Steinberg Cubase Pro 15

What does the latest version of Cubase have in common with the 1982 science fiction movie Tron?

Since the release of Cubase 14 last November, Steinberg have issued three maintenance releases to the company’s “Advanced Music Production System”. And while this wouldn’t normally be notable — such updates have been common with previous versions — one of these releases contained far more than the usual handful of bug fixes. Version 14.0.20 might not sound like a striking step forward, but it brought substantive new features to what had already been an impressively ambitious upgrade. It also became the first official release to natively support ARM‑on‑Windows systems powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processors, such as Microsoft’s latest Surface devices.

With so much momentum during the Cubase 14 era, an initial glance at the headlines for Cubase 15 might seem underwhelming by comparison; however, such an impression belies the work Steinberg have undertaken for this year’s upgrade. Whilst some of the new functionality inevitably builds on more recent additions to the application — particularly the Pattern Editor and modulators — it would be wrong to assume Steinberg’s developers have focused on these areas exclusively.

Hub‑A‑Dub‑Dub

Since the release of version 7 over a decade ago, Cubase’s Hub window has eagerly greeted users at launch, providing a starting point for creating new or opening existing projects. And while I can’t say I’m a fan of such windows, since the amount of utility they provide rarely warrants their gatekeeping nature, Steinberg have finally rethought this feature in Cubase 15. The Hub’s interface has been admirably overhauled, making it both more useful and more visually appealing.

A brief Guided Tour introduces the new Hub, reminiscent of a similar feature in Dorico. Although, unlike Dorico, the tour guide window jumps to each feature being described — instead of remaining in one place and highlighting the relevant feature — and conveys too little information to be truly helpful for Cubase neophytes. Existing users will find it a brief nuisance, and although it only appears once, it will resurface if the Preferences are deleted or disabled, such as when running Cubase in Safe Mode.

The new Hub’s centre area reorganises the recent projects and templates categories into sections, and additional sections can be included for custom locations via a new, dedicated Hub Settings window. This is a great way to provide quick access to Cubase projects belonging to different real‑world projects, and, although you can’t remove the Recent and Templates sections, it’s possible to toggle the visibility of these sections and any others you might add.

Cubase’s Hub window has been redesigned with some useful improvements, such as the ability to configure the centre area with sections based on custom folders.

Each section offers a ‘sort’ control to list projects by name or date in ascending or descending order. But the icing on the cake is a search filter to assist in finding projects across all sections in the centre area; the cherry would have been an option to automatically open and close sections to reveal matching projects without having to do this manually.

Like the Hub in Steinberg’s stage production application, VST Live, it’s now possible to change the current audio driver and set the main stereo output directly from the Hub. Although, being somewhat lazy, it’s perhaps a shame that — unlike Logic Pro’s equivalent Choose a Project window — you can’t specify a surround format for a new empty project in the Hub or activate Dolby Atmos, incorporating the behaviour of the Atmos Setup Assistant.

This is presumably because the Audio Connections window can manage input and output configurations independently of projects, which persist after a project is closed. So, if the previously open project used anything other than a stereo configuration for its main output, Cubase will substitute the Hub’s stereo output menu for a button to open the Audio Connections window.

In addition to being able to set the audio driver from the Hub, Cubase 15 introduces a new Audio Settings window, consolidating the Audio System and Driver pages from the Studio Setup window into a single, dedicated panel. However, rather than serving as a replacement for these same settings in Studio Setup, the Audio Settings window duplicates this functionality, which seems like a missed opportunity to do something more radical.

Behaviour Patterns

Although the Pattern Editor debuted alongside Cubase 14’s Drum Track feature and was primarily intended for programming drum patterns, its underlying nature as a step sequencer — triggering notes on different lanes — meant it could just as easily be used with instruments beyond drum machines. After all, step sequencers have long been used to craft TB‑303‑inspired bass lines or homages to Kraftwerk. The only catch was that such patterns are typically monophonic, whereas the Pattern Editor was conceived as a polyphonic sequencer for programming drums.

To address this minor inconvenience, Cubase 15 introduces a new Melodic Mode, providing the Pattern Editor with a complementary set of tools making it more versatile for both monophonic and polyphonic pitch‑based sequencing.

The Pattern Editor’s new Melodic Mode makes it easy to program sequences monophonically.

Unlike Drum Mode — where lanes are derived from drum kit assignments and can be added or removed individually — Melodic Mode displays lanes for pitches within a defined range. All chromatic pitches within this range are shown on individual lanes by default, but you can also select a root note and scale so only pitches within that scale are shown. For example, setting the root note to D and the scale to Harmonic Minor displays lanes exclusively for pitches belonging to the D harmonic minor scale, which is — of course — the saddest of all keys.

These pitch constraints are particularly helpful when generating patterns automatically using Shapes or Randomisation. Shapes create rising and falling contours spread out over a number of steps, while Randomisation is carried over from Drum Mode and produces a sequence based on user‑defined conditions.

