Another question about Mac GUI for N8.5

I was looking forward to N8.5 and finally upgrading since it will be far closer to Cubase with features now – hopefully both will get on the same release schedule at some point soon. Someone else asked about this a while ago but I can’t find the post, sorry!

GUI performance on Cubase on Mac is still at a non-professional level in many ways and though I probably won’t get an answer I want to ask anyway: Are there plans to make Mac GUI performance at a pro level?

Cubase is really a drag to use in some ways because of the GUI issue. It’s been improved for sure but still has many issues that very much get in the way of professional speed/workflow. Nuendo is the highest end of Steinberg’s products and I would love to know if making it as good as it is on Windows GUI-wise is an extremely significant priority for N8.5? If it isn’t fixed by then I don’t know what I’ll do. At this point I’m auditioning other DAWs because it’s just become too maddening to work on Cubase for the razor-sharp GUI speed I’m used to and need when I was on Pro Tools and also when I was on Reaper for a short bit. There are large amounts of complaints about it on the forums here (also on Gearslutz, VI-Control, and KVR).

I would simply like to know if this is a significant priority or not. I very much understand that it’s a big job, but Nuendo is a lot of money – far too much to spend on something that is far behind other DAWs I’ve used as far as GUI speed/smoothness. Sorry if this comes across as a rant, but I really want to know because I’m starting to audition other DAWs and would stop if I knew it was in the top of the list for fixes for N8.5.

Thank you!

I’ve been wondering for years about the performance of simple mouse functions on my MacPro. Nuendo is the ONLY program I have issues with. A simple double click to change track names is often a 3-4 second exercise. Its totally maddening and beyond unacceptable. I just don’t get it.

I would like to know the same. I think the situation has become unsustainable; I’ve got a 2 year old maxed out iMac 5k sitting here that CPU-wise is more than capable of handling large sessions (as when switching to Bootcamp to Windows with Cubase shows, and as other DAW’s on Os X like Logic and Studio One show GUI-wise), with 300-400 tracks, multiple Vsti’s etc.

But the GUI just can’t keep up. I’ve toyed with the idea of getting an iMac Pro but there seems little point when the issue isn’t the computer or OS, but the lacklustre coding. All the more surprising as in promotional material Cubendo is often shown running on a Mac!

Whatever cross-platform solution SB is using, it appears to favor the PC over the Mac.
Speaking to a Mac and IOS developer friend he mentioned there are a number of GPU-accelerated solutions for responsive GUI’s on OSX, including Apple’s own ‘Metal’ layer.

Right now we don’t even know if SB is considering this…

Agreed. There is no comparison with Pro Tools, Reaper, and Studio One on my same computer (and other Mac users I know that that I’ve seen Nuendo or Cubase on). They are all completely fast and responsive. As you said: It’s the software, not the Mac.

I won’t – and I wouldn’t expect pros to continue to – shell out the large amount of money for Nuendo if it performs far worse than other DAWs on Mac, GUI-wise.

All I (and I assume others like you) need is very positive confirmation from Steinberg that this is an absolute priority for them, unless they are considering being Windows-only…in which case they should tell us so we can move on to another DAW if we want to stay on Mac. Please communicate very specifically and very clearly with us on this, my friends at Steinberg!

:frowning:

I’m with you on this :neutral_face:

crickets

I’m actually getting angry about this…which rarely happens with me! This is such a major issue that is greatly hurting my everyday work, and I would like a very definitive and specific answer now please. I and others here are professionals who use Cubase/Nuendo for our livelihoods, and we need to know what’s going on with this longstanding significant problem so we can decide what to do in order to sustain our work/work speed. Going to Windows (lots of $$ and lots of effort) just to fix a problem that no other DAW has on my Mac has is absurd. Moving to another DAW takes huge amounts of time and effort. This problem for your users does not/will not make some/many of them faithful to Steinberg.

Silence is a bad business move, just like it’s a bad move in relationships. I’ve written some of the higher up mods very respectfully, with no response. I’ve also written Steinberg support a couple of times. No response. I just want to know if this is an extreme priority and is being worked on in a major way. This Steinberg user is frustrated and angry.

knock knock knock :slight_smile: I really want to stay with Cubase and upgrade to Nuendo – please let me know the answer to my question.

As much as I want to know about this, too, I get the feeling that whatever the Steinbergers do in this thread, someone will be unhappy. :confused: I can’t really blame them for not posting in here.

That’s a really good point, you’re totally right.

Regardless, I’m at the end of my rope with them at this point because of this specific issue, and am deciding which DAW I’m going to start moving to. I know it won’t be without its own problems, but aside from the problems that every individual DAW has, the other ones are not handicapped across the board with the GUI issue. Hopefully I’ll get some news to keep me on the Cubendo platform before I’ve moved completely…all I want to do is stay, but with the GUI issue on Mac it’s just not workable for me anymore with the huge-sized projects and tight deadlines I deal with every day.

I understand and have no anger about the fact that pretty much no one cares if I stay or go with Cubendo, but there it is. :smiley: