The Complete Guide to Music Technology using Cubase 11

I'll start this review with a small disclaimer, I am a longtime Steinberg Cubase, and just overall computer DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software user, I have used some form of Cubase probably close to twenty years for making music which is not something I do for a profession. That being said I still learned some new tips and techniques from reading this book, and also clarified some things that Cubase had implemented since about version 9 that I was now under-utilizing. Many newer users and younger people will probably say, "Yeah but there's tons of YT/online tutorials covering much of these same topics" Well yes and no. Yes, even Steinberg has its own weekly YT livestream which is great and covers many topics and aspects of using Cubase from use in Soundtrack/Video scoring to Midi Time Code to you name it. But the problem with these is that all the useful information isn't available in one stream or one place, and not every episode covers all of the topics you may be wanting to brush up on. In short its great to have a handy reference that I can refer to, and the book doesn't just cover Cubase but also general Music Theory and Computer Composition. There was an older book series called Cubase Power that was good but I don't believe those are still in print. Further resources/ reference for Cubase/ or any other DAW:1) Music Theory for Computer Musicians2) Dance Music Manual - Rick Snowman3) Composition for Computer MusiciansAlso recommend:Dom Sigalas videosSteinberg Live StreamOverall Darren Jones does a really great job in not just explaining Cubase's features in this book, but also practical examples of why you should use them. Even his section of MediaBay is great because it got me to clean up and organize how I was using Media Bay, clean up your Media Bay, clean up your beats (Music). Yes there are other great programs to use besides Cubase these days for Music Production, and for the people who will swear by Studio One, Ableton, Logic, FL Studio, I respect your opinions and views, and no you don't have to buy a book to learn how to master any DAW, but sometimes at least for me, using a reference is good because it encourages me to try things that I probably wouldn't do from just watching a video. In addition to Cubase I currently use MPC Beats, and also Reason, but I still find the Cubase workflow the best mix of ease of use/power in editing. Thanks for reading this kinda long review!

I never write reviews – I’ve got better things to do. But in this case, I felt compelled to write one because of how misleading the reviews on this book here are.I’ve been a Cubase Pro user since version 7.5. I use it roughly 30+ hours a week and have for like 6+ years. I’ve browsed this book for about 3 hours so far (so I’ve barely scratched the surface), and WOW. I have learned things that will shave BIG chunks of time from things I do daily! The Cubase manual is terse. It tells you how specific features work, but it’s up to you to figure out how to translate that into efficiency. This book is super practical in that regard… and teaches you practical aspects of how to sequence music… Again… stuff I do everyday… and will do better now after reading this. Things that go beyond just the nuts and bolts of Cubase in and of itself.As far as all of the whining about “pictures being so small and blurry they’re worthless”? It almost put me off of buying this book! In fact, the only reason I went ahead and bought it anyway was because I was given a gift-card… so what the heck, right? I’m … well… let’s just say I’m old enough that my vision is an issue 😉. I have had ZERO PROBLEM seeing the content of the included pictures. Don’t let these ridiculous comments put you off of this book. If you are a Cubase user – I mean someone seriously interested in improving your Cubase chops – I think this book is superb. By the way, I’m not the author 😉!I’m all for being honest in a review but be HONEST… rather than just getting your jollies being critical for criticality’s sake. If you have a gripe, sure, say so. But I think the reviews on this page – at least with regard to the included screenshots are ridiculous. Climbing off of my soap box.Anyway, I like this book so much I bought his book on Dorico 3.5.

As the title says, this really IS a fairly complete guide to using Cubase to learn electronic music. For that I’d give it 5 stars. However as a guide to using Cubase, it is pretty perfunctory and incomplete. For that I’d give it 3 stars. e.g. The author gives no information about the Control Room function dismissing it as “outside the scope of the book “. True, but if you’re using Cubase fully, this is a function you should be using.As a guide to learning electronic music with Cubase it’s a very good course, but for those of us with ANY experience in recording audio and composing with analog synthesis, fully half of the book is old news.As some reviewers said, they were looking for a hard copy of the official Cubase manual to more fully explain how to do things and be able to look things up easier. This ain’t it. The index is sparse.The title is absolutely accurate, and if that’s what you need, get this book. If you know all that stuff already, read the Cubase 11 manual, really READ it, and sort through the plethora of online videos. The official Cubase ones are good, just stop them often and replay because they move FAST. Good luck!

As I work through this guide, I'm finding it very thorough, comprehensive and overall very helpful. It has a few minor difficulties for me. First, the illustrations are so small that it's difficult to make out details. Secondly, there are little typos which can be misleading unless you catch them as you read and study the text. Lastly, there are some mistakes which can lead you down the wrong rabbit hole until you realize it. For ex, on page 24 the text instructs you to go to "EDIT" and then to "PREFERENCES" and then on to "GENERAL." You must first go to the "CUBASE" menu not the "EDIT." Bottom line: Helpful, but have the program open as you study, and watch out for errors.

I'm 42 pages into this book and am finding it frustrating.As others have said, the images are a) too small by far b) cropped so they are contextless c) monochrome.In all, the images are a waste of time.The text is good and helpful, but hasn't really been checked by someone not used to using Cubase - the author probably did the proofreading himself and missed the fact that in some of his explanations, he's missed vital information, such as where to find a given button, so whilst reading it, I need the Cubase manual open so I can cross refer to it. It makes for slow and laborious reading.

I've given this 5 stars because it's such a comprehensive manual. I found things in here I didn't know existed such as multiple ways to use chord tracks, arranger tracks and the logical editor. It's far far better laid out than Cubase's own manual and easier to follow. It also covers general music theory and general recording technology which will be applicable outside of Cubase. It's the most comprehensive book on the subject I've seen so far. Is it perfect - well nothing is. I would have preferred a better index and as others have commented the diagrams are small. Nevertheless it is a tremendous help to have this in easy reference form rather than having to sit through 15 minute videos which turn out not to cover the relevant topic. It would be churlish to give any less than 5 stars.

It's not a complete guide to Cubase 11, far from it.the author clearly knows his stuff, but does not know how to get that down in writing.Images are absolutely un-clearthe book has some useful bit but you have to dig through a load of detritus to get to itis it work purchasing, well at half the price its a %)/%) but full price that's a No.sorry mate you should have used a writing buddy, some one with authoring experience.

Excellent book, the book Cubase should come with. Yes, it would be nice to have some larger colour pictures etc., but it's the content that is important and I understand costs have to be kept down, otherwise the book would cost a fortune. Would recommend.

This book covers all that could be required of using CUBASE software. It is a very advanced book and in my view is very difficult for beginners who are unfamiliar with typical DAW software.