Steinberg offers three editions of Cubase — Elements, Artist, and Pro. Choosing between them can feel confusing, especially when you're just starting out and don't fully know which features you'll need yet. Here's our honest, no-fluff breakdown.
The Quick Answer
Before we dive into the details, here's the simple version:
Elements (€99 / $99) is for beginners who want an affordable way in. It does everything you need to learn Cubase and make complete tracks, with some limitations on track counts and features.
Artist (€329 / $329) is the sweet spot for most producers. It removes nearly all the limitations that matter and adds powerful tools like VariAudio, the full Pattern Editor, and a significantly expanded plugin and instrument library.
Pro (€579 / $579) is for professionals, power users, and producers who need everything — Modulators, Control Room, Dolby Atmos support, advanced scoring, and the deepest mixing toolkit available.
The good news: Steinberg lets you upgrade at any time and you only pay the difference. So you're never locked in — start with Elements, and if you outgrow it, upgrade to Artist or Pro without wasting your initial investment.
Cubase Elements — The Entry Point
Price: €99 / $99
Elements is Cubase's entry-level edition, and it's important to understand that "entry-level" doesn't mean "toy." Elements runs on the same 64-bit audio engine as Pro, uses the same interface, and can produce genuinely professional-quality music. The limitations are in the depth of features, not the quality of the output.
What You Get
Up to 64 audio tracks and 128 MIDI tracks — more than enough for the vast majority of projects, especially when you're learning. A solid set of built-in instruments including HALion Sonic SE (a multi-timbral workstation), Groove Agent SE (drums and beats), and a selection of stock effects covering EQ, compression, reverb, delay, and more. The core MIDI editing tools including the Key Editor and Drum Editor. The MixConsole for mixing your projects. Basic audio editing and recording capabilities. AI stem separation (new in Cubase 15). The Chord Track and Scale Assistant for writing chord progressions.
What You Don't Get
No VariAudio — Cubase's built-in vocal pitch correction tool. If you record vocals, you'll need a third-party plugin like Melodyne or the free Graillon for pitch correction. No Chord Pads — the interactive chord triggering pads that make experimenting with progressions quick and fun. A simplified MixConsole — you get the core faders and panning, but not the full channel strip with advanced routing. A smaller effects and instruments library compared to Artist and Pro. No Retrologue, Padshop, Verve, or Trip instruments. Limited Pattern Editor functionality.
Who Should Choose Elements?
Complete beginners who want to learn Cubase without a big upfront investment. Hobbyists and bedroom producers who primarily work with virtual instruments and don't record much live audio. Students on a budget (Steinberg also offers educational pricing that makes Elements even cheaper). Anyone who wants to "try" Cubase before committing to a higher tier — knowing they can upgrade later and pay only the difference.
Our Take: Elements is a perfectly capable DAW for learning and making music. The 64-track limit won't affect most beginners for a long time. The missing VariAudio is the biggest limitation if you work with vocals, but third-party alternatives exist. For €99, it's a solid starting point.
Cubase Artist — The Sweet Spot
Price: €329 / $329
Artist is where Cubase starts to feel like a truly professional, no-compromises production environment. It removes most of the limitations that Elements imposes and adds several features that make a genuine difference to your workflow and output quality.
What You Get (Over Elements)
VariAudio — Cubase's built-in pitch correction and vocal editing tool. This alone is worth the upgrade if you record vocals. You can correct pitch, adjust timing, straighten vibrato, and even create harmonies — all without leaving Cubase or buying a third-party plugin.
Significantly more tracks — Artist supports far more audio and MIDI tracks, removing the 64-track ceiling that Elements imposes. For complex arrangements with lots of layers, this headroom matters.
Chord Pads — interactive, playable chord triggering pads that let you experiment with progressions in real time. Combined with the Chord Track (which Elements also has), this makes Cubase one of the best DAWs for writing chord-based music, even if you don't know much theory.
The full Pattern Editor — including the new melodic pattern sequencer introduced in Cubase 15, with monophonic and polyphonic modes, randomisation, and shape generators. This is a powerful creative tool for generating bass lines, arpeggios, and rhythmic patterns.
More instruments — Artist adds Retrologue (virtual analogue synth), Padshop (granular synth), Verve (felt piano), and Trip (electronic production instrument), plus the Writing Room Synths collection. These significantly expand your sound palette without needing third-party plugins.
More effects — roughly 67 effects plugins compared to Elements' smaller set. This includes the full MixConsole channel strip, more reverb options, and additional creative tools.
Multi-track AudioWarp — for aligning the timing of multiple audio tracks simultaneously. Essential for editing multi-mic recordings (like a drum kit or live band) to maintain phase coherence.
Advanced comping — improved tools for managing multiple takes and building the perfect composite performance.
What You Still Don't Get
No Modulators — the powerful parameter modulation system (LFOs, envelopes, random generators) that can automate any track or channel parameter dynamically. This is one of the most exciting creative features in Cubase 15, and it's Pro-only.
No Control Room — the dedicated monitoring environment for managing multiple speaker setups and cue mixes. Essential for professional studios, less critical for home producers.
No Dolby Atmos support — if you're working in immersive audio, you need Pro.
No Spectral Comparison EQ — which lets you overlay and compare the frequency content of two channels for surgical mix decisions.
No SpectraLayers One — the spectral editing tool for advanced audio surgery.
