Steinberg releases Cubase 12 with Apple Silicon support and more

02 Mar 2022 by Lasse Eilers | Approximate reading time: 3 Minutes

Cubase 12 · Source: Steinberg

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Steinberg has released Cubase 12. The new version of the popular DAW software comes with many improvements, including seamless support for MIDI controllers with new mapping options, improvements to the Chord Track and VariAudio, a new FX Modulator, and more. It also includes native support for Apple Silicon processors, and it marks the arrival of Steinberg’s new, dongle-less licensing system on the Cubase platform.

Steinberg Cubase 12

Steinberg first hinted at Cubase 12 back in November, when the company announced the abolishment of the eLicenser dongle in favor of a new, ID-based licensing system. That system was first introduced in Dorico 4 earlier this year. Today, Steinberg has unveiled the new version of its flagship DAW.

But as you might expect, the dongle-free licensing system isn’t the only big update. Besides the fact that Cubase now runs natively on Apple Silicon processors, of the biggest improvements lies in the way the DAW handles MIDI controllers. The new MIDI Remote Script concept ensures that controllers are automatically detected, and there are enhanced mapping options for seamless integration of controllers into your composition, production, and mixing workflows.

The Chord Track has also been improved. Steinberg says that you can now drag and drop audio events to create MIDI chord progressions. And all versions of Cubase now feature near sample-accurate volume automation, independent of the buffer size.

: FX Modulator · Source: Steinberg

: AudioWarp · Source: Steinberg

: VariAudio · Source: Steinberg

New VariAudio features

The Cubase Pro and Cubase Artist versions include a new Scale Assistant in VariAudio for easier pitch edits and timing corrections. These versions have also received a new Free Warp tool in AudioWarp, which lets you make timing corrections for multiple tracks at the same time. That could turn out to be a huge time saver! Pro and Artist also let you dive deep into modulated effects with the new FX Modulator, which comprises various effect modules and a full-featured envelope editor.

Cubase Pro 12 comes with a new limiter plug-in named Raiser. Another new addition to the factory assortment of plug-ins is the Verve felt piano, which was recorded at the Yamaha Studios in Los Angeles and is available in Cubase Pro and Artist.

The list of improvements in Cubase 12 goes on for a bit longer and includes things like an advanced crossfade editor, new SuperVision modules, enhanced navigating and zooming, and ARA improvements. You can check out the full list on Steinberg’s website.

: Raiser limiter · Source: Steinberg

: Verve · Source: Steinberg

Price and compatibility

As before, Cubase 12 comes in three versions: Pro, Artist, and Elements. The suggested retail prices for new licenses are as follows:

Cubase Pro 12: EUR 579 / USD 579.99
Cubase Artist 12: EUR 329 / USD 329.99
Cubase Elements 12: EUR 99.99 / USD 99.99

Owners of previous versions should check out the various upgrades, updates and crossgrades, which are available through the Steinberg online shop. And if you’ve bought Cubase 11 or an earlier version on or after November 10, 2021, you’re eligible for a free grace period update.

Cubase 12 runs on macOS Big Sur and Monterey and Windows 10 or 11 (64 bit).