![]() ![]() ![]() Cubase development continues to this day, with v10 released last November and the program celebrating its 30th birthday this year.Ĭubase is arguably the main player in the story of computer music as we know it. Plugin support arrived in 1996, establishing the basic template we now think of as the modern DAW: MIDI sequencing, audio recording, audio effects and (eventually, with the implementation of VSTi in 1999) virtual instruments. Updates focused on very basic usability functions like editing and rearranging MIDI phrases, mixing MIDI signals and sending SysEx messages.Īudio functionality followed for the fast new Power Macs in 1993, using hardware developed by Digidesign for their new Pro Tools system. Until the early 90s, the software did little more than control external MIDI devices via a suitable interface. By modern standards, early Cubase was hilariously basic. So, what exactly did it do? Frankly, not a lot. Commodore 64 development shifted to the Atari 520ST, then the Commodore Amiga, then eventually the Apple Mac and Windows PC. Multitrack Recorder became Pro-16, then Pro-24, Cubit and eventually Cubase. Despite selling fewer than 50 copies, the program laid the foundation for a dynasty that continues to this day. The duo founded Steinberg Research (opens in new tab) and developed their first program, Multitrack Recorder, a 16-track sequencer for the Commodore 64. They were truly ahead of the game: the MIDI specification had only been formally announced the same year. How far back can we trace the story of modern DAWs? At least as far as 1983, when keyboard player Manfred Rürup met engineer Karl ‘Charlie’ Steinberg and conceived the idea of a software MIDI sequencer. (Image credit: Steinberg) The godfather of DAWs: Steinberg Cubase What was a sequencer, and how did that evolve into a DAW? How important was MIDI? What about trackers, chiptune and the demoscene? How did newer DAWs change the game? What about the computer platforms and programs that didn’t make it? Asking a few basic questions can help us understand the incredible music-making power we have at our disposal in software today. We wouldn’t go so far as to insist you must learn your history to understand how good we have it today, but it really puts into perspective just how far we’ve come in such a short space of time. Why does this matter? To many of today’s musicians, what happened more than three decades ago might seem irrelevant to the way we make music today. The idea of recording or editing digital audio on a computer was still a long way off, but even the earliest music programs offered new options that had never existed before. The musical landscape looked very different back then, with computers just starting to become a viable option for making music, and the introduction of MIDI was a revolution when it came to controlling synths, drum machines and samplers. ![]() The best DAWs 2020: the best music production software for PC and Mac ![]()
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