Steinberg Cubase Artist 7.5 review

Cubase is our favourite music-production application because it has a level of sophistication and attention to detail that never dips below excellent. Other packages provide more experimental editing tools or even better collections of virtual instruments, but Cubase is never far behind the leaders. Meanwhile, Cubase comes top for everyday editing tasks and its handling of mix automation.

We also appreciate Steinberg’s habit of releasing ‘dot-five’ updates. You can upgrade to version 7.5 of Cubase Artist from version 7.0 for just £41,

Cubase Artist 7.5 is the mid-price edition, falling between Cubase 7.5, which is Steinberg’s flagship application, and the entry-level Cubase Elements, which remains at version 7. Cubase Artist was already a well-rounded product, but one notable weakness was the quality of its RoomWorks SE reverb effect; the classier Reverence reverb effect was only available in Cubase 7.

Revelation marks a considerable upgrade to Cubase Artist’s reverb quality

This has now been resolved with the arrival of a new effect called Revelation. While Reverence is based on acoustic responses that are captured in real spaces, Revelation creates reverb from complex arrays of echoes. Revelation takes a more traditional approach that became popular in the 1990s, but it demonstrates that there’s room for both types of effect in a recording engineer’s toolbox. Reverence tends to sound more realistic, whereas Revelation is more akin to cushioning sounds in a fluffy blanket of reverb. What Revelation lacks in authenticity it makes up for in charisma. We’d ideally like to see both included in Artist, but Revelation is certainly a huge improvement over RoomWorks SE.

The new Magneto II plug-in adds some analogue warmth to digital mixes

Also new is Magneto II, which is similar to the existing Tape Saturation effect but achieves new levels of refinement. This is largely due to Magneto II’s ability to filter low and high frequencies from the distorted element of the sound, thereby maintaining a punchy bottom end and crisp high-frequency detail while adding some warmth to mid-range frequencies. Magneto II appears as a normal plug-in and is also available in the Channel Strip that’s integrated into each mixer channel, which encourages extensive use throughout a mix.

LoopMash FX is more niche, delivering a range of pitch-bend and looping effects that resemble DJ scratches. The emphasis is on immediacy and live performance, with the ability to trigger each effect using a MIDI keyboard.

LoopMash FX adds DJ-style scratches and loops to audio

The new instrument plug-ins are just as impressive. Groove Agent SE 4 is a drum sampler that’s in a different league to the Groove Agent SE1 module it replaces. Each sample can be fed through a sophisticated synthesis engine that includes 24 filter types and curved envelopes for volume, pitch and filter. Samples can be alternated and pitch-shifted, either according to MIDI note velocity or randomly, to create some variation. It can also slice a sampled loop into individual drum hits, allowing radical editing of both the tone and rhythm of samples.

The new drum sampler, Groove Agent SE4, is extremely accomplished for a bundled instrument

HALion Sonic SE is Cubase’s updated sample-playback instrument for pitched sounds. There are new presets for you to use, many of which draw on a new synthesis engine called Trip. As Trip doesn’t use samples, we wonder why Steinberg has incorporated Trip into HALion Sonic SE. Surely it’d be better to make Trip a standalone instrument? Trip specialises in complex arpeggiated ripples, and certainly has enough flair and sophistication to stand on its own.

Layer up arpeggiated synthesizer patterns with Trip, a new sub-module in HALion Sonic SE2

IMPROVED WORKFLOW

This update is rounded out with a collection of workflow improvements. A new Visibility tab lets tracks on the Arrange window be hidden from view, either individually, by track type or by more complex criteria such as Tracks with data between the locators. It’s even possible to create macros to hide or show tracks with a specific word in the title.

TrackVersions accommodates alternative versions of a performance without needing to duplicate mixer channels. Lanes already provided a similar feature, but while Lanes is perfect for capturing multiple takes, TrackVersions works better for trying out different musical ideas. Only one version is shown at a time, and versions across multiple tracks can be synchronised and switched together.

Instrument Tracks now supports multiple MIDI inputs and audio outputs, something previously reserved for the more cumbersome VST instruments panel. This panel has received a redesign, too, and now shows all virtual instruments used throughout the project, including shortcut controls to access their settings.

CONCLUSION

Steinberg has done a fine job of catering for different users with the three versions of Cubase. Artist 7.5 is the best choice for many people because it has the same top-notch mixing facilities and the vast bulk of instrument and effect plug-ins that you get in the flagship version. Plus, Artist 7.5 includes more than enough tracks and channels for all but the most ambitious productions. However, we wish Artist 7.5 had the VariAudio feature, which corrects vocal pitch. However, for those who can hold a tune better than we can, Cubase Artist 7.5 is a supremely capable recording application at a great price.