Cubase
A DAW known for deep MIDI editing and picture-scoring workflow, common in orchestral mockups and cues.
Tool profile
- Kind
- daw
- Vendor
- Steinberg
- Form
- 桌面应用
- Platforms
- macOS · Windows
- Price
- 买断
- Jobs
- 编曲 · 影视配乐 · 录音 · 混音
- Verified
- 2026-10-30
Related
What it lets you finish
Write a thirty-second cue: hit the marks, orchestrate, lay in a video reference and deliver against timecode. Edit MIDI in depth — velocity, timing and articulation — until a sample library behaves like a recorded orchestra. Track a band and vocals, comp the takes, mix and export stems. Test harmony on a chord track and reorder sections on an arranger track without touching the audio. Import an AAF or OMF from another department and keep working. Produce long and short versions of one cue by changing section order.
How it works
MIDI editing comes in layers: a key editor for notes, a list editor for values, and a logical editor for conditional batch changes. Articulation maps connect bowings, legato and dynamics to a library's keyswitches and controllers, so swapping sounds does not mean redrawing. A chord track records harmony and an arranger track records section order. A video track and timecode form the spine of scoring work. Library key layouts differ by vendor, so a good map pays off repeatedly. Vocabulary: articulation map, logical editor, chord track, timecode, AAF.
Limits and traps
- The learning curve is steep: menus are deep and concepts are many, so the first week covers only a slice.
- VST only. AU plug-ins do not load, and moving to Logic on a Mac means finding new versions.
- Projects are not compatible across major versions; a newer file will not open in an older install, so agree on a version before collaborating.
- AAF and OMF carry material, positions and basic levels only — no plug-ins, automation or articulation maps.
- Large templates plus sample libraries eat memory; scoring sessions demand a strong machine, and freezing only partly helps.
- Stock sounds are serviceable but not complete; orchestras and drums usually mean buying libraries.
Alternatives and pairings
On a Mac, Logic Pro is the lower-friction all-in-one. For live and electronic work, Ableton Live is more direct. For a light, customisable setup, REAPER is freer in licensing. Pair Cubase with sample libraries, a multi-machine sample host and post-production software; send notation to a dedicated scoring app.
First three things to learn
Learn three things first: templates and audio connections, the key editor with articulation maps, and the video track with timecode. Read the entries on the scoring workflow, articulation switching and parameter automation.
Listen in the library
All tracks from midicn-lib — inline badge is the license tier (C1 commercial / C2 non-commercial / C3 study only).
Sources
- 厂商公开的产品说明、平台与插件格式要求，2026-10 核对，未抄文本
- MIDI 编辑、演奏法映射与时间码功能，依官方文档与配乐流程教材核查
- AAF 与 OMF 的交换范围，依通行后期文档核查
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.