Ok what’s the Difference between Cubase AI4 and Cubase 4 or for that Matter Cubase SX ? 

Does that mean if you have Cubase AI4 you don’t need to buy Cubase 4 or what I really don’t get it not fully explained.

Is it like a Car one is a Toyota and one is a Ford or what ?

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

Cubase AI4 is a free version of Steinberg software typically found included with a Yamaha hardware product that you purchased. It can run on Windows or Macintosh. And is an introduction to the world of Steinberg software. It is definitely entry level when you compare it with a version you purchase. So the basic concepts are there to introduce the user to the world of computer sequencing. It is not for everyone, but when you are ready to expand your horizons to working with computer digital audio workstation software, Yamaha wanted to introduce you to the world of Steinberg software.

Cubase AI4 will run the Yamaha Studio Manager and the Yamaha Editors, and will run VST3 synth engines and effects, and it will give you the ability to score your music… when you expand to a commercially sold version you get much more functionality.

Cubase AI4 and Cubase LE4 are on about the same level… they are both freebies that come with certain hardware you buy… and are shameless attempts to introduce you to the Steinberg product line. AI4 comes with Yamaha hardware because it includes special features designed for Yamaha hardware (as you may or may not know Yamaha purchased Steinberg 4 years ago).

Cubase SX is discontinued.

Cubase Essential 4 is the basic (for sale) version
Cubase Studio 4 is the intermediate Music Production software.
Cubase 4 is the full “top-of-the-line” professional Music Production version.

In general, you will find professional album projects, major films, television commercials, etc., being done on Cubase 4.

Click here to get the full story on the differences

As you move up the product line (up in price) there are more features, it is difficult to really detail every feature, but suffice it to say the interface and features get more elegant as you go up the product line.

What separates Steinberg software from all the others is the audio engine. When you talk to people about software you find a lot of them talk about how it looks rather than how it sounds. But when you take an audio file (.wav) and play it back from the top DAW software packages and simply listen, you’ll hear a difference. This is why Cubase is one of the most used softwares on professional projects. The sound, and the fact the Steinberg is always at the front end of innovation (VST, ASIO, etc.)

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

Ok thanks Bad_Mister....Have Cubase SX, 2, 3. Have had it since it came out and never being able to much with it.  Even though I tried and tried and I even went out and had my computer built when I purchased the SX, so I was really disappointed after investing time and money that I wasn’t able to use computer and Cubase SX for anything. 

Now with my New Motif XS 8 and AI4 I began trying again and still can’t seem to get my AI4 to do much..... I went to Musicland (a store in my area) to see if anyone there knew how to use Cubase or if they had any younger students savy in Technology to come to my place to help....I am tired of the many days and hours wasted on trying to get Cubase to work.
But they had nobody.  I will try a few other music stores in the coming weeks, and keep reading on this board.

Cause I would like to buy the Cubase 4 version but don’t want to buy it and not be able to do nothing with it like my SX version.  I have puchased the DVD tutorials etc etc as well…
I have midi cables, USB cables and the Mlan cable.  I have downloaded Editors and Drive’s and Studio Manager. I have updated my Motif XS 8 to OS 1.12 etc etc. Now hopefully I can get the AI4 working then I will go buy the Cubase 4.  You will see posting of me around this board as I am reading everything.

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

Forgive me for asking, but are you sure you want to use a computer sequencer?

I would suggest (highly) that you spend some time getting Cubase AI4 to work for you. That is its purpose. If you are worried that did SX2 and SX3 ever work, they most certainly did… I’m sure I can tell you some major Hollywood films (some of which I’m sure you even went to see or at least have watched on HBO) that used SX3…

Now with my New Motif XS 8 and AI4 I began trying again and still can’t seem to get my AI4 to do much.....

What would you like to get it to do. Let’s just start there.

But you should really start your own thread. instead of tagging on to someone elses. This way you can refer to it when you need to to get information.

But before you spend another dime. Let’s get you going with AI4… OK?

Where do you want to start?

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

Let’s start with AI4 .... I am currently using the Cubase AI Tutorial CD and I am at the Recording sub section Midi Recording where they are showing a midi track and they are putting down a drum track.... I am getting a signal like they are and I can see the wave form being recorded but when I play back no sound.

