Cubase 10.5 HiDPI on Windows 10

My everyday struggle. I am so frustrated from this. IK multimedia of the screenframe, UVI of the frame (ok only with overriding the Cubase/Nuendo DPI settings), Melda of the screenframe etc etc. When overriding the program settings (using DPI from the application) … another issues are coming then. Cannot use third (non 4k screen). I cannot resize the track size in project, because is way too small, or way too big. Nothing between, there is a massive jump on track size (on 150% HiDPI) … I spent 33% of my work (not) solving this crap. Tired, tired, tired!!!

Meanwhile, Im still waiting for a reply from steinberg :laughing:

this is just sad :frowning:

Bump

Seems the only thing we can do now is wait and create a Zoom support group for all the frustrated 4K Windows users! I actually had to downgrade and buy 2 used 1080p monitors. This is the first time ever I’ve downgraded hardware for software.

To help with the Steinberg 4K GUI frustrations killing my creativity, I actually started using Bitwig and Cubasis on my 12.9 iPad in my creative DAW workflow… Bitwig really did an amazing job on the UI. It is very similar layout to Cubase/Nuendo with the inspector on left and media on right. Of course Bitwig’s post power, multichannel and MIDI editor is way behind Cubase Pro/Nuendo, but the Bitwig UI is far beyond Ableton. They have DPI awareness nailed down.

So for using my plugin synths in 4k, using their modulation options, modular grid and producing using scenes, finally music and my GUI has become fun vs frustrating. It just sucks to have to export/import all my songs via MIDI for post.

Also, the new Nuendo update also launched and nothing new on fixing the 4k flaws… but we now also have a color mixer like Cubase :>.

I really hope Steinberg management sees the many users suffering in the forums and can prioritize this even over launching new products… I know from working with Japanese and German Music Industry companies that they want to stick to launch timelines to the death, but the smart strategy is prioritizing the fix of the flagship UI flaws that enable the overall Steinberg ecosystem to flourish.

But, here we are at a point where the software is lagging behind the hardware in a CONSUMER environment. That’s the kicker. Not Professional, not Prosumer but it’s so far behind that the avg. consumer setup is surpassing the software. That should never happen.

btw, No to zoom…

“A third class action lawsuit was filed against Zoom in California, citing the three most significant security issues raised by researchers: Facebook data-sharing, the company’s admittedly incomplete end-to-end encryption, and the vulnerability which allows malicious actors to access users’ webcams.”

Thanks a lot for this workaround!!
I have bought KOMPLETE 12 and included instrument MASSIVE & MASSIVE X wouldn’t behave properly with 4K when using 150% scaling.
When pointing the cursor at any one control, it would actually be pointing at a point higher up on the right, until using your workaround then it lins up normally.
I have emailed N.I. to make their instruments scalable and asked my music shop to lobby also. They did reply to them saying their is no workaround but they have scalability in their list of WIP requests so let’s hope they are genuninely going to invest their time for us all.
They also said there is no workaround for the small text however Windows has a magnifier activated simply by Windows key & the + key, to cancel is Windows key & the Esc key which I find useful. Hope this helps others too looking at this thread.

Im on a 32" 4k benQ professional screen, and I was dismayed to see cubase 10.5’s high DPI (yes, I understand the difference between many pixels and high pixel density) mode implementation on windows10. And this was without anything loaded into the projects - no incompatible VSTs loaded. I guess developing things like that Backbreaker drum machine took precedent, etc etc.

Patching old complaints vs developing new business? Where is that meme with the guy ignoring his girlfriend, and whistling at the other as she passes by?

Kend - wow, thanks for the Windows + reminder, I totally forgot about the WIN+ WIN- WINesc shortcuts but I used to use it all the time! THAT WILL HELP ME A TON WITH MASSIVE/KOMPLETE KONTROL and some of the tiny plugins that cannot scale

Milkman - TOO funny about the whistling at the other girl while with his hot girlfriend analogy.

I felt the same way when Steinberg told us how long and hard it is to fix the UI bugs in a reasonable time frame, but then they announce Backbonebreaker drum and Cubasis for Android; their team clearly needs to reprioritize resources on making the core users and new core users Cubase/Nuendo 4L UI function properly over obvious niche products=.

And what about when a Cubasis user does a trial of the desktop DAW app? They won’t buy into the Steinberg ecosystem if it is not pixel perfect in 2020!

~20 months now with no fix in sight… sadly I am ordering a second 1080P monitor today, I cannot believe I have been forced to downgrade two of my monitors

Will it be the first time that a DAW loses customers because of its GUI?
Fact is, Steinberg’s customers are running away because they slept in that area!
I don’t know anything about programming, but it doesn’t have to be a vector graphic for free scaling, see U-he or Arturia.
But why did they start there (e.g. transport field)?
I would like to have Cubase back in the three-dimensional look as before, but with the ability to zoom in or out in percentage.
I have been following this problem for 5 years now! and again and again I get put off!
If it doesn’t happen in 11, they should admit that they can’t do it and not put off their customers with a cowbell in the metronome!
We don’t need more useless features that fill the program, we need a reasonable desktop!
…excuse my English…

I’m really wondering about all this anger, looking at this thread and other ones on the same subject… :open_mouth:

  • First, I would never have invested in a HiDPI monitor if I wasn’t sure that everything software related would be able to use the extra resolution in a transparent way.
  • From which, and seeing all the problems that arise here and there in all kinds of applications when HiDPI is involved, I carefully choosed a 32" 2560x1440 screen last november, when composing my present setup —> problem solved : using Cubase at 100% is a breeze with it and no compatibility mess to deal with…

It looks like the horse is riding you and not you the horse!..can it be!?

