There is also a new version of Cubase out, version 3. That said, this is still a good book. There are several things in it that are not in the manuals, or are not presented as well in the manuals that come with Cubase. And it is still a valid Cubase reference even with the new version.

I could not help but think as I read it, that the author must have been reading the manual as he wrote the book. Much of the same information is presented. Although I do have to admit that his writting style is a lot better than the stale prose in the manual, the content was not a big leap from the manual, but rather a modest step forward.

The CDs I found to be a waste of time. Mostly it is a high speed blitz demo that impressed me with the need to say a lot of stuff in a hurry. It was not particularly easy to follow, nor was it particularly helpful. I was left with the impression that they were trying to sell me something I already owned. Namely Cubase.

A better use of CD space would have been some examples from the book, a collection or two of presets with some mix samples. Even a few free and trial VST instrument and effects would have been welcome. A few work arounds for the LE folks who dont have all the bones in the SX version would have been proper too.

All that said, it presents the material well and I do prefer it as my desk reference over the manual by a fair margin.

As a final note, this book helped me decide to shell out the money for the SX 3 upgrade. Before I read this book I was just angry with Steinberg for making the SL version so cheesy. Reading this I found that SL is a valid platform for musicians wanting to plunk out tunes at home, but SX is where the pros live. SX is not just about surround sound. This book helped me put that into proper perspective.