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

Re: “they are showing a midi track and they are putting down a drum track.... I am getting a signal like they are and I can see the wave form being recorded but when I play back no sound.”
----Perhaps there’s a bit of confusion there?? You are recording a MIDI track? Therefore, you will not see a wave form as you suggest. MIDI is data and has no sound of its own. When you double click on the recorded MIDI part, you will see a representation of MIDI notes, not an audio wave file.
MIDI files are used to trigger instruments, which then produce audio. Therefore, your MIDI file has to be routed to trigger an internal VSTi or sent out to your synth in order to produce audio. With an internal VSTi, you would then open the mixer and route its audio fader to a master bus, and then using VST connections, send that audio out of the computer via a digital audio interface, and on to, for example, an amp and speakers if you want to hear it....or back into Cubase for recording as an audio track. With your sythn, you would send the audio from it back into Cubase for recording an audio file.
In other words, to record audio and produce a wav file, you need to record an audio track of your drum module’s “audio” output. HTH...........frank

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

I haven’t tried sequencing on Cubase AI4. It seems easier to sequence on the Motif XS and record on Cubase (at least for me at the moment).
I somehow misplaced my Cubase AI4 DVD tutorial, so I’ve been into Bad Mister’s written tutorial: Advanced Application mLAN Audio Setup Tutorial.
This has been extremely helpful for me.  It is well written and easy to follow. If you follow each step precisely, then you should have no problem recording audio from your XS to your computer.

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

Re: “It seems easier to sequence on the Motif XS”
----You’re kidding...right?? /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt=..............frank

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

Well, I guess it’s time for me to learn how to sequence with Cubase.  This is my first experience using software for audio recording or sequencing. Trying to get the audio recording down at the moment. Plenty of information tutorial wise on the audio end of things.
Are there any tutorials on sequencing in Cubase?

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

“...different strokes for different folks… and so on, and so on, and....”

There are online tutorial videos:  [url=http://www.steinbergusers.com/vids/XML_players/cubase/cubase_videos_content.html]http://www.steinbergusers.com/vids/XML_players/cubase/cubase_videos_content.html [/url]
as well as DVDs on the subject

Cubase AI CD Tutorial which is available for the cost of shipping as part of the Music Production PowerPack offer: [url=http://www.mpsn.com]http://www.mpsn.com [/url]

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

Me again another night taking a stab at it.... Frank from you last post letting me know my wave form was not Midi or Audio or vice Versa.... my mistake ... it wasn’t audio wave form it was midi.

Anyway I am following the Cubase AI Tutorial CD and that is where I was ... recording midi as the CD suggested I open a Midi Track and play my Motif .... all was fine except I couldn’t hear anything on play back.

Who knows maybe I can get it to work by 2010.

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

Ok....pressed Utility in Motif - Control (F5) Midi (SF2)

Local Control is set to ON

Interface Midi In/Out is set to Midi

Sync Midi Sync is set to Midi

I play my Motif I can record it on Cubase on a Midi Track I hear play back.

But when I am playing while recording seems there is a delay ...

Also when I set my Sample Rate at 44.1/ 16 Bit a window always pops up changing my sample rate back to 96000 any reason why this is happening ?

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

Sorry, since I do not know exactly what is in the tutorial you are following (and you don’t say)… It is difficult to know why you have set things as you have. At one point in the thread you actually say: “I have midi cables, USB cables and the Mlan cable.”

But you never mention what you are using! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt=

Also when recording MIDI data to Cubase, you should have Local Control = OFF (never ON). That would account for the doubling delay effect you are getting.

Here is a helpful tip: When recording with a Motif XS to Cubase, the XS makes setup very easy. There are four quick sequencer setup templates - one for each of the most common scenarios
1 Recording with the internal sequencer
2 Tranferring data from the XS seq to a computer
3 Recording with a computer sequencer
4 Recording ARPEGGIO output to a computer sequencer.

You want Quick Setup #2 or #3
Press [SEQ SETUP]
Press [F3] QUICK
Select Quick Setup #2 - Recording internal sequencer to computer
...if you are simply playing back an XS sequence to be recorded to Cubase.
Select Quick Setup #3: Recording on Computer
If you are going to be recording new data by actually playing the keyboard yourself.
Press [ENTER]
The XS will make the six critical settings for working with an external computer sequencer for you. It turns Local Off.

