Cubase LE

[adferrendelli]

What are some differences between cubase le, the free disk i got with my interface/4 track, and cubase 4 which is a couple hundered dollars.
Right now there are a few problems with cubase le, like the software distortion sounding completley terrible, and some other inconveiniences. Is there any actual difference in sound quality between the programs, and are there any other significant differences either? Should there be any reason to upgrade to the real version.

[shartom]

I received Cubase LE with my Zoom H4. I wish Zoom had chosen a different software package.
A friend of mine is a producer and has used Cubase for quite some time and he has had to deal with a bunch of issues.
The Le version is bundled in withe the Zoom and is not really supported by Cubase. If you need help, they tell you to contact the manufacturer of the product that you purchased. Seems lik a bit of a cop out. When You buy a product like the H4, you have no say as to what the software package is.
I have managed to get mine working. Between Cubase and the H4, I have put in a lot of hours.
I haven't experienced any distortion problems. The recorded sound is very close to that coming out of the H4.
I tried a pair of Berringer headphones and they really took all of the life out of the sound. I have a pair of Sony that I am really pleased with.
Where are you hearing the distortion? I had some distortion issues when I used Nero.

[tabiggs]

Cubase LE came with my Olympus LS-10. I have installed the software and have continued to play with it but it seems to be pretty complicated.... at least for this novice. Everything I've read indicates that LE is a fairly complete package but, to use it to its fullest extent, there is a bit of a learning curve. I keep trying but, I still find that I'm missing the simplicity of Audacity.

[Chili]

http://www.steinbergusers.com/cubase/compchart2.php

Check out that link for a comparison.

Cubase LE is just to get you started and make you want a little more so you will buy an upgraded version. The audio engine is different and I hear it's a significant improvement when you upgrade. Cubase has a lot of features and allows you to do a lot. But there is a learning curve and it takes time as already said.

Once you get comfortable, you will find that it will keep filling your needs as you get more into recording your tunes and grow (grow: as in collect more gear).

I have SE3 and am very happy with it. I don't see myself getting anything newer, but SE3 is a lgeacy product and I don't know if it is available anymore.

Hope this helps,

[dementedchord]

le is a teaser version... it's designed to getya started and then hopefuly you'll upgrade... but it will do what alotta people need just as is... though limited in track count and such... the biggest problem with cubase is the steep learning curve... most everybody has problems at the start... try checking out the forums at cubase.net ... oh and if you're distorting... it aint cubases fault... something is else is distorting and cubase merely is recording what you've sent it...

[hiprhyme]

i've got LE also, but it appears i cannot use it unless the hardware interface (tascam us-122) is actually plugged into the computer. right now, we are in the middle of a move, so the us-122 is boxed up. and i am thinking about giving it to a friend, as i have gotten some new hardware. is there anyway to work around the requirement that the tascam unit be plugged in for the software to work? seems silly to have to plug it in if i am not doing any actual recording at that moment. thanks!

[suprstar]

Well, you have to have SOME type of audio i/o. Even if you just have your soundcard L/R stereo outs, you could still mix. If you have no inputs you obviously can't record, but cubase should still come up and lets you edit and do whatever.. I run cubase all the time with no interface,

[orb451]

Hey man, I feel for your situation, I bought a Lexicon Omega and it came with Cubase LE. The thing with Cubase is, as other said, it has a steep learning curve. I'm completely new to recording, so I didn't know quite what to expect. But one thing I've learned so far with Cubase is, YOU HAVE TO GET PLUGINS. I think what you're talking about, regarding distortion sounding like crappola is the built in overdrive it comes with. Yes it sucks big time, I found a few plugins though that make things livable (Guitar Rig 3 & FreeAmp). I "found" them online and they work great, won't replace your regular amp tone though (I use a Carvin G3 combo) but they do a pretty good job.

PM if you want and I'll try to answer any questions you might have.

orb.

[suprstar]

Originally Posted by orb451

The thing with Cubase is, as other said, it has a steep learning curve.

I've been seeing this a lot lately, at least 3 or 4 posts in the last week state this. Is Cubase really any harder to learn than anything else? I've played with Protools before Cubase, and Cool Edit to a small extent before that. I didn't learn either or those any faster than Cubase. Maybe my small experience with pt and ce helped me pick it up faster? Idk, I think there's a pretty big learning curve no matter what recording software you use, but I feel ppl are unfairly singling out Cubase recently. Cubase is my favorite of everything I've ever used so far.

[Chili]

Originally Posted by suprstar

I've been seeing this a lot lately, at least 3 or 4 posts in the last week state this. Is Cubase really any harder to learn than anything else? I've played with Protools before Cubase, and Cool Edit to a small extent before that. I didn't learn either or those any faster than Cubase. Maybe my small experience with pt and ce helped me pick it up faster? Idk, I think there's a pretty big learning curve no matter what recording software you use, but I feel ppl are unfairly singling out Cubase recently. Cubase is my favorite of everything I've ever used so far.

I haven't tried any other app with any seriousness, so no experience other than Cubase. But I think the big intimidator with Cubase is getting the connections to work right away. Especially when documentation is light when bundled with OEM equip. That's a big stumbling block for Cubase, it just isn't intuitive right out of the box to record and put audio down onto a track.

You want to plug it in and get some of sound from it right away. When it doesn't work you have to immediately jump into troubleshooting mode and that can be a big turn off. I really think Steinberg should make the connections much simpler to set up and record. Like an auto-find feature and auto-latency compensation.

But once you get over the first hurdle and discover everything it can do for you, you can move along to getting decent results fairly quickly.

[notlobdog]

From what I can remember LE is a new gui on a cut down vst3. ( I'm open to correction on this).I find it a great little sketch pad before "doing it properly" in pro tools.
Admittedly I've been using cubase since atari days, so it has a lot to do with what you're familiar with, what ever you chose with that kind of feature set will look daunting to a newbie.
As for distortion-check your input levels-I cant believe cubase is putting the noise there