Cubase Pro 8.

5
Cubase Artist 8.5
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December 2015
Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH

Table of contents
Welcome .................................................................................................................................. 3
Welcome to Cubase! ...................................................................................................... 3
What is new in Cubase Pro 8.5 and Cubase Artist 8.5? ............................................ 4
Software license and system requirements .................................................................. 5
Software licensing ........................................................................................................... 5
Minimum system requirements ....................................................................................... 5
Installation and activation.................................................................................................. 6
Installation ........................................................................................................................ 6
License activation ............................................................................................................ 6
License activation Cubase Pro (trial version)................................................................ 7
Technical support and additional resources................................................................. 8
Register your software first ............................................................................................. 8
Technical support ............................................................................................................ 8
Updates for download..................................................................................................... 8
Hardware drivers ............................................................................................................. 8
Steinberg USB-eLicenser .............................................................................................. 9
DAW key command presets........................................................................................... 9
The Steinberg user forum ............................................................................................... 9
Known issues in Cubase ................................................................................................ 9
Additional technical information.................................................................................... 10
Cubase 64-bit version .................................................................................................. 10
Old VST plug-ins ........................................................................................................... 10
Notes about using SoundCloud .................................................................................. 10

Credit notice:
Steinberg, Cubase, Groove Agent, ASIO and VST are registered trademarks of Steinberg Media
Technologies GmbH. Windows and DirectX are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and other countries. Mac, Mac OS and OS X are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the
U.S. and other countries. Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. AM D is a
registered trademark of Advanced Micro Devices. All other product and company names are trademarks
and registered trademarks of their respective holders. All specifications are subject to change without
notice. Made in Germany. Copyright 2015 Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. All rights reserved.
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Welcome
Welcome to Cubase!
Congratulations and thank you for purchasing Steinbergs
Cubase Pro 8.5 or Cubase Artist 8.5!
Cubase has a very long and successful lineage, going all the
way back to 1989. Since its first release on the legendary
Atari computer, Cubase has become a household name
around the globe. And this is just one of many reasons why
musicians, producers, composers and audio engineers have
turned to Cubase over the past quarter century and made it
the home of their musical creativity.
The goal for this iteration was to combine latest technological
advancements with creative capabilities: to mix innovation
with inspiration, to marry professionalism with passion. And
we believe that weve succeeded in delivering just that.
The list of new features in Cubase Pro 8.5 and Cubase Artist
8.5 is long, and while some of them are immediately
apparent, others are tucked away to work effectively in the
background.
If you are an upgrading customer, we thank you for your
continued faith in us. If you are entirely new to Cubase, we
hope you appreciate the new possibilities that our advanced
music production system has to offer.
Either way, please fill us in on your experiences with Cubase
by
referring
to
our
internet
forums
at
www.steinberg.net/forum or through the contact channels for
your region, the information of which you can find on our
website.
The Start Center runs automatically as soon as you insert the
Cubase DVD. If you take a closer look, youll notice that we
link to our trial versions, and we invite you to explore other
Steinberg software titles, which will encourage you to
continue to push your creative envelope.
Please do not forget to register with us through MySteinberg
to gain access to online support offers and additional
exclusive services.
We wish you a lot of musical inspiration when working with
your brand-new Cubase DAW!
Your Steinberg Team

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What is new in Cubase Pro 8.5 and Cubase Artist 8.5?

To get an overview of the new features Cubase Pro 8 and
Cubase Artist 8 have to offer, please take a look at:
www.steinberg.net/cubase85

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Software license and system requirements

Software licensing
Please read the Software End User License Agreement
displayed on your screen when installing Cubase. By
installing the software you are declaring yourself to be in
agreement with the conditions in the contract.
If you want to read the Software End User License
Agreement independently from the installation process, or if
you want to print the contract, youll find the text file on the
DVD and downloaded medium in the Additional
Content/License folder. Please open the file in your
preferred language.

Minimum system requirements

Please make sure that your system meets at least the
following minimum system requirements.
PC

Mac

Windows 8.x / 10

OS X versions 10.10 / 10.11

Intel or AMD dual core CPU

8 GB RAM (minimum: 4 GB)
15 GB free HD space
1920 x 1080 display resolution (minimum: 1366 x 768)
Graphics card with DirectX 10 and WDDM 1.1 support
(Windows only)
USB port for USB-eLicenser (license management)
OS compatible audio hardware
DVD-ROM dual-layer drive
Internet connection required for activation, account setup and
personal / product registration. Additional downloads may be
required for the installation.

For recommended systems and support of future

operating systems, please refer to the Support section on our
website www.steinberg.net.

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Installation and activation

Installation
DVD installation
Depending on your system, the Cubase Start Center
program on the DVD may start automatically. If no interactive
start menu appears, view the contents on the DVD and
double-click the file Start Center under Windows or Start
Center on a Mac computer. From here you can start the
installation of Cubase and browse through the additional
options and information.
Download installation for PC
The installers are also available as a download from:
http://www.steinberg.net/c85dl
Windows PC
After the download double-click the archive for selfextraction. After extraction, open the resulting folder and
double-click the file Start Center to start the Cubase Start
Center application. From here you can start the installation of
Cubase and browse through the additional options and
information.
OS X
After the download open the disc image. Double-click the file
Start Center to start the Cubase Start Center application.
From here you can start the installation of Cubase and
browse through the additional options and information.