What Local Off does is prevent your Motif XS keybed from triggering the Motif XS tone engine directly. Instead your keypresses go OUT via MIDI first, to Cubase, where you have a MIDI Track that will “echo” the signal back to the connected tone engine, according to the MIDI OUT PORT and MIDI CHANNEL setting of the currently active track.

What your session’s sample rate has to do with MIDI recording is another question. What is your MIDI interface? are you using USB, mLAN, standard MIDI ??? 

I would guess that you setup your mLAN situation to 96K operation, and it is just doing what you told it to do. But let us know because on re-reading your thread it is not clear that you are even using firewire/mLAN.

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

Hi Bad_Mister.....

The Tutorial being used is from Ask Video, Cubase AI Tutorial CD.

I do have all the cables as I mentioned because I have been switching from one to another trying to get USB or Midi or MLan to work.

Currently I have Midi in/out going from Motif XS 8 to my M-Audio Firewire 410.  I also have the Mlan from Motif XS to M-Audio Firewire 410.

Should I only have one of these hooked up ????

About Local Control = off (never on)
When Local Control is off I don’t get any sound from the Motif or from Cubase anywhere.

I have done the quick Set up # 2 and # 3 and I have no sound from Motif or Cubase and also have no signals.

Also in the CD tutorial it shows the Motif on the In and Out of the Inspector window.  I have managed to be able to list it on the Out but on the In I can only put All Midi Inputs or M-Audio FW 410 Midi.

Thank you for your time and patience.

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

Re. Local Control....whether you have it on or turn it off depends on a number of settings, and having it OFF is not the only approach. Are you aware of MIDI THRU in Cubase? When it’s active, the MIDI signal from your keyboard will carry the MIDI signal through Cubase and back out to your synth, and if Local is ON in your keyboard, the MIDI signal will produce that echo effect. BUT, you can also record MIDI with Local ON in the keyboard, and simply disable MIDI THRU in Cubase, so that your MIDI signal does not exit out of Cubase and back to the synth. So I suggest the answer is: Local On/MIDI THRU off or Local off/MIDI THRU on.
But here’s another little idea when you start triggering a VSTi in Cubase. Try leaving Local ON in the synth and simply turn down the volume slider on your keyboard. Now, depending on how you have your synth’s and Cubase’s audio outputs connected, you won’t hear any sound from your synth (because the volume slider is down), but MIDI will still travel into Cubase and be recorded or trigger the VSTi.
Won’t go any further with this today, but just wanted to point out that most times there’s more than one way to do something, and that the Local OFF, MIDI THRU ON (or vice versa) scheme of things is not set in stone and can be altered in various ways sometimes to one’s advantage. MIDI patch bays, which aren’t as popular as they once were, can also be set so that no MIDI is sent to the synth, whether it’s set to receive MIDI or not...............frank

Re: Cubase AI4 Download

I do have all the cables as I mentioned because I have been switching from one to another trying to get USB or Midi or MLan to work.

Currently I have Midi in/out going from Motif XS 8 to my M-Audio Firewire 410. I also have the Mlan from Motif XS to M-Audio Firewire 410.

This is why you are having such problems… If you need help with getting the M-Audio Firewire box to work you should contact M-audio.

The difference between using USB or mLAN and using standard 5-pin MIDI cables is going to be significant.

Here is what you don’t get when you use 5-pin MIDI cables:
1) the ability to address your Cubase software via multiple MIDI ports.
2) No Remote Control function (to controlCubase or your VSTi via your XS’s Remote mode)
3) No ability to run Studio Manager or the Motif XS Editor

If that is what you choose then ‘turning down the Volume’ might be what you should do… /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt= ...but if you want to get up and running, as most pros do it, then connect the Motif XS either via USB or via firewire. It simply opens more options to you. we would be happy to help you get going but choose what you want to do.

If you are really liking the M-audio firewire interface you can use it for audio - then hook the Motif XS to the computer via USB.

But here is what you don’t when use an external Firewire interface…
1) you do not get 16 audio outputs from your Motif XS
2) the flexibility to record individual tracks and process them within Cubase with VST Effects

But if you want to get it all then simply connect the XS8 via firewire to your computer (and donate that other firewire box to a friend). /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt=

Let us know.