Free Loops - The Loop House


Steinberg Cubase


Cubase has five different versions of its Daw softaware at the moment.  There is "Sequal", "Cubase 4", "Cubase studio 4", "Cubase essential 4", "Cubase SE 3".  All of those don't even include their preimire software Nuendo.  So how can one decide what is the best for you?  Well, let "The Loop House" help.  I will give you a quick synoposis of the differences between the versions.

Sequel recording software   The first version is Sequel.  This is steinbergs "easy" no prior recording knowlege, get your keyboard and a mic and start making music software.  To quote the web site...

"Sequel runs on both PCs and Macs and comes with a massive library of more than 5000 loops, over 600 of ready-to-play instrument sounds, stunning effects and the same state-of-the-art audio engine that is preferred by many world-class producers all around the globe. It’s never been more fun to create music on a computer!
  • Complete all-in-one package - ready-to-use straight out of the box!
  • Record, edit and mix music in any popular style
  • More than 5000 loops from world-class producers included, covering popular styles like Hip-Hop, R&B, Dance, Electronic, Pop, Metal, World, and many more
  • More than 600 ready-to-play instrument sounds including more than 60 drum kits for various styles
  • Unique live performance mode for remixing/recombining songs on the fly
  • Seamless combination of linear and pattern based arranging
  • Audio and instrument parts follow tempo and key in realtime
  • Built-in studio-quality audio effects, including EQ and Dynamics in every channel
  • More than 50 Audio Track Presets for various instrument types, as well as vocals
  • Cross-Platform: Windows and Mac OS X Universal Binary"
Not bad for a sreet price of $99.00usd (jan 2008). I am also impressed with the unlimited audio tracks, (8 simotanious).
there is also a link for it's own dedicated website.   www.sequel-music.net


Cubase SECubase SE is the second most affordable in the Steinberg line.  Lets take a look at why you may want to spend a bit more and get this version over Steinberg Sequel.  Cubase SE has all the features of Sequel but thier web site highlights a few important advances.  (from the web site)
 

Enhanced User Interface (The Look & Feel of SX3)

Courtesy of its revamped user interface, Cubase SE3 now handles even easier and more conveniently. You can color-code tracks and mixer channels just like in the higher-end Cubase versions, which makes working with large projects much easier.


Enhanced Track Inspector

The improved Track Inspector not only affords you access to all track and channel parameters, it also lets you edit a virtual instrument’s MIDI and audio parameters in a single Inspector view.

VST 2.3 Audio Engine

Powered by the award-winning VST 2.3 Audio Engine, Cubase SE Version 3 now features the same audio technology as Cubase SX3 or Nuendo 3. This includes full, automatic latency compensation for plug-ins. Regardless of how many virtual effects or instruments you load, the timing remains precise sample for sample.
 

Workflow

Cubase SE3 now features detailed refinements in the Project window, and its tool bars and editors offer automatic chord recognition and key correction. The Info line lets you edit several events simultaneously. MIDI files are easily dragged and dropped into an existing or new project. With individually variable Pre-Roll and Post-Roll times, musicians will find it easier to punch in and out of recordings


Working with Loops

Another key innovation in Cubwww.steinberg.netase SE3 is its enhanced hit-point recognition capability. It now recognizes rhythmic audio material such as drum or percussion loops with greater speed and precision. Upon conversion, these loops may be synched up individually to the respective song speed. This facilitates your production efforts, particularly when working with loop libraries. To this end, Cubase SE3 supports all standards audio file formats."

So thats some of the differences between Cubase SE and sequel.  Is it enough to make you want to shell out $149usd for the software?  That is a question you have to decide.  I can say from my experiance though, anything that helps with timing of loops is a great bonus.


Cubase EssentialNext up the list is Cubase Essential 4.  This is the sucessor of Cubase SE (shipping 1st quarter 2008), a bit of a leaner version of Cubase 4.  So what is the difference between it and Cubase SE?  Once again I will quote the web site

"Cubase Essential 4 (formerly Cubase SE product line) sets a new standard for personal music production software offering powerful editing tools, a new set of plug-in effects, the HALion One Sample Player instrument, a great-sounding guitar amp and more than 60 other new features and improvements. With a new Arranger Track, linear and pattern-style arranging is now seamlessly integrated. New AudioWarp realtime time stretching and pitch shifting makes working with loops and tempo-based audio easier than ever."

I don't have a price yet, but since it is replacing the SE version, lets all hope they don't price it to high.


Cubase Studio 4Okay. I know what you are thinking, another version?.... We'll actually we are just getting started..lol.  This is yet another "lean" version of Cubase.  Cubase 4 Studio does not have all the features of the regular studio 4 but is their "mid priced" alternative.  Once again I will quote the website.

"Cubase Studio 4 is a new workstation tailored to project studios and creative musicians. Based on the same core technologies as Steinberg’s Cubase 4 Advanced Music Production System, the streamlined Cubase Studio 4 offers professional tools for composition, recording, editing and mixing at an extremely attractive price.
Boasting a range of new capabilities in its price range such as SoundFrame™, full notation features and brand new VST3 instruments and effects, Cubase Studio 4 offers unprecedented functionality in its price class."

Well, I find the features between essentials and studio a bit vague, but most notabley there is "full notation features" which is nice. (although you have that with a $99 dollar version of Sonar).

So what is the mid price for Cubase? $399.99usd (jan 2008).


Cubase 4And we finally made it to regular Cubase 4. (whew..)  Now I learned to record with Cubase, so It always has a special place in my heart. (us geeks are so sentemintal)  Cubase 4 has come a long way from its predecessors and is really becoming a contender against the more industry used nuendo and pro tools.  So lets quote the website again and take a closer look at Cubase 4.

"

Cubase 4 represents the cutting edge in digital audio workstations. Designed for professionals from the ground up, Cubase converges extraordinary sound quality, intuitive handling and a vast range of highly advanced audio and MIDI tools for composition, recording, editing and mixing.

  • State-of-the-art Audio + MIDI Recording/Editing/Mixing
  • Complete new set of VST3 virtual instruments and effects
  • Real multi-channel 5.1 surround sound
  • SoundFrame™ - Universal Sound Manager
  • Control Room integration within your outboard studio environment
  • Seamless integration of external audio and MIDI hardware
  • Pristine 32-bit floating point audio engine
  • Professional music notation and score printing
  • Cross-Platform: Windows and Mac OS X Universal Binary
Sounds good to me.  You can really not go wrong with Cubase 4 but its not cheap, at a price of $799.99usd (jan 2008) you better hope you can make some money with your music as well.
Hope these facts steer you in the right direction, and for more thorough analysis cheack out their websit at www.steinberg.net.