ok here here’s a few things that caused these changes.
1• The new design of the mixer is clearly based on a total rewrite that was necessary as the code was old and it was not possible to update it to handle longstanding requests for multiple pre/post inserts etc.
2• The programs GUI design is basically the same for a very long time. With the technical need for new code for the mixer they decided to “upgrade” the GUI quite a lot. Conceptually it was decided it had to be based on a specific idea for a new controller developed by Yamaha.
3• A very long standing user request for years and years especially in the Cubase camp has been for a re sizable mixer. What for, I have no idea. But apparently it was asked for enough that Steinberg considered it a important concept to base the new GUI design around.
4• Other long standing requests have been for better metering. multiple type PPM and digital meters as well as Loudness meters. The old meters in the C/R really were close to useless so any new meters had to replace them.
These four points I know are valid. I’m sure there might be others I dont know of.
they all affect the choices and design decisions taken by Steinberg devs.
I clearly do not agree with them in quite a few different design areas.
Would I have been sad if they kept a more traditional Steinbergian GUI design and kept the old CR design but with new and added metering? No I wouldn’t.
Could I see that they in any way would have been able to do so while making it work with the Yamaha designed controller? Nope.
And Yamaha owns Steinberg…