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22 August 2005

Cubase SL 3 review — Computer Music

Filed under: Music software at 11:31 pm Comments Off on Cubase SL 3 review — Computer Music
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Computer Music reviews Cubase SL 3, the “lite” version of Steinberg’s sequencer and music production package. The standout new feature is the Audio Warp, which they say enables powerful timestretching and pitch shifting capabilities. Just like Acid. And it now supports the Acid file format. Interesting.

Another whizbang new feature, they say, is the Play Order track. “This allows you to divide your tune up into sections and arrange it using a pattern-based layout system.” There’s also the Audio prerecord, feature — this is great. It’s close to the Holy Grail of recording software — recording everything you do all the time, so that great, spontaneous take won’t be lost.

Now, this is the reduced version of the full Cubase SX package, so there are limitations. “If you rely heavily on virtual instruments, you may find that 32 slots (as opposed to SX’s 64) is too few. Cubase SL also lacks SX’s expandable mixer, which “gives easy access to EQ, inserts and sends.”

In the end, they give Cubase SL 3 a rating of 8 out of 10 — solid, but not outstanding, especially by comparison to the big SX. Still, they say, “Cubase SL 3 offers most of the key functionality of its bigger brother, and as such should be more than enough for many musicians.”

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