# Any Digital Performer advantages over Cubase for MIDI and film scoring?



## Vin (May 23, 2015)

Hey guys,

I just watched the DP 8 promo video and it intrigued me quite a bit. Are there any DP 8 users here? Anyone made the switch from Cubase?

I'm on Windows 7 and Cubase 6.5. and I'm satisfied with it, but there are some features that are very interesting to me (like chunks and streamers for example, and DP's score editor seems much better than Cubase's).

I'll download the demo for sure, but wanted to hear your experiences, especially since I've read that DP is a bit different from other major players like Cubase, Logic and Studio One, which looks great, but unfortunately its MIDI features are still quite primitive compared to Cubase's.

My work mostly consists of film and TV scoring (commercials), but I also plan to get into library music and game scoring. I stay in the digital domain and MIDI most of the time and currently rarely work with audio recording, so I'm mostly interested in its MIDI features.

Or maybe should I just upgrade to Cubase 8?

Thanks!


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## The Darris (May 23, 2015)

I will tell you how this thread will go, Cubase users will argue for Cubase while DP users will argue for DP. I had the chance to work with both and I can say that they both can do the same things but they do them very differently. It really depends on your workflow. With that said, you can only really take full advantage of a DAW if you spend the time to learn how it works.

My recommendation for you is to install the demo version of DP8 for windows and actually spend the time to learn what it can and can't do within your normal workflow. 

I won't lie, I am quite impressed by what I have witnessed DP8 doing but upon further exploration of Cubase 7, I learned it can do the same thing but in a different way. Once I learned that way, I was able to be just as efficient in using those features as they were in DP8. 

Again, it comes down to your personal workflow that will dictate which one is better. I hope that is somewhat helpful.

Best,

Chris


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## Lawson. (May 23, 2015)

DP8 has a COMPLETELY different workflow than Cubase and most other DAWs. I love it, other people hate it. I would get the trial so you can test it out.

Some of my favorite features are "chunks" (the ability to have multiple sessions in a single project), "V-Racks" (the ability to load all of your VIs in their own rack), and the fact that instruments tracks are automatically multi-timbral. MIDI tracks are simply that: MIDI tracks. You have to route the proper instrument track to the MIDI track you want it to go to. It seems confusing at first but is so handy to be able to do once you figure it out.

There's a ton of cool features in DP8 that no other DAW can do. Go head on over to the MOTUnation forums; there's a great (albeit slightly inactive) group over there that would be happy to inform you with everything there is to know about it. :D


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## Valérie_D (May 23, 2015)

I love DP 8 but I agree with Chris, I never tried Cubase so I can't argue against it and besides, I'm not done learning DP myself, what I can say is that so far, it fulfills my needs, for library tracks, as well as scoring to pictures.

Valérie


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## jaeroe (May 23, 2015)

I forget where it was, but someone did a pretty thorough polling of major composers and what DAWs they use for composing, programming, etc. It was a dead heat between Logic, DP, and Cubase - all taking up just under 1/3 of those polled, while PT and the rest had a very very small slice.

I had asked someone about functionality in Cubase a kin to Chunks in DP. I know there is 'versions' in Cubase - that sounded like the closest thing, but it didn't sound exactly the same. But, Cubase's 'versions' also seemed to have some excellent and extremely useful features that aren't as immediate in DP.

So, there are trade offs.

It's been a while since I used Cubase, but I find Chunks and a few other features in DP make it really great for film and tv, especially as you get picture change and also when you have to make a quick arrangement of an existing cue.


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## PMortise (May 24, 2015)

I cut my teeth on DP years ago, then switched to Logic when it was still Emagic. Then I went _back_ to DP for the scoring features. I've never used Cubase, but I do envy the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNTNNhXrsxs (expression mapping) feature.

If you haven't already, take a look at these:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ljd7R8ASuw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=410NYmSJxdI


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## Living Fossil (May 25, 2015)

@PMortise (or anyone else who worked with Logic and DP):
is there a simple way to convert (custom) EX24 samples into the DP- format?


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## PMortise (May 26, 2015)

Living Fossil @ Mon May 25 said:


> @PMortise (or anyone else who worked with Logic and DP):
> is there a simple way to convert (custom) EX24 samples into the DP- format?


MachFive (DP's equivalent of EXS24) doesn't come packaged with DP - it's sold separately. I've never used MachFive, I've always relied on Kontakt for converting. Being a universal sampler I'm sure it _could_ for the most part. But for instruments where the use of EXS24 settings make the final sound there's always the chance you'd be left wanting no matter sampler you ported over to.

A Logic guru like Jay Asher or an EXS ninja like charlieclouser would know more about this.


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## Jdiggity1 (May 26, 2015)

jaeroe @ Sun 24 May said:


> I forget where it was, but someone did a pretty thorough polling of major composers and what DAWs they use for composing, programming, etc...



http://www.vi-control.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35147


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## kdm (May 26, 2015)

I have been comparing the two somewhat extensively the past few weeks as I was considering moving to DP for a project where chunks would be of great benefit. I am a longtime Nuendo user. I've had DP 8 for a while and spent some time with it, including setting up my template and writing a few cues in it. Here are some of my personal comparison thoughts (but by no means an exhaustive comparison):

First, both are powerful DAWs in their own right, but as others noted, they have rather different approaches.

1 - On Windows, DP's video support is far less consistent than Cubase/Nuendo. DP uses it's own video engine; Cubase/Nuendo use Quicktime. DP (Windows only) seems to be more suited for game-oriented graphics cards, otherwise cpu usage with video is very high. One could always setup an MTC slave to run video though.

2 - DP has chunks, Cubase doesn't. Great of course for setting up cues at different timecodes and tempi in a single project. It can be a challenge dealing with multiple cues and tempo changes in a single Cubase project (so I rarely do). 

3 - Cubase has expression maps - great for streamlining templates and editing keyswitch uses. DP requires a track per articulation - much larger templates, more tracks to scroll through, but you can always setup folders to simplify this.

4 - Editing in DP is track-based. Cubase has clip-based editing. Very different concepts. Editing in DP means getting used to using the range tool instead of just grabbing clips, dragging ends, cut/paste, etc. You can select, duplicate, etc in DP, but it's worth trying out to see how well you can get used to the differences.

5 - Key Editors - Cubase has key commands to recall controller views. DP doesn't. DP has some powerful tools for manipulating data though. DP's key command set is extensive (as is Cubase's). Cubase has macros; DP doesnt. But you could use a 3rd party macro system with DP or any DAW.

6 - DP's controller graphics and text are tiny. This was ultimately the deciding point for me. Just too hard on the eyes for long periods of time.

7 - DP has streamers and punches setup for composing - very useful and easy to setup. Cubase doesn't. Nuendo's ADR taker can be used for this, without a few conveniences of DP's approach. 

8- DP only supports Eucon on Mac currently. Cubase supports it on both. (Also a big limitation for me). DP also isn't yet supported by Nektar's controllers where Cubase is. 

9 - DP's Quickscribe and Notation view are better at interpolating note starts and values than Cubase' notation editor. Cubase' notation really requires hard quantizing starts and lengths to make it visually useful. 

10 - DP's click is much more flexible than Cubase's. Tempo editing is diffferent, though I don't think one holds a significant advantage over the other (Cubase' warp tool is a plus however). 

Both really are great applications. I stuck with Nuendo for now, but I do really like a lot about DP. It really is a great DAW for composing to picture. Download the DP demo and try it out. They both have advantages, and it really comes down to personal preference. Not every unique feature in a given DAW holds the same value every user.


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