Steinberg brings Cubasis 3 to Android: a big-name DAW for Google’s mobile OS

Already a hit on iOS, Cubasis 3 - Steinberg’s mobile DAW - is now available for Android.

This could be big news for users of Google’s mobile operating system which has, historically, suffered from a paucity of big-name music-making apps. This is due not only to some technical limitations, specifically relating to audio latency, but also the massively diverse range of Android devices available.

Detailed specs are listed below. but, at first glance, Cubasis 3 for Android appears to be a pretty comprehensive music production platform.

You can use a theoretically unlimited number of audio and MIDI tracks, there’s real-time timestretching and pitchshifting, and supplied instruments include the Micrologue virtual analogue synth, Microsonic sample-based sound module, and the MiniSampler. Mixing and audio/MIDI editing features are also included, as is Bluetooth MIDI support.

On the downside, there’s no plugin ecosystem on Android to compare to what’s on iOS, so incorporating third-party instruments and effects isn’t going to be so easy.

Alexander Gross, Cubasis lead developer, commented: “Developing a creativity tool that is used by people all around the world for bringing their musical ideas into reality is a big pleasure as well as a responsibility. As lead developer of Cubasis, I’m proud that the team’s exceptional effort for creating a cross-platform codebase finally sees the light of day with the release on Android.”

Cubasis 3 for Android is available now on Google Play. It costs €55.

Cubasis 3 for Android main features

  • Unlimited number of audio and MIDI tracks
  • 32-bit floating-point audio engine
  • Real-time time-stretching and pitch-shifting featuring zplane’s élastique 3
  • Micrologue virtual analog synthesizer with 126 ready-to-go presets
  • MicroSonic with over 120 virtual instrument sounds
  • MiniSampler to create your own instruments (includes 20 factory instruments)
  • Mixer with studio-grade channel strip per track and 17 effects processors
  • Fully automatable DJ-like Spin FX effect plug-in
  • Over 550 MIDI and time-stretch-capable audio loops
  • Virtual keyboard, chord and drum pads with intuitive note repeat
  • Audio editor and MIDI editor with MIDI CC support
  • MIDI editor for programming and editing MIDI tracks quickly and efficiently
  • MIDI auto quantize
  • Track duplicate
  • Automation, MIDI CC, program change and aftertouch support
  • Audio and MIDI hardware support*
  • MIDI over Bluetooth LE support
  • MIDI clock and MIDI thru support
  • Export to Cubase and various other services
Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

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