Hi all,
I switched from Logic to Cubase six years ago because of Expression Maps and Instrument Tracks. It has served me well, I was very comfortable with using it with a slave running VEP and a very large template. Workflow was good, I lived with the inevitable quirks, upgraded regularly, gone through many TV/Film scores and was quite happy with my investment.
With the Cubase 9 "update", however, I'm starting to feel more and more like a Steinberg cash cow. None of the suggestions proposed by serious professionals were integrated, modifications normally associated with a point-upgrade are being hailed as major new features and the general feel is an aimless and tone-deaf project. For the first time in years I will not upgrade my DAW.
I kept looking over the years at other products, of course, but none seemed to fit the bill, for me at least (mostly orchestral MIDI with a bit of audio recordings for soloists). I'm now looking again at DP, which is probably wonderful for those who've grown up on it. As much as I'd like to have a "chunks" feature for composing different versions of the same arrangement, I still can't get around the interface.
I could get back to Logic but I don't know how it's evolved. Moreover, with Apple looking more and more like they're neglecting the professional user base, I'm not sure I can trust Logic for the coming years, especially in the light of the years-long confusion they've caused for professional editors with Final Cut Pro.
I can't use a notation program to compose, for several reasons.
Because of their excellent attention to detail and dialogue with their users, I've asked VSL in the past to create a sequencer for the serious linear composer (by that I mean something with no loop-based gadgets, chord tracks or sample-mangling features). They kindly replied that they had other things on their mind...
Pro Tools might be an option but last time I checked its MIDI features were pretty basic. Reaper 5 has Lua scripting which could help immensely with repetitive handling of MIDI data but it's a whole new program to learn and I'm not sure it's worth the effort.
So I'm asking those who work for TV or film in a similar configuration to mine — master with a large VEP slave, complex keyswitches and remote control needs, composing mainly to picture — if their DAW is up to the task, which one they're using, and how is real-world support and feedback. Also, if you've been thinking about switching to Cubase, it might be interested to mention it, because it would be a classic case of grass being greener. Maybe there aren't that many options after all.
Thanks.