Best Version of Cubase for Beginner

[jmoyers7032]

This far I’ve doen all my composing in Dorico 5 Pro. But it seems I need to move on the a DAW to get the most out of my performances. I know zero about DAWs, but if I wanted to get started would Cubase Pro 13 be overkill? Or would Artist 13 be good enough? As I say, I don’t know the first thing about working with a DAW, so it does me no good to read comparisons of the different products that Cubase offers. Any thoughts apprecated.

Thanks.

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[husker]

Can you describe your general work flow now?

 

[Semarus]

You don't get expression maps, assuming you use those, and you don't get direct routing, which could become an annoyance down the line, depending on how you like to mix. You also don't get the new Global Tracks feature in the key editor. Obviously everyone got along fine without it for this long, but it was a major feature for this version.

Most of the differences, and there are more tiny ones that the comparison chart doesn't list, may not phase you as a beginner but the annoyances could begin to reveal themselves as you progress to larger projects in the future. I think the key to your decision will be in what you think/hope Cubase will solve that Dorico cannot for you at this time, which leads back to the question @husker asked.

 

[jmoyers7032]

My workflow is somewhat limited compared to most people here. My keyboard skills are weak, so I can’t effectively play my music into Dorico and fine tune it later. I basically sketch on Dorico much like I used to with pencil and paper, working out rhythms and such on Dorico to hear playback to see if it’s sounding like I hear it. I gravitate toward sample libraries that sound “good enough” out of the box to give an approximation of what my piece might sound like if performed. I am a late-blooming hobbyist to all this.

 

[Wensleydale]

I gravitate toward sample libraries that sound “good enough” out of the box to give an approximation of what my piece might sound like if performed.

Perhaps all you need is NotePerformer? - with or without a playback engine, if you have a suitable library?

 

[jmoyers7032]

I do you Noteperformer with a couple of their playback engines. I guess maybe I 'm getting tired of "good enough" and want to kick it up a notch. I've heard some amazing mock-ups on this site that I'm guessing had to be fine-tuned in a DAW to get the the level of realism I've perceived (and whether I'm capable of learning Cubase well enough to get there is a whole different question).

 

[husker]

I am a late-blooming hobbyist to all this.

Don't worry, I am as well. But a hobby several years ago rapidly became an passion and obsession.

TBH, I would probably just start with Artist. If you feel like you need Pro, you can always upgrade later. Steinberg do regular sales.

 

[Wensleydale]

TBH, I would probably just start with Artist. If you feel like you need Pro, you can always upgrade later. Steinberg do regular sales.

I’m not familiar with Cubase. But, if Artist doesn’t include expression maps, is it likely that the OP could use it so as to improve on NotePerformer + NPPE?

 

[jmoyers7032]

I’m not familiar with Cubase. But, if Artist doesn’t include expression maps, is it likely that the OP could use it so as to improve on NotePerformer + NPPE?

In Dorico, I do find expression maps invaluable where NP doesn't have a PB engine for a particular library. This makes me feel like Artist might hobble me at the outset. Does that seem like a fair observation? However, if it's just a matter of exporting midi data from Dorico and editing the data once exported, would expression maps matter that much? What I mean to say is, I'd probably never start something from scratch (right npw) in Cubase.

 

[VannKraken]

Don't worry, I am as well. But a hobby several years ago rapidly became an passion and obsession.

TBH, I would probably just start with Artist. If you feel like you need Pro, you can always upgrade later. Steinberg do regular sales.

I would concur that Artist has been a good starting point for me for the past six months. I will likely upgrade to Pro sometime this year - holding out for the Summer Sale, at least.

 

[jbuhler]

In Dorico, I do find expression maps invaluable where NP doesn't have a PB engine for a particular library. This makes me feel like Artist might hobble me at the outset. Does that seem like a fair observation? However, if it's just a matter of exporting midi data from Dorico and editing the data once exported, would expression maps matter that much? What I mean to say is, I'd probably never start something from scratch (right npw) in Cubase.

You need to be able to switch articulations (with an expression map) or work with an articulation per track workflow. Isn’t Artist also limited in number of tracks?

I will say that you should think about what you ultimately want from this. If the idea is even better mock-ups than you can get from Dorico using Note Performer and NPPE, it will take you a lot of time even once you are proficient and it’s expensive because of the number of libraries you’ll find yourself acquiring to gain another .1% improvement (or less).

Dorico itself offers quite a lot of DAW like control if you use expression maps for VIs you own. So that’s another option, going into Dorico’s piano roll and crafting the midi there.

 

[Semarus]

I wouldn't worry about missing the current Cubase sale, there will be another. I would instead download the trial, check it out for 60 days, and see if it's what you think you're missing. I agree with the replies thus far though, and that you are better off just sticking with Dorico Pro. By the time you are equipped to realize the power that a full-fledged DAW affords you, you wouldn't want to be restricted by a gimped version of Cubase anyway.

 

[jmoyers7032]

You need to be able to switch articulations (with an expression map) or work with an articulation per track workflow. Isn’t Artist also limited in number of tracks?

I will say that you should think about what you ultimately want from this. If the idea is even better mock-ups than you can get from Dorico using Note Performer and NPPE, it will take you a lot of time even once you are proficient and it’s expensive because of the number of libraries you’ll find yourself acquiring to gain another .1% improvement (or less).

Dorico itself offers quite a lot of DAW like control if you use expression maps for VIs you own. So that’s another option, going into Dorico’s piano roll and crafting the midi there.

Thank you, I haven't fully explored editing midi in Dorico's piano roll.

 

[jmoyers7032]

This far I’ve doen all my composing in Dorico 5 Pro. But it seems I need to move on the a DAW to get the most out of my performances. I know zero about DAWs, but if I wanted to get started would Cubase Pro 13 be overkill? Or would Artist 13 be good enough? As I say, I don’t know the first thing about working with a DAW, so it does me no good to read comparisons of the different products that Cubase offers. Any thoughts apprecated.

Thanks.

Thanks for all the replies, all extremely helpful.

 

[VSTHero]

I’ll second that Dorico probably has enough CC control and routing etc that it’s very unlikely you’re missing what you need to improve your mock-ups. I think where a DAW becomes more useful is if you’re recording/ working with live instruments, or if you want to use a pre-made template not available for Dorico.