Seems so, indeed. But, as it is only 75 cm long with something like 7 kgs of weight, I manage…

FWIW (from Matthias Quellmann) : Cubase 10.5.20 Maintenance Update - #97 by Matthias_Quellmann - Cubase - Steinberg Forums.

It’s not just about the problem with HiDPI itself, it’s about Steinberg advertising HiDPI as a headline C10 feature when it just wasn’t ready. That was a very poor decision IMO, and now we’re told that it’s not going to be fixed until at least C11, for which customers will be expected to pay to upgrade to get something working that was promised 2 years previous. I’ve already sold on my licence, not just because of the HiDPI feature, but also because of these dubious bait-and-switch practices, the slow pace of development, and long-standing bugs.

I suggest you to read what’s in the link of my previous post. After this, the ‘slow pace of development’ and ‘long-standing bugs’, well… Yes, there are many things that I expect since years to be fixed/improved : just an example to illustrate my point. But it’s more or less the same thing for all DAW/host publisher, AFAICS.

I’ll take Reaper example, as it’s the one I know best. Almost everyone on the net praises how ‘reponsive’ the devs team is and and how quickly issues are solved. Meanwhile, Reaper is still plagued with MIDI bugs (stuck notes, among others…), an unusable navigator, display issues, with an increasing number of ‘actions’ and ‘scripts’ to solve the lack of basic stuff such as splitting an MIDI item/event without cutting the notes underneath, the whole thing slowly becoming a workflow nightmare (no less than 3000 scripts done by users - with no true quality control - publicly available in different places). And yes, the Reaper HiDPI management is still at the beta stage and themes dependent, as each involved graphic file related to a given component/control needs to be redrawed, and this for each and every scale : 125%, 150%, etc.

So, you’ll probably find a counter example elsewhere, but the truth is : all this, and especially the HiDPI mess, takes a lot of time to set properly. A time which isn’t used to solve the ‘Long-standing bugs’, as you named it. So, at the end, what choice should be done ?

That would be my pragmatic approach too, if I could find a good one but at 28"; research first, then spend. I can understand the anger of those who did that in reverse order but for the moment, I’m staying with 2 x FHDs.

I actually use NUENDO, which is marketed and has the features for music production for video editors/game developers. Just look at their ads and Youtube channel, they show PCs doing video/game development and using 4K screens. This is the category me and my company fall in, all our workstations REQUIRE 4K for game development and video editing. We need accurate color calibration, HDR, etc.

I think there are many other use cases of people requiring 4K (photo editing), or simply the choices of pro-grade color calibrated1080P monitors are scarce. I absolutely cannot believe I am defending the need for 4K in 2020, as we are shifting to 5k/8k already! I do agree if you use the workstation for mainly music and playing games, 1440P could be a sweet spot, but that still doesnt mean 4K HIDPI should not function.

The UI has to be fixed, the menus act odd, the plugins and video editor are cutoff, it is a Frankenstein of a UI. It is the number one thing people see all day and they cannot work around the bugs so in my eyes it is a critical flaw bug.

-V

Sorry, but… If their ads are showing 4K screens in action, it’s that the HiDPI is more or less functional, unless all have been done under OSX : I don’t know, I haven’t check. Beside this, I don’t deny the need for certain professional applications but again, I think that what Matthias Quellmann said on the subject should be carefully read and am rather skeptical about the absolute ‘need’ for a professional 4K/HiDPI use of several whiners on the subject : we all know that jumping on everything appearing as a brand new technology, no matter the pitfalls that could appear, is not a marginal behavior…

See above : to make things as short as possible, read again Matthias Quellmann…

I don’t know if using a HiDPI setup is such a nightmare and obviously, I’m not in a position to test it. So, could you post links to screenshots showing these issues ? I would like to see by myself to which point they prevent any use of Cubase on a daily basis. Until now, I haven’t seen one clearly showing that it’s the case…

I got a reply - finaly:

“Please excuse the very late reply! I would just inform you we have read your e-mail and you post on our Forum. Unfortunately, I do not have any solution to offer to you for improving the HiDPI resolution on Windows.
However, I can tell you the developers are working hard in order to find a solution. I hope it will arrive as soon as possible
Thank you for your understanding!”

Here are a few screenshots - notice also the top menu bars don’t properly work either - not only are my VSTs all cut, video cut, the menus appear in the middle of random places sometimes and also sometimes the text does not show or shows in strange places when you click. It really is quite crazy, this is the only program I’ve seen exhibit these behaviors.