My experience switching from Cool Edit Pro 1.2 to Cubase VST/32 5.1

[Mistral]

I've been itching since yesterday to come here and rave about Cubase, since I've known about this forum for a while and posted a few times, ya know, getting opinions on my mixes and whatnot.

Anyways for 3 years now I've been a faithful user of Cool Edit Pro, and I still admit it has its uses, and will continue to use it for certain tasks, such as its wave editor, which I am so used to. But man, I didn't realize just how limited it was compared to Cubase!
It's worth noting that 3 years ago I was a complete newcomer to audio recording. But being technically minded and a problem solver I went at the long task of learning to do it myself, probably like many of you, after my first couple of studio experiences with my band. I'm usually paying off other things, so lots of hardware isn't an option yet, CEP seemed the perfect solution. Cause eventually I could get decent recordings made with sampled drums, and my amp miked into my PC line-in.

So this weekend, for some random reason, I decide to get a hold of Cubase VST. Probably because I recently upgraded from a P266 with 96mb RAM to a 1.0 ghz PIII w/256. So I figured I could probably do more with this power. And boy was I right.. I was previously intimidated somewhat by the differences and complexity of VST based audio programs, but unbelievably between Sunday and Monday I had just about mastered every aspect of the program I'd need. I didn't really know much about MIDI composing let alone that I needed to channel the midi drums through VST outputs, but am I ever glad I figured it out, with much help from these forums. that and the live effects and EQs will change the way I record for good, with CEP I had to apply EQ's in the editor, go back to the mix, see how it sounded, etc, you get the point. Blah..! It would eventually lead to compromised quality in my mixes from too much EQ'ing. There's an mp3 here: www.mp3.com/mistral .. that indicates the kind of quality (not so great) I got with CEP, and I am looking forward to posting links to my new work done with Cubase as well in the near future.

[PapillonIrl]

I saw the title of this thread and was afraid it would read like it did. I love Cool Edit, I have been in bands\muscal projects for eight years or so but only got into recording about a year ago.

I love how intuitive CEP is, and how quickly I became productive with it. I have messed around with Cubase in a friends home studio, he makes Techno and other electronic music, and at first glance (I didn't really take a second) everything seemed overly complicated and unfriendly.

But real time EQ ? mmmmmmmmmmm.

How did the your CEP learning curve compare with your Cubase one ?

I am going to sit on the fence for a couple of months in the hope that Syntrillium blow everything out of the water with CEP 2.0.

pAp.

[Mistral]

if Syntrillium indeed come out with 2.0 anytime soon I'll probably check it out, but they'd have to have changed an aweful lot. And being that it's been years since v1 was released, you'd think so huh?

Heck, in my opinion they should just release an entirely new product, and who knows, maybe they are. I always thought Cool Edit Pro was a rather dumb and unprofessional name, despite that "Pro" on the end. and I love blue, but in operating systems and programs? Please, no. I'd jump all over a program that had a super hi-tech interface modelled in slick looking 3d with non flashy colors and more of an LCD looking time display.

So, about that learning curve. Well, I'll tell you, once before, I tried VST, maybe at around the same point you're at now with using Cool Edit Pro.. I took a look at it and fiddled with this and that and it looked overwhelming so I didn't touch it again. Plus my computer sucked. CEP was what I learned everything on, which took me months, so you know I'm not about to let go of it easily. But after all the time I've had to experiment with plugins and the ins and outs of CEP, Cubase VST didn't seem so difficult somehow this time, and like I said, I pretty much mastered the damn thing in 2 days. All those "seemingly complicated and unfriendly" things actually have important uses, and as it stands right now, I could no longer do without it. It will really take my recordings to the next level, ie. commercial quality. And also, there's more to tweak but when it comes down to it, the real painstaking processes I used to face (EQ guesswork, importing drum loops and synths and making it all sound right in my mix, etc..) are a thing of the past. Everything I need is right here, within easy access, and that saves crazy amounts of time. Don't even sit on the fence, just try it, if you're anything like me, and you have a good enough computer, you'll be glad about the decision.

[thehorseshoe]

I got lucky when I bought VST/32. Someone tried to sell me on cool edit, and I looked at it a couple of times, but I read that VST was a more robust program with a LOT more power and control and took a chance after only just a couple of weeks worth of research. I am glad I did. So far I have been extremely lucky and I have this forum to thank for helping me develop as much as I have.