Cubase SX by Steinberg |
| Cubase SX by Steinberg is one of the many midi sequencers that is on
the market. This Steinberg software is a software program for the
Windows and the Mac. A musician can compose with Cubase SX by
Steinberg, and not only can you edit midi files, but you can also edit
audio files at the same time with this program. Furthermore,
Cubase SX by Steinberg can also be used as a software sampler.
This gives Cubase SX by Steinberg 3 functionalities; midi editing, audio
editing, and software sampling. However, you need to purchase the
plugin Halion, which is sold separately. After your purchase of
Halion, you can then use Cubase SX by Steinberg to run Halion. You
also need to purchase VST instruments separately. Halion can load
VST instruments into your RAM, and your midi playback will use your VST
instruments sounds. Cubase SX by Steinberg also has a bunch of VST
plugins in which you can apply to your midi playback. The VST
plugins within your Cubase SX by Steinberg can be filters, reverbs, and
other cool effects. Cubase SX by Steinberg manipulates Halion and the VST plugins, and Halion manipulates VST instruments. This very powerful midi sequencer is a good choice for a serious musician, who likes convenience. The VST plugins and VST instruments are also very powerful and convenient to use in just one program. A program called CDXtract or Chicken Systems Translator may be able to convert your giga, akai or other formats into Halion format, so it can be read as a VST instrument. A few drawbacks of Cubase SX by Steinberg is that is it not that user friendly to the average musician. Another disadvantage of Cubase SX by Steinberg is that the notation editor is not nearly as powerful as Personal Composer, Sibelius, or Finale. It is harder to format the notes to look appealing to the eye, and it isn't that obvious to do certain things that you can easily do with Personal Composer, Sibelius, or Finale. So if you do not like the notation editor of Cubase SX by Steinberg, and you just want to use the software sampler capabilities, you would have to purchase Halion as well, and this would be inefficient spending. Another disadvantage is that the software sampler of Cubase SX by Steinberg is not as powerful as Gigastudio, and it has limited VST instruments. There is delay with the initial playback of your piece, which does not effect the recording, however it may be a nuisance if you are constantly playing back your piece as you compose or edit. Also, most of the high quality sound libraries are made in the akai or giga format, and converting sometimes isn't the best solution, as it is time consuming, and you may lose information. To add to all of this, the VST plugins and audio editing capabilities are not as powerful as Cool Edit Pro, now known as Adobe Audition. |