Multimedia & Audio · Reviewed
Cubase
Steinberg's music-production environment, developed from a MIDI sequencer into a digital audio workstation for recording, editing, arranging and mixing audio and instruments.
Overview
Cubase organizes music into tracks and events on a timeline. MIDI editing lets composers work with notes and performance data, while audio tracks support recording and editing sound. Mixing, automation and plug-ins connect these elements into a complete production workflow.
The application is used by composers, producers and recording musicians. Its product generations range from an early sequencer controlling external equipment to software studios hosting instruments and effects inside the computer. The exact toolset varies by edition, and its modern audio capabilities should not be projected onto the original MIDI-only release.
Key features
- MIDI sequencing and note editing
- Multitrack audio recording
- Timeline arrangement and automation
- Mixing and signal routing
- VST instruments and effects
Historical significance
Cubase helped establish timeline-based music production on personal computers. Its relationship with VST is especially significant because plug-in instruments and effects became a wider ecosystem used beyond one workstation. The application's history connects home sequencing, recording studios and the increasing replacement of dedicated signal-processing hardware with general-purpose computers.
History and development
Steinberg released Cubase for the Atari ST in 1989, following its earlier sequencing products. Macintosh and Windows versions subsequently broadened the platform's audience. Cubase Audio added recording to the product's sequencing background.
In 1996, Cubase VST incorporated Steinberg's Virtual Studio Technology, bringing real-time mixing and effects into a native software environment. Later releases expanded instrument hosting, editing and production tools. The product's development tracks the transition from a computer coordinating external MIDI devices to a computer performing much of the studio's sound processing itself.