License activation
The retail version of Cubase ships with a USB-eLicenser
which is pre-loaded with a 25-hour license. It allows you to
use Cubase up to 25 hours of non-consecutive operation
time. The remaining time will be displayed each time you start
Cubase. Please make sure to activate your Cubase license
permanently within this timeframe, as it will not run without a
permanent license. For further details, please read:
http://www.steinberg.net/activate
USB-eLicenser authorization is also covered in detail in the
printed Quick Start Manual as well as in the Operation
Manual PDF.
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License activation Cubase Pro (trial version)

The trial version of Cubase Pro can be activated using an
USB-eLicenser, which must be purchased separately. It
allows you to use Cubase up to 30 days of non-consecutive
operation time. The remaining time will be displayed each
time you start Cubase.
For further details, please read:
http://www.steinberg.net/activate/

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Technical support and additional resources

Register your software first
Please register your version of Cubase with us through
MySteinberg to gain access to online support offers and
additional exclusive services. To do so, visit:
http://www.steinberg.net/mysteinberg

Technical support
Steinberg product specialists are also on hand to provide
individual assistance at:
http://www.steinberg.net/en/support
Please note that you are required to register your product
online to receive technical support and information.

Updates for download

Developing software is an ongoing process that perpetually
gets closer to perfection without ever achieving it, thus we
encourage you to make sure you are using the latest version
of Cubase at all times.
Download the current installer/patch from the respective
download page at:
http://www.steinberg.net/en/support/downloads

Hardware drivers
Cubase requires recent drivers and components for your
audio and remote controller hardware, so please make sure
that the latest versions are installed before you start working
with Cubase.
You can download the most recent drivers for all Steinberg
hardware from the respective download page at:
http://www.steinberg.net/en/support/downloads

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Steinberg USB-eLicenser
Should you experience any difficulties with your USBeLicenser, go to the Additional Content/Copy Protection
Driver folder on the DVD and double-click the included
installation setup file. Alternatively, you can download and
install the latest version of this software at:
http://www.elicenser.net/en/latest_downloads

DAW key command presets

Cubase is installed with key command presets for Pro Tools,
Logic and Sonar. These presets map common key
commands used on these DAWs to corresponding Cubase
functions.
Please take a look at the Pro Tools Key Commands Preset
document in the Read Me Files folder on the Cubase DVD
for more details.

The Steinberg user forum

Meet the global community of Cubase in the official
Steinberg forums for tons of tips and other useful information
at:
http://www.steinberg.net/forums/

Known issues in Cubase

For a list of known issues and solutions, please take a look
at:
http://www.steinberg.net/Cubase_85_Version_History_Issues_and
_Solutions
The known issues and solutions list contains may only relate
to specific Cubase versions. Please be sure to read through
it before contacting the Steinberg support team.

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Additional technical information

Cubase 64-bit version
OS X
Cubase will start as 64-bit application by default. If you want
to start Cubase as 32-bit version, select the Cubase
application icon and then choose Get Info from the context
menu. In the Get Info window, check Open in 32-bit
mode.
When using Cubase in 64-bit mode, the VST Bridge
allows you to load Intel-compiled 32-bit VST 2.4 plug-ins
only. VST 3 32-bit plug-ins are not supported. Please check
with the respective plug-in manufacturer if and when your
favorite plug-ins will be available in native 64-bit format. If
not, switch to 32-bit mode as described.

Windows PC
Users of Windows 64-bit editions have the choice of
installing either the 32-bit version and/or the native 64-bit
version (default). Both versions can also be installed on one
computer.
The 64-bit version of Cubase contains the VST Bridge,
which allows you to run VST 2.4 plug-ins and instruments, if
theyre not available in 64-bit format.
When working with the 64-bit version of Cubase, you may
encounter issues with third-party plug-ins if they are not in
compliance with the User Account Control (UAC) feature of
Windows. Affected plug-ins are, for example, based on the
SynthEdit audio plug-in creator. In such cases, please try to
start Cubase with administrator privileges.
Please note that VST 3 plug-ins in 32-bit wont be
available using the 64-bit version of Cubase. 32-bit plug-ins
based on Waves Waveshell are not supported.

Old VST plug-ins

Outdated VST plug-ins may render the application
unresponsive. Please use only VST plug-ins built with VST
SDK 2.4 or higher.

Notes about using SoundCloud

While uploading mixes from Cubase to your SoundCloud
account, your web browser will open and the SoundCloud
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website will ask you to connect Cubase to your SoundCloud

account. Once you have confirmed this connection, it will be
valid for several hours, so you do not need to re-connect
Cubase with every other upload.
To disable the connection between Cubase and your
SoundCloud account, log in to SoundCloud and click on the
Revoke access button under Settings > Connections.
Please note that the web browser Opera is not
supported for uploading audio material from Cubase to
SoundCloud.

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