Steinberg has been around for a while, and it's time Sweetwater Sound customers knew more about their remarkable, innovative recording and editing systems for computer-based audio. The company's products are very impressive in both audio quality and range of features, and they keep getting better, giving recording professionals and musicians an astounding degree of power and performance. Steinberg's music recording and editing systems are available for both Mac and PC, and really do transform your computer into a complete recording studio.

At the center of the “Steinberg Universe” is their full-featured Cubase VST ($399 list), an integrated MIDI / digital recording and Score printing system, combining fully professional sequencing and Postscript-compatible score printing with a complete digital audio work environment. A virtually unlimited number of audio tracks can be played back on any one of Cubase VST's 64 Audio channels, with four Equalizers on each channel. Cubase VST also offers 16 Group channels and eight Auxiliary Sends per channel. Editing is not only easy, but might be one of the most comprehensive systems you've ever worked with on a computer-based system. Besides the obvious arranging and editing functions of the Arrange window, Cubase VST gives you two distinct audiowindows that allow you total control of even the smallest details of your sound.

Even the effects options are astounding: Eight effects in the auxiliary “effects rack,” while another four can be applied to the master outputs. Then, you can insert four additional effects into the individual signal path of every channel. Cubase VST comes with a complete range of the standard studio effects, all of the highest professional quality. But the effects don't end there: VST's open architecture and Steinberg's extensive library of plug-ins ensure you'll never run out of great effects, but we'll get into more detail about that later.

From the start, it has been Cubase VST's ease-of-use that has won the system its highest praise, especially with MIDI recording and editing. Any selected musical “part” or “phrase” can be manipulated directly from the Arrange window as simply as you edit a text document. But Cubase VST's wide range of graphic and “visualizing” choices remove the hassle from editing sound on a computer-based workstation. All your options remain visible on the screen. Cubase VST's scoring technology is another one of the system's strengths. With notation editing, automatic layout and quality printing, Cubase has all the tools to manage a variety of scoring tasks, including the capability to score for voices, keyboards, percussion and guitar.

The system described above is only the first “type” of Cubase VST system. There are two others, the Cubase VST Score ($549 list) and the Cubase VST24 ($799 list). Rather than being what might be called professional or advanced versions of the Cubase VST system, Cubase VST Score and Cubase VST24 add new and different spheres of functionality through its range. Cubase VST score adds professional level notation editing, layout and printing to the features of the Cubase VST. Cubase VST24 includes 96 audio channels, as well as support for 24-bit / 96 kHz operation and extended audio hardware options.

Steinberg's Cubase VST supports the ASIO, so other manufacturers can design products compatible with Cubase. But the number and quality of plug-ins available from Steinberg alone will be sure to satisfy the most discriminating recordist. Steinberg's plug-ins run the gamut, from restoration tools for cleaning up your sound to comprehensive mastering tools. If you're planning to create your own CDs on a computer-based recording workstation, then Steinberg's plug-ins offer everything necessary to expand your computer-based workstation in the direction you want to take it. Their QuadraFuzz plug-in is totally programmable and delivers some of the most savory distortion you've ever heard, including 16 sample presets designed by Craig Anderton for lead guitar, power chords, and drums. The Orange Vocoder is a realtime vocoder plug-in with a fully customizable effect that sounds just like analog and an 8-voice analog synthesizer. Its applications are practically limitless.

Dynasone, an Automix/Multiband Compression Plug-In, is perfect for mastering audio tracks and optimizing and refreshing audio material. You can even choose an optimization scheme — like Vinyl, Tape, CD or Linear — for your final release medium.

But going over the entire arsenal of Steinberg plug-ins could take up an entire issue of Sweet Notes. There are also the sound packages produced by Sounds Good for use with Steinberg equipment. These packages have something for everybody. There are six packages to choose from, and they're compatible with everything that does sampling and hard disk recording. The Electro Age delivers a huge collection of sounds ideal for electronic Pop and Dance; Hip Hop Beats and Treats kicks it old skool, new skool, and all skools in between; On a Latin Tip adds spice to any musical style. Then there's Chemical Big Beats, nothing but drum loops for HipHop, TripHop, Industrial, Drum'n'Bass, whatever. Finally, the Cold Fusion Technologic and the Drum'n'Bass X-Citers packages give you cutting-edge, freaky loops and cool jazzy, funky, and even rock rhythms, respectively. And they've all got the Safe Sampling guarantee so you can sample at will.

More recent additions to the arsenal of Steinberg and Steinberg-compatible audio tools include VST Drum Sessions. Made by Wizoo, the Drum Sessions series of CDs provide complete arrangements and even song structures, with different drum parts and sounds on individual tracks. This extremely flexible system lets you manipulate different parts to form arrangements and construct sounds to fit your needs. Each arrangement contains material in both REX and MIDI format.

There's also the new (and may we add, mind-blowing) Cubase VST Rocket Module, which allows Cubase users all over the world to connect and collaborate in realtime over the Internet. Take a minute and imagine the possibilities. In a field that at times seems to change as rapidly as the weather, Steinberg systems truly stand out, delivering products of uncompromising quality and superior features and functions. But perhaps more importantly, Cubase VST might be one of the most “open” systems available for computer-based audio production. Whatever their level of skill or proficiency, users of Cubase VST can be sure they're getting the best Steinberg has to offer. When it comes time to move to the next level or take on more complicated projects, users will find the comprehensive, expandable Cubase system more than able to deliver the same world-class performance.

For the full story on what Steinberg and Steinberg-compatible products can do for your audio and recording projects, call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer today. You’ll get all the information you need, plus special low Sweetwater pricing on all these amazing products. So don’t wait another minute. Call now! — Michael Summers