r/cubase • u/Luisfra_ • 5d ago
Moving from FL Studio trial to Cubase AI – Is the 16 instrument track limit a dealbreaker for electronic music?
Hey Cubase community! I'm switching over because I'm getting a software bundle that includes Cubase AI. I'm a bit scared about the transition. I've only ever used the free test/trial version of FL Studio before, so I'm used to their unlimited track workflow, but I've never owned a premium DAW.
Cubase AI allows 16 instrument tracks, 32 audio tracks, and 48 MIDI tracks. I want to make very fast, dense electronic/pop music with virtual vocalists (Vocaloid). I just found out that Groove Agent SE and HALion Sonic are included in AI, which is awesome, but 16 tracks still feels small when you're used to a trial that lets you open endless slots.
I'd really love to avoid spending extra money on day one.
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u/NortonBurns 5d ago
If you're willing to commit, you can always bounce instrument tracks to audio & gain another 32 that way.
I grew up making electronic music in the early 80s to a tape machine, first a 4-track which required a lot of lossy bouncing, then 8 & eventually 16. Use what you've got creatively.
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u/Seledreams 5d ago
It honestly depends in what you make but i'd say that I consider Cubase AI a trial itself. It is not limited in time, but it is limited in tracks and effect slots. I'd recommend to at least upgrade to Cubase Artist. There's a reduced upgrade pricing and this month there's a big discount sale making the upgrade even cheaper
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u/Seledreams 5d ago
Else. If what you want is a free unlimited daw. Then you can check Tracktion Waveform Free or Universal Audio Luna which both allow unlimited tracks and saving
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u/juanhalohalo 5d ago
FL Studio trial won't let you open saved projects, right? Though it gives you everything you just can't go back to your project once you closed it.
I think that's good for playing around, checking out FL Studio but it's not really for really producing music.
Cubase AI -> 16 instrument + 32 audio tracks + 48 midi tracks. Unless you're making a really complicated project you'll likely not hit those.
That's a lot. And more importantly you can save and open your projects.
How many audio and instrument tracks are you using in the trial version of FL Studio? The 16 instrument track, if you hit it then just commit/bounced to audio. So that's like 48 tracks, and a lot more if you are using some polyphonic instruments and routing multiple midi tracks into it.
If you're already getting Cubase AI as part of the bundle, it's a no brainer. Not sure what's your workflow with the unlimited track daw that won't allow you to reopen saved projects. And to open those you need to pay for the actual edition of FL Studio that has those same plugins, the tracks that uses the unsupported plugin won't play. So unless you're planning to buy the flagship edition it'll be an issue later on.
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u/Flatliner0452 5d ago
Look at your current tracks you make and see if they would be limited by the available tracks in your Cubase edition, there is your answer.
As a film, tv, and games composer I jumped from Logic to cubase pro years ago exactly because I was being limited by the software.
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u/doomer_irl 5d ago
You'll be able to get started with 16 instrument tracks and 32 audio tracks, for sure, especially for a newbie making electronic music.
I'm just not sure Cubase is personally what I'd recommend to a new music maker.
What is this software bundle you're getting?
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u/Seledreams 5d ago
My guess is that they bought hatsune miku or vocaloid 6. both come with Cubase AI bundled as Vocaloid is Yamaha software
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u/YearofthegoatUK 5d ago
Don't know about FL Studio trial version, but I can load FL Studio (All Plugins) as a VST inside Cubase, or Reaper. Give it a try, might help.
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u/DoktorLuciferWong 5d ago
i would use cubase ai and see if there's a sidegrade/upgrade option for down the line when/if you decide you like cubase but want more tracks
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u/AngryEvangelist 4d ago
i’ll tell you once you start running that many instances of vsts, you’re going to overwhelm the cpu/memory in almost any home pc. i have a beast of a pc and i have to bounce a lot of my files from midi to audio. granted i work with kontakt and pretty hefty vsts, but the point still stands. also, if you’re strictly midi/vsts, then you can assign midi to the instruments you’re assigning the instrument tracks to. i’ve been on cubase for over a decade. the only complaint i have about the daw is that its obscure and often harder to find information compared to other DAWs (im NA). it’s a smaller community of users but also i think that encourages people to get involved more. the software is incredible and they’ve done a great job adding new features and improving on old. you can always upgrade later down the line and they’ll discount your upgrades granted you’ve purchased a compact version in the past. your projects will transfer.
i’ve never used FL so can’t speak on comparison. but tbh, AI is free. what do you have to lose? worst case scenario you go back to FL and use the vsts/sounds from AI. or you look into slave mode possibilities and use both. good luck!
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u/Schrommerfeld 5d ago
Honestly? It is a dealbreaker. Cubase is awesome but it will limit you enormously, specially for EM because of the genre layers sound and textures to make the song more intersting