Steinberg has announced the immediate availability of new Cubase Pro 8 and Cubase Artist 8, which offers a performance boost due to an entire audio engine rebuild, extending the buffering ASIO-Guard to improve the audio processing performance for multi-timbral and disk-streaming featured instrument tracks.

The Cubase Pro 8’s exclusive features are VCA faders and virgin territories. The new VCA faders emulate the control of channel gain with DC voltage, moving an entire fader group through a single master fader. In addition, the Combine VCA fader automation feature combines the VCA fader automation curve with that of a controlled fader or fader groups. Another addition to automation tools is virgin territories, omitting redundant automation data between automated events.

Both Pro and Artist versions now offer render in-place capability, allowing users to bounce MIDI and audio parts for a more flexible and efficient workflow, offering a wide range of bounce settings. Chord pads, Chord Assistant modes and MIDI tempo detection are introduced to the creative feature set in Cubase Pro 8 and Cubase Artist 8, these Chord pads, Chord Assistant modes and MIDI tempo detection are introduced to the creative feature set in Cubase Pro 8 and Cubase Artist 8.
Chord pads are an extension of the chord track first introduced in Cubase 7, allowing users to trigger chords and change voicing and tension through MIDI parameters on any record-enabled MIDI instrument track.

User interface enhancements in both new Cubase versions include window docking for the VST Instrument Rack and MediaBay, a redesigned track list and inspector for improved readability, a new plug-in manager for easy customisation, global workspaces and a flexible window layout for PC versions. New effects and instruments are covered by the VST Bass Amp with collection of great-sounding amplifiers, cabinets and effects pedals, the Quadrafuzz v2 distortion processor, Multiband Compressor and Tuner.

Newly introduced to the Groove Agent SE 4drum instrument featured in Cubase Pro 8 Cubase Artist 8 is the acoustic drum kit, Acoustic Agent, with 20 drum style patterns. Further advancements around Cubase’s mixing capabilities include an enhanced EQ module on each channel strip, displaying values for gain, frequency and note pitch as well as offering the option to enter pitch notes and cent values in lieu of frequencies. The Pre section now offers selectable slopes for high-cut and low-cut filtering. Also available in Cubase Pro 8, MixConsole’s new direct routing section facilitates group routing for multiple channels, buses and stems. Another Cubase Pro 8 exclusive, the Wave Meters feature displays audio events as waveforms within the MixConsole, providing additional visual feedback to the user without viewing the Project window.

The Allen Morgan Pop-Rock Toolbox with 30 construction kits, comes next to the new Groove Agent SE 4 content, each with 25 to 30 audio and MIDI loops routed to predefined instruments, including channel strip and mixer settings. Within the Cubase Pro 8, there’s the only feature which provides remote recording capability of audio MIDI data over the internet and that is the VST Connect SE 3. Version 3 has been redesigned and is fully integrated into Cubase.

“Releasing Cubase Pro 8 and Cubase Artist 8 rounds off a very successful year in the long history of our company,’ says Frank Simmerlein, Steinberg director of marketing. “Not only can we proudly look back on 25 years of Cubase, we have also been celebrating Steinberg’s 30th birthday. Both our long-term experience and expertise are now condensed into Cubase Pro 8, the most cutting-edge digital audio work station today.’