio editing in low cpu resources . I believe the cons with those combo is deep midi editing out of the box . There are always tricks and hacks but I know some people prefers as native features .
Yeah I know , Reaper not the most easy to use DAW . But if you`re stick with simple use case with it ( like import your stems and start mixing ) it`s not that hard .
And if you can spend more times , Their Action Keys - Shortcut and modifier I think comparable or maybe more capable to handle more complex tasks than Cubase or other DAW
you should try logic pro 11 also, its amazing and rock solid!!regards
For me Cubase, Logic and Pro Tools.
The rest are great but these three are the best.
Super helpful! thank you!
That was a really good, in-depth comparison!
Thanks!!
Wouldn't want to drive you even more crazy, but looking into Studio One and Luna would also be cool. Thanks!
Yeah as a natural progression after this phase I started running my sessions in S1 for a couple months. I think I like S1 and Ableton the best for day to day music making. S1 still feels a bit cluttered to me but it streamlines a lot of things that cubase has. It has a few small drawbacks though, but so do all of them.
Cubase rules for composers and producers!!!
Great summary!
Cuebase all day long and I can use ableton, fl, logic, pro tools. You can hit f2 or transport in cuebase and open a strip which you can move around change tempo easy.
7:53 You can customize the toolbars in Cubase which is simple to do.
I don't think it's difficult to get started in Cubase. The difficulty is learning the depth of certain features. I also wish they would allow us to rearrange the order of tracks in the mixer. I really dislike this lack of feature and is why it's not my goto for mixing.
Will all the free vst plugins work with Abelton Live LITE .
Thanks
Abelton for me. Almosyt every other DAW I've tried has a cluttered UI and windows popping up for different things. Ableton is just clean and easy on the eye. It never gets cluttered.
Nuendo 13 and Presonus studio one 6.6 are the two best daws I use for my production
Thanks a lot for the informative video! I am still wondering if I should go for Ableton or Cubase as a composer. Ive never used a DAW, I mainly compose film/ game music for orchestra (did that with regular notation programs till today) but want to switch to a DAW. Are Ableton and Cubase both able to export into a notation file, so it can be edited and printed as a score using a notation software like MuseScore?
I really like to get started quickly so i am pretty concerned about the complexity of Cubase. As a newbie to DAWs, is it that much harder and more time consuming to learn and get used to Cubase compared to the more straightforward Ableton?
Hey! I apologize in advance that my videos do not focus too much on scoring because I do mostly rock/pop/hiphop music production. I would definitely go right to Cubase for scoring. Ableton does not have any features geared toward that. Cubase is amazing for MIDI composition. It's pretty widely used and honestly it shouldn't be too tough to pick up for starters, I think most of my confusion was switching to cubase from something else is confusing. Let me know how it goes!
good video, just the facts ty
Cubase for me
This was very thorough and I'm super grateful you took the time to do this. Right now, I have been learning trumpet for a year and want to start composing music. It sounds like Ableton might be a great place to start making music and eventually upgrade to Cubase once I've gotten the basics down. Does this seem like I've understood your analysis for my situation?
Awesome! Yeah definitely get some free trials, I would check out ableton and forget about switching around just find the best one and go with it! Ableton is the way if you want something fast and fun, and don't have any super complicated audio recording projects.
I use cubase as my primary DAW, Akai MPC an FL studio for beats.
Cubase and FL studio user here ❤❤❤..
Nice to meet you! I use FL for musical compositions then do drums and all recordings and mixing in Cubase. The best combo imo!
Ableton for beats, Cubase for vocal recording, mixing, mastering. All day everyday!" 😃💯
I'm all into Cubase. Been working with different DAWs such as Harrison Mixbus, ProTools,..., but I prefer Cubase for all the mentioned reasons plus plenty of integrated features for which you will have to buy additional software when working with other DAWs ; I never need to get Melodyne because VariAudio is already built in and does a better job. The built-in Plugins are way better than what you could get in ProTools (1176 Style Compressor, complete Vocal chaîne Plugin, extremely versatile dynamic EQs,...) not to mention the ton of samples libraries and VST instruments.
3:15 - In Reason you can hot swap virtually anything: instruments, effects and samples etc.
You definitely can. Reason is awesome !
When you review Ableton Live, which version are you referring to? Version 12 has been in beta for the past 3 months and is officially being released in 2 days. I'm still stuck in version 9 but always reluctant to upgrade and mess up all my settings.
I'm on 11, and yes I will be upgrading to 12 in a few days to see what that's about. I feel you on updating but you should check out 11 it has some huge features like comping!
Nuendo/Cubase for production and then I export to Pro Tools for mixing. I don't think any DAW comes close to PT for mixing and handling audio. PT sucks with midi production but it's second to none in audio processing and mixing.
