Any users of Cubase System 4 out there?

  • Thread starter Thread starter dazza
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dazza

New member
Hi,

Needed a soundcard + cubase so I went and bought Cubase System 4 today. I've had heaps of problems, though, setting it up.

The soundcard wouldn't install properly until I took out my USB mouse. Then Cubase wouldn't get past the splash screen unless I unplugged the card. And now when recording audio, all I get are faint scratchy sounds unless I quickly select and deselect external clock in the routing window.

Has anyone else had any problems like this? I'm using XP on a dual Xeon p4 with USB 1.1 and all the latest drivers for everything. Even updated the MI4 firmware and Cubase SL up to the latest version.

-Cheers.
 
Yeah that was the first thing I suspected, but the Technical Data says:

USB 1.1, USB 2 compatible

I also tried installing it on my GF's computer which has USB 2 and I had exactly the same problems.

Another point of interest is that when I select "External Clock" with no world clock connected, white noise is generated on the audio path.
 
Have you installed all the latest MS patches from the update site ? Are you running SP1a ?

Just a couple of ideas..
 
Yeah, did all that.

I'm on SP1, and I did a full windows update... got all the optional and driver updates.

I hope the probs I'm having are because of a defect in the card, coz if it's not, I wonder if they'll let me exchange it for something else?

<WHINGE>
This sucks, because I bought Cubase to get a stable system that I could use on my laptop for live gigs. I was using an SX 2 crack previously and I am having just as many problems now as I was with the cracked version.

Cubase is stable right? Do people use it for live performances, or was it never going to work?

Is the cracked version unstable because Cubase is unstable?
</WHINGE>

Oh yeah, thanks for the suggestions :cool:
 
No Cubase SX is stable. What version are you running ? There has been some recent updates on the steinberg.net site, but I would doubt that would be your issue as you would think that the version of cubase they sent you would be optimized for the System 4 interface..

Have you tried giving Steinberg a call yet ?
 
Cubase SL 2.2.0.33. The latest update from the website.

Nah, I haven't given them a call yet. First I was going to go back to the shop where I bought it and see if they'd let me try another card to check if it makes a difference.

Do Steinberg have good phone support?
 
Not sure as I've never had to call them before. Hopefully you can let me know :D
 
Well, just tried to ring them, but Pinnacle (the subcontracted tech. support) are

"Open 9 to 5:30, Monday to Friday...
apart from Monday the 14th"

:mad:

So I lodged an online question... we'll see how long it takes to receive a response.
 
YAY, it works now! :D

I went back to the shop and they swapped my card with another one which works perfectly.

So it appears it was a hardware problem.

Gald that's over :o

Oh yeah, and sorry Vestast, I'm not going to be talking with customer support, so I won't be able to enlighten you on their service ;)
 
Buying System|4

Hi there!

Does anybody know if it is possible to buy just System|4 (bulk version) without the Cubase SL bundled together. I hope so and think so, I'm not the only one asking this question. There has to be just MI4 unit available for a lower price.
 
Dunno, I've not heard of it being available, but then I never asked.

Something to consider, is that the release of Cubase packaged with System 4 is tied to the MI4, not a separate dongle. If you bought an individual MI4, you would still need to plug in your dongle, as well as the card.

Maybe Steinberg will do a trade in, where you could trade your dongle and software for a System 4 setup?

As a price indication, I paid $1000 AUD for mine.
 
I mean Cubase System|4 is Cubase SL + System|4 (the whole hardware). I just need the hardware. There has to be a separated version, I just don't need the software and I will not pay for it. System|4 is a great sound card, the best for me. If it would be just the hardware available I would sure go and buy it.
 
Something that I consider a bit misleading is the description of the hardware.

As inputs, they claim to have
-2 balanced mic
-4 mono phono jacks
-1 "instrument" input
-SPDIF

However, what isn't said is that only 2 inputs at any one time can be used, determined by the routing tool.

This is not a 6-input recording card (in case you think it is).

That said, it is handy being able to change what instrument/mic you are recording without having to physically change the cables :)
 
Hi All,

Here's my latest development with my System 4 setup.

I returned my original faulty MI4 box to the shop and got it replaced, which worked fine. That is, until I updated the firmware...

Now I am having the same distortion and noise problems that I was before... I get noise on the audio path when I select "external clock" and when recording/monitoring the audio, there is a large amount of distortion.

So, I'm going to try out the Steinberg phone support after all...
 
Same problem...

Hi

Got about the same problem.
I try to record audio - there is a audio signal, it shows a green meter in Cubase SL - I can hear it in direct monitoring through the headphones connected to the MI4,it also records but afterwards all I hear is this noise - sounds like its the signal just distorted a lot.

After a while there is no sound from the PC at alle. Even my windows system sounds wouldn´t work. After a reeboot windows system sounds comes back. I can listen to musc etc. from Media Player - but if I try to run Cubase and record all it can record is this noise....

I too updated the system with all the latest SPs and hotfixes.

Latest version of Cubase SL etc.

I run Win XP Pro - all updates installed.
System:
P4 3,2 Ghz - 1 GB DDR RAM - 320 GB S-ATA DISKs.

And this is about what I in my most depressed moments expected. About 6-7 years ago I bought an expensive soundcard system and a brand new PC for about 5000$ - the soundcard never worked (Didn´t have NT drivers - did not support dual-CPU). So I gave up after days, weeks and months of errors, troubles etc. Last week I spend 1500$ on this system + mics, YAMAHA mixer etc. Same story. Guees it just has to be very very difficult to get a system up running - and why is it so cmplicated to find out - all these paramaters....I just want to record.

And the manual does not offer any help. the english verison is 60 pages for the MI4 and 240 pages for Cubase SL. No troubleshooting.....Yikes.....

Life is too short for getting musicsystems to work on a PC!!!!


:(
Morten
Danmark
 
Hi Dazza

Thanks for the link. It seems to be a problem for a lot of folks out there.
I´ve made an online request for Steinberg and today I´ll go back to the shop where I bought it and have them to take a look at it - and hopefully get another new unit or maybee I should consider getting another sound-solution? I just thought it was perfect for my needs and at a price including Cubase SL I could affort. I´m very dissapointed and hope there might come a sloution top this problem very sonn - a new BIOS update or something. I´ll get back with latest news in this case too. Thanks for bringing up the subject. Looking forward to hear from you too.

Morten
 
My musicshop gave me a full copy of Cubase SL + M-Audio Firewire 410. It rocks! No problems at all - and installation was piece of cake. Much more intuitiv control panel - seems to be a much better alternativ to the the MI4.
I had to spend only a few bugs extra to get this setup. The musichop coukd not get any help from the company that imports the Steinberg things to Denmark - so we decided to find another solution instead.
Lucky me....hope all you other guys get help from either Steinberg or your local musicdealer.

Anyway - if I ever hear from Steinberg I´ll post their answer to me in this forum.

;)
Morten
 
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