Cubase
Cubase is a professional digital audio workstation (DAW) from Steinberg, used worldwide by music producers, composers, sound engineers, and recording studios for music composition, MIDI editing, audio recording, mixing, and mastering. It offers advanced features including a comprehensive control room, Dolby Atmos support for spatial audio, extensive VST and VST3 plugin integration, scoring and notation tools, and flexible automation. Cubase is available in three tiers—Elements, Artist, and Pro—with a free trial available. The app supports both audio and MIDI workflows and is optimized for professional-grade music production on macOS.
AI Recommendation
1 suggestionCubase has shipped a native Apple Silicon build since version 12, released in March 2022. If you are still running Cubase 11 or an older Intel-only version, update to the latest release via Steinberg's Download Assistant or directly from steinberg.net. This will give you full native Apple Silicon performance with noticeably lower CPU usage, improved battery life on laptops, and better real-time audio processing. When you launch the updated Cubase on an M-series Mac, the splash screen should display the native architecture rather than "Rosetta 2". Be aware that while Cubase itself runs natively, third-party VST and AU plugins may still be Intel-only; check with individual plugin vendors about native Apple Silicon builds, or use a wrapper tool like Blue Cat's PatchWork or Meta Plugin to run older plugins in translation if needed. This approach will keep your music production environment working and fully optimized through macOS 28 (September 2028) and beyond.
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