Cubase/Nuendo

These are the major DAW software products from Steinberg. They are basically the same product except that Nuendo adds functionality geared towards music production for film, video, TV, games, etc. Nuendo is more expensive than Cubase. Cubase comes in several versions of varying levels of functionality and cost:

*Cubase SX - the most expensive, most fully featured version (usually around $600 new)

*Cubase SL - the mid-range version, in terms of features and cost (usually around $300 new)

*Cubase SE - the low-end version, with more functionality restrictions but the lower cost (usually around $100 new)

In spite of what version you get, or whether you get Cubase or Nuendo, if they are all v3.x they will have basically the same user interface. That makes it easy to upgrade to more capable versions if necessary. Probably any of the versions of Cubase would be suitable for most fighters' needs.

Cubase/Nuendo use VST based plugins for effects and virtual instruments. They also support ReWire, which is a protocol for working with other audio software such as Reason. You can open Nuendo projects in Cubase and Cubase projects in Nuendo. They also run on both Macs and PCs. There are many more VSTs available for the PC versions than for the Mac versions, though, generally speaking.