I've been using FL Studio for 2 years and I love it. But I thought I'd give Cubase a 'trial' To see if I'd like to buy it someday. It seemed like a logical next step to check it out since I know FL very well and am starting to produce some ok stuff.

So I thought Cubase should be intuitive enough to figure out pretty quickly if you had a good foundation of music and technical knowldge.
However, I find that things don't make much sense to me and it seems overly complicated just to do simple things. I work with MIDI only (and a midi keyboard).

I'm completely lost though and the Getting Started guide really doesn't do things in a logical order in my opinion. For instance, I know how to setup a midi track and insert a VST, but I can't seem to find out in any logical way or in any of the tutorials how to just open the piano roll (key editor) and start entering notes by hand. I have to record a note from my midi keyboard to get a midi clip to appear and then double click that to open the key editor... There must be some other way to do this but it's not obvious and I think it should be... Strange application.

Do you find it took you a long time to learn the app enough just to be able to make a basic song? Even still, if you have used other apps such as FL Studio, do you find you can work in those other apps more quickly?

I wonder is it really worth the seemingly high learning curve...

Thanks for your comments or help
-Heather

Last edited by 4am on Dec-10-2005 at 17:11

I switched from Fruity to Cubase just a couple months ago. I believe the answer to your question is- YES, it is worth figuring out.

Even those who love Fruity admit that there are things that are simply easier to do in Cubase. Cubase is a great program.

Oh, to answer your question about VSTs-

Go to devices- VST instruments. Click on one of the empty slots and select the VST you want.

Then, make a new MIDI channel. As the OUT of that channel specify the VST you just added.

As you work with Cubase more and more you'll understand why they did things certain ways- it's mostly to maximize your control in a variety of settings (from multi-mixer studio to internal soundcard).

I'm in love with Cubase now and I only use Fruity for its plugins (I sacked the Fruity folder of its DLLs and put them in Cubase's VST folder).

I now work faster than I ever did in Fruity, partly as a result of how easy it is to quantize (I do a lot of weird beat stuff.)

___________________

One always has to remember these days where the garbage pail is, because it's so easy to make sounds, and to put sounds together into something that appears to be music, but it's just as hard as it always was to make good music.
- Robert Moog

Thanks for your reply. But my question wasn't how to hook up a vst - it's how to open the key editor once I've got a midi track and a vst hooked up to the output of that track.

It's good to hear you think it is worth learning. It's crazy to me you think it is faster but perhaps I will find it that way too if I take the time to learn it. I hate reading manuals though. I wish I could find some videos for basic concepts. Thanks.

your question about the piano roll-- you have to go to the tools boxes and instead of the pointer, click the pencil. Now go to the midi track you want to start on and dbl click and draw in a box like thing. That's your active midi- you can move and resize with the pointer, double click on the box you just drew and you're in the piano roll. You'll figure out you can draw notes for infin. in the piano roll, but anything that lies outside the box in the main screen will be muted. Sounds like a long explaination but Cubase is really easy. You might have to ask a few questions.

___________________
Rave skies are going to gear up, put on that nappy face :,
I'm new, so advise if you got some: http://www.soundclick.com/greenskymusic

quote:

Even those who love Fruity admit that there are things that are simply easier to do in Cubase. Cubase is a great program.

Do you have some examples? Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by greenskydj your question about the piano roll-- you have to go to the tools boxes and instead of the pointer, click the pencil. Now go to the midi track you want to start on and dbl click and draw in a box like thing. That's your active midi- you can move and resize with the pointer, double click on the box you just drew and you're in the piano roll.

Aha! Thanks.

heather....

may i suggest the Cubase SX ED SX3 Tutorial DVDs.....there are 3 levels and HOURS of video tutorials on cubase...i personally havent had time to even get through one of them, but it looks like youre more disciplined than i am

Thank you. I'll have a look at those.

its not that complicated, but, however you NEED to know how to do things.. (captain obvious) i know..

i suggest u talk to someone who knows how to work around the program, either IRL, or through IM..

its fairly easy as long as u understand the basics of it..

___________________


http://soundcloud.com/subtara

quote:

Originally posted by 4am I know how to setup a midi track and insert a VST, but I can't seem to find out in any logical way or in any of the tutorials how to just open the piano roll (key editor) and start entering notes by hand.

Hold down ALT and just drag the cursor along a blank spot within the MIDI track. Or use the pencil tool. Now that wasn't so complicated was it?

It's actually a lot more intuitive than FL (FLS users don't throw a hissy fit because of this) because you're looking at an entire part at once, not just an order of patterns which each contain parts. And if your brain is still stuck in pattern mode you can always hit Ctrl-D to repeat the part, or Alt-drag it somewhere else to make a copy.

Cubase certainly does have a learning curve when it comes to the advanced features, but simply composing and arranging music with MIDI and VST instruments should be extremely easy as long as you aren't hard-conditioned into the workflow of a different sequencer.

___________________
My party schedule:
2009-02-21 - DJ Attention @ I'm So Popular
2009-06-18 - DJ Annoying @ People Need To Know Where I'll Be
2012-11-32 - DJ Insufferable ɸ Or At Least the Stalkers I Complain About
2048-06-66 - Spastic & Whocares ¶ Although I'm Actually Flattered
9999-45-81 - Tweaker Gimp ☼ I Probably Won't Even Go To This But I Have To Make Sure I Fill Up All The Available Space Here

Diginut,

Can I contact you about a few basic questions? I'm having trouble just doing some basic things (like sending the signal from two mixer channels to one to compress two instruments together?).

Honestly, I think the biggest downfall of this software so far is the manual. I can not ever find what I want to know.

A lot of it is just knowing the terminology and knowing what to look for in the manual... it's really very similar to Logic, Digital Performer, ProTools, etc. Once you get a handle on that, the rest should fall into place very easily.

But sure, go ahead and add my MSN/ICQ if you like.

___________________
My party schedule:
2009-02-21 - DJ Attention @ I'm So Popular
2009-06-18 - DJ Annoying @ People Need To Know Where I'll Be
2012-11-32 - DJ Insufferable ɸ Or At Least the Stalkers I Complain About
2048-06-66 - Spastic & Whocares ¶ Although I'm Actually Flattered
9999-45-81 - Tweaker Gimp ☼ I Probably Won't Even Go To This But I Have To Make Sure I Fill Up All The Available Space Here