It might signify bad luck for some, but Cubase users will doubtless be feeling pretty fortunate when they learn that their DAW of choice has just been updated to version 13.
In true Steinberg style, the updates appear to be less ‘whizz bang’ and more ‘carefully considered’, with the focus put on streamlining and improving the workflow.
Which isn’t to say that there are no new features: the MixConsole, for example, has been overhauled to make it easier for you to focus on your mixing. Indeed, there’s a new channel tab in the Project window that offers direct access to the most important mixing parameters of each channel, so you can tweak them without leaving the arrangement.
VocalChain, meanwhile, is a new plugin that promises to serve as a one-hit vocal processing processor, with its VoxComp compressor also being available as a separate plugin in both Cubase Pro and Cubase Artist. Tailored for vocals, this is designed to provide gentle compression without hampering clarity, transients or expression.
Fans of MIDI editing (you know who you are) have reason to smile, too, with the addition of the Range Selection tool enabling Cubase Pro users to view and edit multiple parts. There are enhanced Step and MIDI Input functions as well.
The Chord Pads have also been given an overhaul, while a new compact orchestral library packs 140 articulations for 34 instruments into a 5GB bundle. The Iconica Sketch tool, meanwhile, promises straightforward score creation for all; this is also available standalone priced at $120/€119.
An old favourite returns to Cubase 13, too: the Steinberg Vocoder plugin that was available in previous versions of the DAW but later put out to grass. There are also two new EQs (EQ-P1A and EQ-M5) and a tube compressor known as Black Valve.
You can find out more on the Steinberg website. While all of the new features are available in the Pro version of Cubase 13, which costs $580/€579, you’ll find a reduced number in the Artist ($330/€329) and Elements ($100/€100) versions.