Fewer physical output buses — Artist supports fewer than Pro's 16 output buses. For most home studio setups, this won't matter.
Who Should Choose Artist?
Serious hobbyists and aspiring professionals who want a production environment with minimal limitations. Anyone who records vocals — VariAudio alone justifies the upgrade. Producers who want the expanded instrument library and won't need to buy as many third-party plugins. Anyone who's outgrown Elements and wants room to grow without jumping straight to Pro pricing.
Our Take: Artist is the version we recommend most often. It hits the sweet spot between price and capability — you get the vast majority of what makes Cubase powerful without the Pro price tag. The only features most producers will genuinely miss are Modulators (creative but not essential) and Control Room (studio-specific). For the majority of home producers and serious hobbyists, Artist is all you need.
Cubase Pro — The Full Experience
Price: €579 / $579
Pro is Cubase without any limitations. Every feature, every tool, every capability — fully unlocked. It's the version used by professional studios, film composers, mix engineers, and anyone who needs the absolute maximum from their DAW.
What You Get (Over Artist)
Modulators — dynamically modulate any track or channel parameter using LFOs, envelopes, random generators, sample and hold, crossfaders, and more. Cubase 15 expanded this system significantly with six new modulator types. If you're into sound design, creative mixing, or evolving textures, this is genuinely exciting.
Control Room — a dedicated monitoring section that lets you manage multiple speaker setups, headphone mixes, talkback, and cue mixes. If you run a studio with multiple monitoring paths or need to create different headphone mixes for performers, Control Room is essential.
Dolby Atmos and surround sound support — for immersive audio production. If you work in film, gaming, or spatial audio, this is non-negotiable.
Spectral Comparison EQ — overlay the frequency spectrum of any two channels and make EQ decisions with visual reference. Extremely useful for cleaning up frequency clashes between instruments.
SpectraLayers One — spectral editing for advanced audio manipulation. Think of it as Photoshop for audio — you can see and edit the frequency content of an audio file visually.
Advanced Expression Maps — deep integration with the Key Editor and Score Editor for controlling orchestral library articulations (legato, staccato, pizzicato, etc.) with precision. Essential for film and orchestral composers.
Unlimited audio and MIDI tracks — though in practice, Artist's track limits are high enough that most producers never hit them.
The full effects suite — around 90+ effects plugins, including everything in Artist plus additional mastering and creative tools.
Advanced audio export — batch export multiple formats and stems simultaneously. A significant time-saver for professional workflows.
Who Should Choose Pro?
Professional mix engineers and mastering engineers who need the full MixConsole capabilities, Spectral Comparison EQ, and advanced export options. Film, TV, and game composers who need Expression Maps, Dolby Atmos, and Control Room. Studio owners who need to manage multiple monitoring setups and cue mixes. Producers who specifically want the Modulator system for creative sound design. Anyone who simply wants everything available and doesn't want to think about limitations — ever.
Our Take: Pro is genuinely the most complete production environment available in any DAW. But for many producers — even experienced ones — Artist covers 95% of what they actually use. Buy Pro if you need specific Pro-only features, or if you want the peace of mind of never hitting a limitation. Otherwise, Artist is the smarter investment.
What About the Free Trial?
Steinberg offers a 60-day free trial of Cubase Pro. This is the smartest way to start — you get access to every feature in the full Pro version, giving you a chance to explore the complete toolkit and figure out which features you actually use before deciding which edition to buy.
After the trial expires, you choose which edition to purchase. If you found yourself constantly using VariAudio and the expanded instruments, Artist is your answer. If Modulators and Control Room became essential to your workflow, go Pro. If the core tools in Elements were sufficient, start there and upgrade later.
The Upgrade Path
One of the best things about Steinberg's pricing is the upgrade system. You only ever pay the difference between editions.
If you buy Elements (€99) and later upgrade to Artist, you pay approximately €230 (the difference between €99 and €329). If you go from Elements to Pro, you pay approximately €480. And from Artist to Pro, roughly €250.
This means there's genuinely no penalty for starting with a lower edition. Your initial investment isn't wasted — it's credited toward the upgrade. So if you're unsure, start lower. You can always move up when you need to.
Our Recommendation
If money is tight: Start with Elements. It's a fully capable production environment and you can make complete, professional tracks with it. Upgrade when you hit a genuine limitation — not before.
If you can stretch to it: Go straight to Artist. The jump from Elements to Artist is the biggest in terms of practical value — VariAudio, Chord Pads, expanded instruments, and the full Pattern Editor all make a real difference to your workflow and creative possibilities.
If you're a professional or you want the best: Pro gives you everything. No compromises, no limitations, no wondering "would this be easier in Pro?"
And whichever edition you choose, our tutorials work with all of them. We deliberately use stock plugins and instruments that are available across every Cubase edition, so nobody gets left behind. Whether you're on Elements, Artist, or Pro, you can follow along with every lesson.
🎹 Learn Cubase — Any Edition
Our Cubase tutorials work with Elements, Artist, and Pro. Start with our Beginner Course to learn the fundamentals, then level up with Beginner to Pro and our dedicated Mixing Tutorial. Free sample lessons available for every course.
Want the complete starter package? The Cubase Beginner Bundle includes courses, templates, and a sample pack at a massive discount.
All the best — the Born To Produce Team ✌️
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