Check Warp in Cubase. Properly. All three types of Warp. Ableton, my ass.
Then think of your fav pre-made Template, so that you never have to spend a lot of time when starting.
(And whats that nonsense about tracpad in Cubase? Ever tried? Apple Trackpad in Cubendo is what makes you forget the mouse, instantly. Customise, goddamit.)
Cubase warp grid 💯
I love Cubase, especially for mixing but for some reason I find I’m way quicker in my creative process using FLStudio coming up with way more unique ideas and compositions that I simple never do using purely Cubase. I don’t know if FL Studio Piano roll is just that good or if I’m just not advanced enough in Cubase. Cubase just feels a bit clunky when trying to compose I’m not as nimble.
I know, I've been wanting cubase to cover all bases and it does on paper bit in use it's the most clunky and has the most quirks. It's a shame. I end up gravitating toward ableton it's just much quicker and I'm sure FL is a similar story.
Cubase for Production/Mixing. Reaper for Mixing Reason 12 exported Stems because mixing in Reason is a chore for me. Plus it isn't M1 native so it is not efficient. And Pro Tools for recording and editing vocals.
Cubase is the king but I love pro tools for recording and editing and now also the looks of pro tools are amazing
Ableton also does not support AAF or OMF which has been a big barrier to me giving it a try. I'm very accustomed to being able to throw arrangements between DAWs. I'm a hardcore Cubase guy but am well versed in both PT and Logic.
Flstudio is the GOAT 🐐 🙌 👌. Cubase good but not for live performances and working quick on the fly.
I only use daws for practicing and recording my bass (I don't have an amp, only an audio interface). I use heavy third-party effects and amp sim plugins but my laptop is in the low-budget spectrum. In regular practice sessions, I want to worry as little as I can about the program, and only focus on my playing. I have plans for music production in the future, but I'll stick to recording for now. What daw do you think is the best one for me?
go for ableton, as a musician that one seems to be the most similar to a musical instrument. It's quick and responsive and great for shedding!
@@LucasMessore Thanks a lot for your suggestion. That's what I'll do then.
I'd say Reaper because it is very, very inexpensive and easy to use. Just add a track, enable, and start recording.
@@coldskoolbeatz Yeah, I was using Reaper while writing that comment. I thought it would be an improvement, so I switched to Ableton. Turns out, Ableton is slightly more resource-heavy than Reaper. It pushes my CPU to the limit. But Ableton's default Slap Bass preset is soo cool, just the tone I want. That's kind of the only reason why I still use Ableton. I switch between Reaper and Ableton.
@@rihamission487 I have a MacBook Pro M1.
When I use other DAWs for mixing, even if they use all Performance and Efficiency cores, Reaper is the most resource lite of them all by a mile!
It's not even close.
How do they do it? I don't know. But that is the number 1 reason why I use it for that task specifically.
Also ableton has had mpe and continues to kill it there and random generations and the instruments are insanely good
I use Reaper, Cubase, Ableton, and FL Studio
I have Cubase and Studio one
Pros of Studio one vs Cubase?
Great video! Glad you stayed sane. I can only recommend doing this once more to give REAPER a try. You won’t regret it 😊
I have Ableton from a purchase, Cubase and Luna. I've tried Cubase and Ableton and it didn't work for me. I'm going to dedicate the next month to trying them again.
As a person that use Cubase and Ableton in the past, I totally recommend you to use Studio One, is like Pro tools, cubase and in some way ableton have a Child lol.
Yeah, I'm late to the party but I started using it and it alleviates all my issues with all of them. Thanks!
@@LucasMessore i hope you d a video in the future about that
Is it possible in Cubase to route tracks by midi ports and channels like port 2 channle 4 ?
Or you can make sounds with chord player and Lmms and arrange and master with BandLab that’s the easiest path
Cubase for composition, ableton for fun beat making
I use Cubase and Pro Tools
I ise studio one, it is between abelton and cubase ;)
Cubase eats them with ease + it can handle way more plugins! Its audio engine is the best on the market!
You should give Luna a shot. I love it.
Will do! I tried it when it first came out and it was a bit bare bones but I bet it's improved. Thanks!
I'am sure if I'd started with Cubase, I 'd stay with it. BUT I started with Sonar (as a professional), which is super clunky, and has too much of everything, and I quickly switched to Studio One which is total oposside; fast, intuitive and FAST. But Cubase is my 2nd DAW due to the clients (and sentiment, I started with SX) it has all, but Studio One is best of both worlds, I mean Logic and Cubase.
I use cubase&ableton. But both for its own powers.
Cubase has no trackpad functionality?! That is wild. No thank you for me! Gonna get ableton now - easy!