Once a pattern has been generated or created manually, Melodic Mode allows further refinement via the Variation and Density controls. Variation transforms the pattern based on a specified amount of complexity, whereas Density non‑destructively thins out the number of notes deployed. And, if a root note and scale have been set, changing the root note offers a quick and musical way to transpose the pattern.

Some enhancements to the Pattern Editor apply to both Melodic and Drum modes, such as the ability to edit parameters directly from the Step Editor. You can now click to add or edit a step, or keep the button held down and drag the cursor up or down to adjust that step’s parameter value for the type currently selected in the Parameter Lane. This is tremendously handy, although I still wish the height of lanes was adjustable.

Another welcome improvement is that it’s now possible to move and copy Pattern Events between Drum, Sampler, Instrument, and MIDI tracks — albeit with some limitations. For example, Pattern Events can’t be shared with tracks if they already contain Events created using a different Pattern mode, which basically means you can’t mix and match Pattern Events created with Drum Mode and Melodic Mode on the same track.

Modulators For The Users!

Modulators were another great addition in Cubase 14, and Steinberg have also been busy improving this feature in version 15 with the inclusion of six new modulators. These offer even more ways to generate signals and, perhaps more importantly, the ability to combine modulators into composite sources.

Cubase 15 features six new modulators. Note the outputs of the Random and Attack Decay modulators are routed to the inputs of the Crossfader modulator. The Sample & Hold modulator is using the output of an audio track as a side‑chain source.

The aptly named Random modulator includes models inspired by the work of a computer scientist, a meteorologist and a biochemist. And while these occupations sound like the setup for a particularly nerdy pub joke, Steinberg’s developers had good reason to delve into such research: generating random numbers isn’t as straightforward as you might think. And generating musically useful random signals is even harder. Interestingly, one of the models is named after Ken Perlin’s eponymous noise algorithm, which was originally developed for the movie Tron as a way of making surface textures in computer‑generated imagery look more natural.

The ‘wave’ in the Wavefold LFO modulator refers to a single oscillator capable of generating a sine or triangle wave — or anything in between via a Shape control. Folding describes how the oscillator’s output is manipulated such that, if the value of the signal exceeds a specified threshold, the waveform is inverted — or ‘folded’ — back on itself. And of course, like any modulator control, the controls for Shape and Fold can be modulated, which only adds to the fun.

Attack Decay is an imaginatively named envelope generator, although a more suitable name might have been Impulse Decay since only the time and shape of the decay curve is adjustable — the attack stage is fixed with 100 percent amplitude and zero length. And while you could essentially create the same result more flexibly with the existing Shaper modulator, Attack Decay is simpler and allows the shape of the curve to be easily modulated.

The new Sample & Hold modulator works as you’d expect: the current value of the input signal is ‘sampled’ and then ‘held’ at that value for the specified time, defined in either note length or Hertz. And finally, the Morph LFO and Crossfader modulators are similar in that both enable you to mix — which is to say ‘morph’ or ‘crossfade’ — two signals into a single modulation output. The difference is that Morph LFO provides two built‑in oscillators, whereas Crossfader features two input knobs that can be modulated by the output of other modulators.

Unlike the improvements made to the Pattern Editor since its introduction in Cubase 14, many of the modulator shortcomings remain unaddressed. For example, modulators still can’t be used on MIDI tracks, and only destinations available on the same track/channel as the modulators themselves can be modulated directly. On the plus side, though, modulating a track’s mute control now works, except I did notice a visual anomaly where a modulated mute control can stop indicating its state on the relevant Track Header.

Cubase 15 also aims to unify the behaviour of the various bypass controls used by modulators. Whether you’re bypassing modulators at the connection, modulator or track level, any connected destination should, in theory, be restored to its original, root value when bypassed. However, in practice, quirks in how the root value is interpreted can induce some head‑scratching moments.

For example, if you add an LFO modulator and connect the track’s pan control as a destination, bypassing that connection sets pan to the value assigned by the connection dial. If the dial is centred, the pan neatly reverts to the centre position when bypassed, which seems fairly straightforward. However, if you establish the same connection using the new Wavefold LFO modulator, for instance, the bypass behaviour is slightly different.

Although bypassing at the connection level will again restore the pan control to the position of the connection dial as expected, bypassing the Wavefold LFO modulator itself — or the entire track on which it resides — sets pan to a level that’s the sum of the dial’s position and the specified modulation depth. It’s somewhat confusing, leaving you to wonder if this is a bug or a feature.

X Marks The Expression

One area of Cubase that’s remained largely unchanged since its introduction back in Cubase 5 in 2009 is the ability to work with articulations and playing techniques — especially when writing for orchestral instruments — using Expression Maps. Indeed, the ideas behind this feature have arguably evolved further since Dorico introduced its own implementation. And the reasons are perhaps obvious: whereas playing techniques are fundamental in notated composition, production‑oriented applications like Cubase can tolerate a more laissez‑faire attitude.

