Cubase vs. Logic

[sel-vin]

This question has probably been asked before so call me lazy coz I can't be bothered to read through all the past discussions... but which one is better... Cubase? Logic? WHY??

[guitarmore]

cubase 5.0 or logic platinum 4.7 are like night and day. cubase is MUCH easier to use. logic is the hardest program to master but after using it for many years i still find new things it can do. so it depends on how far you want to take it. i mostly use dp on a mac cause its the closest to logic but much easier to use.

[floydian]

Guitarmore's right. Logic is an absolute bitch to setup, but once that's out of the way, you can begin!
I personally like Logic a lot because it has a reasonably self explainatory interface and somehow (and i'm not the only one who believes this) but recordings sound punchier and basically better in Logic. Effects settings and the setting up of buses is quite straight forward in logic. As gm mentioned, this is all based on Logic Platinum 4.7. Logic soundtrack and some other versions are like the difference between Cubase VST5/32 and cubasis.
On the other hand, I love the layout of Cubase. It's setout just like a mixer and once you figure out all the little things about it that make it so good, you'll be loving it. All interfaces are very logical (unlike Logic) and it's not that hard to setup.

Basically, the choice is yours, but make that choice either between Cubase VST5 and Logic Platinum 4.7

[spoonie]

you're right, you ARE lazy! hahaha


~spoonie, LAP lover.

[johnabdl]

I'm investigating both Cubase & Logic to see which to buy.

Cubase VST 32 has quantization: 15360 PPQ.
Logic Audio Platinum has 960 PPQ.

Why such a huge difference? Who can help me understand this?

Thanks.

[ewan]

I started using logic without much knowledge of how a studio works. I must admit that it took me about a day to figure out how to use with my SB Awe 32 card with midi and audio recording, so I don't understand it when people say it's hard to get into. Maybe it's trickier if you use a more advanced setup.

I've also tested the latest version (I think) of Cubase (5) and it's also pretty easy to figure out how to get to work. I tested it for a few days and made a complete song with it. However I found that writing midi scores was much trickier and a lot of functions I'm used to using I couldn't find (they may be there but I couldn't find them) so I ended up writing in logic and exporting the midi to Cubase.

At that point recording audio is the same for either program. Editing (cutting and pasting and so forth) is slightly different and probably a matter of taste. I found that editing was slower in Cubase but that could just be because of habit.

I found mixing, setting up realtime effects and assigning effects busses and so forth to be an absolute bitch in Cubase. Too much window opening and shutting. This could be lack of knowledge of how to get the most out of Cubase but I spent hours trying to get a decent sounding mix whereas I would normally spend about 5 minutes dialing in something that I can easily listen to.

I like the fact that you can have multiple sound cards for audio recording in Cubase. It means you could build a cheap multitrack recorder out of a bunch of cheap soundcards. With logic you can only use one card (at least it seems that way). That isn't much of a bonus though.

Summary. I'm biased towards Logic because it was the first program that I used. It didn't take me long to figure out how to use it with my simple equipment. There is still a ton of features I know nothing about but I never use them so that's OK. Having said that, my view of Cubase in comparison is that it's a functional alternative. It can do pretty much everything that I want it to be able to but it's much slower to use when it comes to mixdown time. I'll never bother with cubase again.

I think logic is more expensive than cubase.

Another thing about Logic. There aren't nearly as many user and support is harder to get. You may have to figure a bit out for yourself.

[LC]

I myself started on my own pc working with cubase (did protools in another studio before) and since I was used to the standard of protools cubase was slightly disappointing. Especially audio wise. I am not into midi at all.

Later I switched to logic audio and yes it was a lot more complex. You can't just install and find all the settings and options straight out. It takes some time. But then it is a grand program. With the current version I have even completely stopped using any other software for recording and editing. I only use one other proggie and that only for a final multi band compression session on a finished track. LAP is grand. cubase is nice.