Cubase and Nuendo were created by the Steinberg company and have gone through many changes over the past years with technological advances leading the way to more powerful tools for audio and video editing. Cubase was first released in 1989 and was one of the first digital software suites available on the market. Nuendo was introduced in the year 2000 as an alternate version of Cubase, more appropriate for post-production.
Both Cubase and Nuendo have recording capabilities that are dependent on your computer's overall processing power. Each program can use multiple effects on each channel during mix-down, but the main difference between the two is that Nuendo is geared to post-production and video editing. It has video editing features not seen in Cubase and it is capable of full 5.1 surround sound and the editing of this format, whereas Cubase is more adept at stereo music tracks.
Due to its advanced nature, Nuendo is far more expensive than its audio brother, Cubase. Nuendo 4, the newest version of Nuendo, includes the newest state-of-the-art automation system and retails for $2,340. However, it can be purchased on websites such as Musicians Friend and Music123 for about $1,800. Cubase 5, the latest version, has a retail price of $599 but can be bought for about $500.
Currently there are three versions of Cubase available for the music producer or engineer. The full version has all of the capabilities and the most features included. There is also a Studio edition that limits the inputs and outputs to 128 from 256, does not have extended channel EQ and has a limited amount of instrument sounds included. The most stripped-down version of Cubase 5 is the Essential package, which further limits your options, but has an attractive price for those who wish to begin recording on their own.
Currently there is only one version of Nuendo available and it is a full-featured suite of software including 32-bit surround sound capabilities as well as the most modern VST3 surround sound plug-ins. VST3 plug-ins allow the user to fully control effects that are added to tracks in a surround sound environment and were created by the Steinberg Company for use with Nuendo and its modern video and audio production capabilities.