However, as sample libraries have become larger and more complex, the use of Expression Maps in Cubase has only increased, which is presumably why Steinberg finally chose to revisit this feature in Cubase 15. And since the interoperability between Cubase and Dorico has been steadily improving over the years in both concept and compatibility, it makes sense Cubase’s developers would turn to Dorico for inspiration.

In Dorico, articulations are triggered by switches, of which the two main types are base switches and add‑on switches. Base switches define core articulations such as legato, staccato or tremolo, while add‑ons describe complementary techniques that can be added on, such as up‑ and down‑bow directions for a violin.

For Cubase’s Expression Maps, Sound Slots serve a similar role to switches, and in earlier versions a slot could comprise up to four articulations with each being placed in one of four numbered groups that operated exclusively. This meant if your base articulations were placed in the first group of each slot, only one would be active simultaneously, although more complicated mappings could quickly become confusing.

Both the Expression Map Setup window and the way in which playing techniques are represented in the Key Editor’s Articulation Lane have been redesigned in Cubase 15. Note the ‘Bowing Direction’ group has been consolidated into a single lane.

In Cubase 15, these four, numbered groups have been replaced by an unlimited number of named groups for each map, accompanied by Dorico‑inspired Add‑On Sound Slots. These changes affect the way Articulation Lanes are used and displayed in the Key Editor, offering a clearer organisation, with the ability to collapse groups into single lanes. And the Articulation Lane is complemented by another Dorico‑inspired feature, which optionally displays a Sound Slots lane in the Key Editor to indicate which slot is active at any point in the timeline.

Given that Dorico could already import Cubase’s Expression Maps, it makes sense that Steinberg would add support to import Dorico’s Expression Maps in Cubase 15 — which can be dragged and dropped onto the updated Expression Map setup window just like any other Expression Map file. However, the import is quite limited and currently restricted to slots within a single group, which seems a little ironic: despite Cubase borrowing Dorico‑style add‑ons, it can’t yet import them.

The only minor grievance I had with the modernised Expression Map setup window is that it no longer manifests itself as a floating tool window, meaning that it doesn’t stay on top of other open windows. And even though a customisable toolbar has been added, there’s no Always On Top option (as is the case with many such windows in Cubase) to restore the prior behaviour.

Odds & Ends

As is always the case with a major Cubase upgrade, there’s a long list of smaller improvements that could easily double the length of this review if I mentioned them all. However, a few worth noting include the ability to add volume and pan controls to track headers. These resemble the horizontal volume and pan controls used in the Inspector and are particularly beneficial when you want to maximise screen space by hiding everything except the track list and event area.

Folders and automation tracks now use indentation colour to make ownership clearer. Notice also the new automation parameter menu.Another change related to track headers concerns folder tracks. Previously, a folder’s colour was indicated by its colour bar — or the entire track header if Colourise Tracks is enabled — and any tracks within a folder were indented with black space. In Cubase 15, a folder’s colour is now used as the indentation colour, making the relationship between a folder and its contents much clearer — assuming you’ve chosen your colours sensibly, of course!

Unlike previous versions, assigning a colour to a folder track in Cubase 15 causes all tracks within that folder — and any tracks added subsequently — to inherit the same hue, which is a move that might not necessarily be hailed as progress amongst longtime users. Happily, a new option in the Event Display (Folders preferences page, Apply Colour of Folder Track Automatically) allows the previous behaviour to be restored by setting it to Never rather than Always.

This new indentation style extends to automation tracks, where the inset now appears as a darker shade of the track’s colour, making the allegiance of automation tracks more obvious. There are some neat improvements for quicker access to automation parameters, with the automation pop‑up menu now divided into two menus: one for parameters — which is searchable and displays the five most recently used — and another for commands. The new parameter menu is such a useful addition, I wish somebody had thought of it sooner! (I also wish Drum Machine’s automation parameters were less obfuscated, but you can’t have everything.)

Finally, given how much functionality has been added to the Export Audio Mixdown window over the years, Cubase 15 introduces a handy Quick Audio Export command for expediently exporting a stereo mix. The export range is automatically determined based on event locations (including reverb tails), so the only decision you need to make is whether to save the rendered output as a 24‑bit WAV file (at the project’s sampling rate) or an MP3 file (encoded at 256kbps with a 44.1kHz sample rate). And while it would be easy to criticise this feature for omitting ‘insert‑any‑option‑here’, such criticisms would rather miss the point!

Cubase 15 is far more than merely a polished iteration of the prior release...

Fifteen To One

In many ways, Cubase 15 feels like the conclusion to what would have made Cubase 14 the perfect release. And while such a remark runs the risk of sounding like a back‑handed compliment, it very much isn’t. Cubase 15 is far more than merely a polished iteration of the prior release — version 14.0.20 already delivered that — since it enhances what came before whilst still adding multifarious new functions.