Cubase vs Pro Tools HD/ Drum Sequencing programs

[bontay]

Hi everyone,

I'm about to upgrade my home studio to a much more high end situation and have been asking every producer I know about the pros and cons of all aspects of a new setup; PC vs. Mac, Pro Tools vs. Cubase (which came highly recommended by someone that I trust), and all other manner of mic preamps, compressors, etc.

All of us here use Pro Tools, but does anyone also love or even prefer Cubase? I hear from Beta testers that the new one is amazing, but I also hear the the new ProTools HD has up to date MIDI capabilities and can now compete with the others. Is it easy to sequence in? All my drums are programmed and I don't want to go back and forth between programs to do it. I was thinking of getting either Addictive Drums, Superior Drummer, Battery or BFD. Any major differences there?

Any and all thoughts would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks a lot,
Jack

[bontay]

Sheesh, nobody?

[JMS40]

Due to a couple of partnerships, I use Cubase & Nuendo a lot.
I've grown partial to some aspects of it, many things I still prefer about Pro Tools.
CB is far less picky from a hardware standpoint, and much leaner.
Pro Tools audio engine may have a tiny bit more mojo. Subjective claim though. In fact comparing these two at all is likely 99% user subjective... because they are both excellent applications.

Digi Tech support and this user group win by miles in the customer relations category though. Steinberg's attitude leaves a lot to be desired.

[TOM@METRO]

Originally Posted by JMS40

Due to a couple of partnerships, I use Cubase & Nuendo a lot.
I've grown partial to some aspects of it, many things I still prefer about Pro Tools.
CB is far less picky from a hardware standpoint, and much leaner.
Pro Tools audio engine may have a tiny bit more mojo. Subjective claim though. In fact comparing these two at all is likely 99% user subjective... because they are both excellent applications.

Digi Tech support and this user group win by miles in the customer relations category though. Steinberg's attitude leaves a lot to be desired.

Agreed, I sometimes use Cubase & Nuendo, but Pro Tools is my preferred system. Not just because I prefer working with it (and I do), but also because the other major studios with whom I must interact demand it.

[bontay]

[quote=CB is far less picky from a hardware standpoint, and much leaner.
Pro Tools audio engine may have a tiny bit more mojo.[/quote]

Thanks! Would you say the Steinberg interface is competitive with HD at all? The sales guy said common sense dictates that a piece of gear costing almost four times less couldn't possibly compare, especially since it also had 8 mic pres in it. I can understand that but I hear from certain people that the PT card inside the computer is the equivalent of putting a slower and worse computer inside of a good one... I don't really understand it because even though I'm a longtime songwriter and musician I'm relatively new to engineering and the technical inner guts side of things.

Is PC vs Mac also just personal preference? Has PT8 really caught up to the rest for MIDI?

[albee1952]

Lots of questions(and good for you for asking them). The old Mac vs. PC debate really boils down to what you are comfortable with as both platforms work great(as long as they are setup correctly, and use compatible hardware[PC]). I can't speak for Steinberg but I know their stuff is capable of equal sound quality(but, again, its where you feel comfortable). I would have to disagree with the statement "...the PT card inside the computer is the equivalent of putting a slower and worse computer inside of a good one..." The Digidesign HD core and Accel cards are designed to do the "heavy lifting" and not strain the computer in the way that any native system will. Since I run LE, it is a native system and the computer does all the work. Personally, I think the choice between LE and HD (or native vs. hardware accelerated) boils down to your clientele and their budget. If your clients look for a studio at $50/hour, they should not be expecting a $100K package of HD3 with a D command. But if your clients expect to pay over $100/hour, then that HD3 or Symphony 96 channel setup starts to make more sense. I think I have not really answered your questions but maybe I have you thinking in new directions. 2 years ago there was a big double-blind test done with some heavy industry players, comparing Pro Tools HD and Nuendo using each platform's top hardware and the result was, nobody could really pick a clear winner. Keep doing your homework(the way you ARE doing it) and find what's best for you(and don't forget to consider what others in your area use as you may be getting or sending projects between you and other studios. If you are near 8 other studios and 6 use Nuendo, that may make a difference. Good luck.

[TOM@METRO]

What he said.