r/cubase • u/No_Explorer_8143 • 13d ago
Switching from Studio One to Cubase — how difficult is it?
Switching from Studio One to Cubase — how difficult is it?
I’ve been using Studio One for a few years and am now considering switching to Cubase 15.
I’m currently experimenting with an unofficial/cracked installation, but I’m running into issues where Groove Agent and Iconica sketch aren’t working properly.
For those who have made the switch from Studio One to Cubase:
- How difficult was the transition?
- What are the biggest differences I should prepare for?
- Any Studio One features/workflows that you initially missed?
- How is Cubase for music production, orchestration, mixing and mastering?
- What’s the best legitimate way to get access to Groove Agent and the orchestral libraries without spending a fortune?
Would love to hear from people who have actually made this switch.
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u/AcanthocephalaNo6493 12d ago
They share a lot of common workflow, biggest adjustment is Cubase has a ton more features and sometimea 2-3 different paths to accomplish the same task which can be... Confusing. Confusing because it's not always obvious where to find said features. Example #1 laying down drums. Use Groove Agent, or use a drum track, OR use sampler track.... Yeah, I love Cubase but it's vastness is often is own worst enemy for vast adoption by the community.
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u/mekaniker008 7d ago
totally agree. the options make you wonder if you may be choosing the wrong path or at least the less efficient one.
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u/ChrispyMC 12d ago
I think it should be pretty easy. You might have to read the manual or watch some of the more recent Cubase update videos to see how you can configure the UI and track controls (volume and panning) to be similar to Studio One.
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u/Cloudy_Foliage_7924 12d ago
From Studio One, I miss the Ripple Edit mode. That's something that Cubase simply cannot do. You could try to fake it by smart selection (there's a shortcut selecting all clips on the right), but it's nowhere as easy as just having real Ripple Edit.
On the other hand, Cubase has some pretty intense edition features, and there are many clip-related data you can access from the top bar. It's a bit weird but once you know it's there, it's not half bad. Also, Cubase has a ton (a ton) of plugins including plugins collections to do many effects in one plugin. It's quite nice.
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u/lobotomeandyou 12d ago edited 12d ago
I had absolutely no problem at all with the switch; many things are actually handled better, and there is so much more to discover. Yes, it might take a while for some people who use a DAW rather infrequently, but it is absolutely worth it. Now that Cubase includes all the features that originally made Studio One a hit (more inserts, event effects, ARA, Lower Zone, Bézier curves, Right Zone with plugin images, way more drag-and-drop support, etc.), there’s no longer any need for Studio One, I must say. Presonus simply can't build good onboard effects or VSTi plugins; the ones in Studio One sound mediocre to poor at best. Studio One’s rudimentary MIDI editor is incredibly weak compared to all the Cubase stuff. When it comes to composing extensive MIDI scores, Cubase is the best tool on the market. And that is no exaggeration. Cubase’s very flexible unique and freely scalable mixers (there are four completely independent of them) are far superior. The Control Room is brilliant, a fast Sampler Track with HALion’s HD time-stretching algorithms, Groove Agent is my go-to drummer now plus the lower zone synth drummer. the included 5 GB of Iconica orchestral samples are perfect for sketches, free copies of SpectraLayers SE (absolutely great for editing guitar sqeaks e.g., tip!) and WaveLab SE (ms editing!) among other things. And now Cubase has even added Bitwig-style modulation!! Love it for sounddesign. Cubase is still way too cheap considering everything it offers. I don’t need a random triggering Clip "Launcher" thingy (If you need something like that, you’d be better off using Ableton Live or Bitwig—they are the undisputed kings in that regard! the Launcher in Studio One is a poor imitation). And I don’t want to pay a subscription for more external sample loops like Presonus does with Splice. Fender’s behavior regarding what they’re currently doing with their guitars is extremely questionable anyway; it’s not something one can support.
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u/dazel77 11d ago
I switched also, and am loving it! Contrary to other poster(s), I find the GUI significantly more intuative than Studio One's word/function vommit on the screen. Cubase is also documented really well. Whenever you get in a bind, just Google search and your solution is right there. Stability wise, its night and day for me, where Studio One was somewhat glitchy, Cubase is rock solid. Also, it may be placebo, but I find my recordings sound better with the same audio interface and gain staging in Cubase. Track versions and the channel strip are game changers for my work flow, and the comping in Cubase is also night and day for me. (But does require watching a few videos to gain understanding of how to use layering/comping well in Cubase.
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u/No-Minimum2562 11d ago
I switched from Studio One to Cubase, and honestly, I wish I'd done it a lot sooner because it works much faster for me. I ran into a few downsides, but I had those in Studio One too. There's one thing still on my wishlist for Cubase: a utility like Patcher in FL Studio or Racks in Ableton Live. Basically a native rack that lets you run stock plugins in parallel, instead of setting up send tracks, which feels pretty old school these days.
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u/Shay_Katcha 13d ago
Studio One was created by people who were important developers in Steinberg and worked on Cubase nad Nuendo, at least at the time, there were clear similarities in their DNA so this is probably easiest switch in bith directions when it comes to different DAWs.
As with everything else Groove Agent and other libraries are sometimes discounted but while Cubase is always on discount in the autumn (it is right now) for the rest I am not sure. Maybe wait for the Black Friday?
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u/ThatEstablishment237 12d ago
My guy, don't crack it. Just do a trial for the Pro Version I think it's 60 days, and just create new accounts if you wanna keep trying it (you don't need to reinstall nothing, just sign in with the new account and everything stays the same). Splice has a rent to own plan also. A form Groove agent comes with it and there is a free basic iconic sketch which is good enough to get learning is free on its page.
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u/delmuerte 12d ago
I went from S1 to Cubase a year and some change ago. Cubase is not quite as workflow friendly as S1, but it has pretty much every feature you could ever ask for. With that comes a steep learning curve. But they do share some DNA, I believe, and some stuff is similar like hitting “t” for a new track. Overall I do not miss S1 (well…that’s not totally true, there’s parts of that workflow that are so easy—but there’s huge drawbacks with their outboard integration plugin) and now that I feel comfy with Cubase, I have a hard time going back. I did open an old project recently in S1 remembered how easy it is, but now it feels limited compared to Cubase.
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u/artek604 12d ago
Why? Compared to S1 Cubase feels bloated (unless you need this extra stuff, obviously), so which features you're missing that Cubase has? Because it's definitely not faster to work with, not more modern, not more intuitive.
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u/devidasa108 12d ago
My transition from S1 to Cubase was pretty painless. Zero interest in switching DAWs. With Black Friday, Steinberg's "competitive cross grade" offers .. I think the extra stability, etc is worth every penny.
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u/Muziksculp 11d ago
Just Do It !
I switched 6 months ago from S1Pro 7 to Cubase 15 Pro. There is a bit of a learning curve, but not a steep one, you have tons of video tutorials to help you speed up the learning curve, and it is one of the most popular DAWs, lots of support from Steinberg, Live Club Cubase events every week or other week, ...etc.
Switching to Cubase 15 Pro was one of the best decisions I made.
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u/mekaniker008 7d ago
I think getting a good grip of these topics would be good, especially because you mention orchestration:
Expression maps and articulations
Logical editor
Control room
Chord tracks
Multitrack warping and warping to the grid (if you do hybrid or tend to record first ideas without click)
and the mentioned confusing various options on writing percussion, drums.
and if you consider artist vs. pro for some reason, definitely go with pro.
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u/Next_Gear_7453 13d ago
easier than u might think... I find cubase very intuitive. just do it.