Context: I already use studio 1 for recording and editing & demo mixes… was looking for a second daw that’s better for production
I have a trackpad for windows and it works just fine ... I think apple trackpads are the issue
hey Lucas, thanks for the video, these are actually the sequencers i'm thinking about learning (apart renoise), but i'll probably try them all in the next years.
also, that's some kool outro beat you got.
I use all the DAWs but Cubase is best for songwriting. Ableton is best for blips and bloops. Pro Tools is best for big studios
You should really try out studio one pro.
I'm on it and love it. Will be the topic of the next video. Thanks!
I was a cubase user for the sound (summing engine)now i am all the way Ableton because i dont care any more . I love the fast workflow and music trips i get out of this program.. Cubase feels old to me.
I was using Cubase for a couple months going strong but yes I agree. It's slower and laggier than I wish
Cubase was best but now lots of issues to deal with hope they will fix these things
Oh. Cubase. because it has everything to make master piece and it is easy.
Would you agree that Ableton is rather focused on electronic music and live?
Yes!
It's a shame you didn't add Presonus Studio One to this comparison battle. 😋
Oh, and I own Studio One, Ableton, BitWig, Cubase, Luna, Pro-Tools (before they turned subscription only) and Reason.
My go to is Studio One, when I am with an artist or musician with live instruments. then Ableton for EDM music only.
I sold around $85k of Avid equipment when the Pro-Tools subscription fiasco happened and switched to Studio one. My entire studio was AVID gear since I come from the analogue days. 😋
There will be a video coming soon on this. I really ended up liking S1! That's crazy that you had that much Avid gear, the subscription is quite expensive.
Hi Lucas. Fun video. I just wanted to mention something about the tempo adjustment in Ableton: When dealing with samples, Ableton ruins long samples because it is set to adjust them on import. Cubase is the other way around. You can have the same functionality in Cubase. You just import, then put on music mode in the pool window. In Ableton you have to turn it off first, then turn it on again if the sample is long. I've had tons of issues with this in Ableton. I would also disagree with your notion that Cubase is diffcult to learn. I found it easier to understand the workflow in Cubase, than I did in Ableton due to it all being ease to read from the UI. I feel that your conclusion at the end with suggetions for who the different DAWs could fit was very good. I use both Ableton and Cubase.
Hey thanks! You can disable that behaviour in ableton by unchecking "auto warp long samples" in the preferences. And lastly, glad you feel that way! I like them both for different reasons.
100%
have been using ableton for about 5 years and today i purchased cubase. hopefully i'll get started with cubase soon!
Good luck it’s the best and easy to learn … everything is straightforward
@@cosignnetwork5784 Have been studying cubase for about 10 days and I'm still more used to using ableton haha. Cubase has so many buttons and customized options that makes it hard to find some specific botton, and it really takes efforts to set everything up. But I have to admit that Cubase has way more features than ableton (I'm kind of awe-struck by that). Anyway, it will be so cool to be a dual-daw producer! and learning new things is always inspiring and exciting.
You lost me at Ableton is "incredibly stable." 🤣
Oh no what are you doing that it crashes? That's so annoying
@@LucasMessoreit crashes constantly but it depends on what plugins you’re using. It always saves when it crashes so I have never lost any work
It can be stable... once you stop using plugins it does not work well with, if you only used stock plugins it is pretty much rock solid, and 95% of other plugins are fine and don't crash it, but man is it a nightmare when a new update comes out and a certain plugin does not work anymore and crashes ableton, then you gotta spend time finding the plugin that caused it, if they sandboxed the external vsts like bitwig, it would fix that problem.
tons of famous musicians/bands people use it for live shows, so it IS stable. You're just using unstable plugins...
@@foljs5858 I love Ableton. It’s my go to but it definitely crashes and my other DAWS studio one, pro tools, logic, Luna don’t crash nearly as much. So there must be a difference in the way they handle plugins
As a cubase user, I found Protools more difficult to learn. Cubase somehow made the most sense to me..
Hold up.. all daws do the same thing, and that is recording vocals, creating melodies, and making beats. I have all of them because I work with a lot of artists and producers.
tip: switching from PT to Cubase (Nuendo) th-cam.com/video/Nzi50rI3byk/w-d-xo.html
Where the Reaper at 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Cubase is the best for me.
Cubase seems the best, buy why do most studios use Protools though ?
PT was the first to come out with hardware and software integrated and stable for large setups, and therefore has been a staple in commercial studios. And it is the best for audio editing especially if you have big sessions - like a band, console, etc. Cubase is more geared toward midi/composition and it is amazing, but for me personally is a bit cluttered and has too many quirks.
Next up: Logic Pro, Reason and Presonus Studio!
And FL Studio, Bitwig, Digital Performer lol
Reason and Logic are so damn🔥🔥🔥🔥
cubase by far is the best