Cubase vs. WavePad

I have been a longtime fan of Cubase and would recommend it to anyone, whether they are just starting in recording or a seasoned professional. I find that it is really strong in the pre-production and production phases of a song. Tools like the arranger track, track versions, and the chord track make writing and experimenting very easy. I have used these tools on almost every song that I have started from the writing phase. I am able to experiment with different variations of a song, different channel settings, and even completely different arrangements all with just a few clicks. My writing process and speed have improved so much over the last few versions of Cubase. We have also enjoyed working with the mixing process. The mixers in Cubase are laid out much like a regular console. So for an old timer like me, the learning curve is very low. Cubase did a very good job with layout and labeling. Things are labeled what you would expect them to be and laid out in an order that makes sense. The other part of the mixer that makes it great is the ability to color code and organize tracks. My mix time has drastically decreased since using Cubase.

Incentivized

Highly recommended for voice over recording and editing. Great for splicing together several different recorded files to create a final track. Our voice over talent typically sends us their unedited recordings with multiple recordings of the script. Then we can listen to the different versions to select the best fit for our client. We just select the sections we like and copy them into a new file, then continue to add the sections until we have the final voice over. It is easy to tighten up or stretch out the recording to better fit our timeline.

We have not used WavePad for recording live music so not sure how well it is suited for that. If you need multi-track editing you will need another product. MixPad makes a nice companion.

Incentivized

• Ease of use
• Clear, user-friendly interface
• Stable and glitch free

Incentivized

• Voice recording is our most used function. It is simple and straight forward. We have trained non-technical voice over talent to use it.
• The cleanup tools have saved us from having to go out and rerecord some bad original recordings.
• Being able to cut out sections of recordings and insert a different audio piece is a great time saver.

Incentivized

• Shortcuts aren't easy to learn
• Can be a bit of a resource hog
• Upgrades don't necessarily have enough features to make the worthwhile

Incentivized

• WavePad only works with a single audio track. NCH does offer MixPad for multi-track editing. We also use MixPad occasionally to mix background music with voice.

Incentivized

An important product for our production of customer ads.

Incentivized

Easily handles basic audio recording and editing. Advanced editing features are there but if you don't already understand audio editing you will need to watch some of the provided videos to learn how to use the tools.

Incentivized

Any time I've had to reach out to customer support, they've been fast to respond and answered my questions to the best of their ability. Authorization of the software is easy, and the company is great about emailing you promptly. Overall, they do a great job.

Incentivized

Phone support is not available.

Incentivized

It is a simple product to start using.

Incentivized

The reason I find Cubase is best suited to my needs compared to other DAW software is primarily the ease in which the software can be edited. The MIDI integration, editing and composing aspects, in my opinion, is far superior to other software which is great when creating and / or editing projects. As I use Mac, the CoreAudio side of things works seamlessly too which provides a stable work environment for both myself and clients when working remotely over video links etc

Incentivized

We ran across WavePad years ago and used it for some simple music file edits. Cutting out some parts to make it fit better into the time slot. Audacity was recommended by a friend and we installed it and give it a brief try. We didn't find anything bad about it but came back to WavePad.

Incentivized

• Using Cubase over something like Protools means that new users are more likely to be successful during training and due to this, decrease training time.
• More trained staff means that we are able to complete more projects faster instead of waiting for a more skilled staff member to become available.
• Implementation on-site for on-site recording has been very reliable and has decreased the amount of failed recordings during events.

Incentivized

• We are able to work with local voice-over talent and amateurs and that allows us to keep our cost low to our clients.
• WavePad is so inexpensive that is pays for itself on the first project. The Master's edition is less than $100 and the standard edition is less than $50.

Incentivized