[thesilentdrummer]

Quality: 9
This review is for the latest Version, Cubase LE 4. My version came bundled with my PreSonus Firestudio Project. Upon starting work with it (I previously acquainted myself with Cubase SE3), I was shocked. The interface was a little bit more "artsy", but everything else was great - that is, the same or better as SE3. My favorite feature of this Limited Edition software is the ability to use 8 INSERTS and 8 SEND EFFECTS ON EACH CHANNEL!!! Everything else is kinda dwarfed by this. As typical for entry level recording software, you can use VST plugins and instruments and do all the Audio and MIDI recoding expected from a DAW.

Reliability: 6 (UPDATE: 9!)
Everything is flawless except for all the "process effects". By this, I mean that by selecting an audio clip, then going to Audio=>Process=>[effect], flat out doesn't work. Actually, doing so causes a fatal error that crashes Cubase LE. As of January, Steinberg acknowledged the problem but hadn't issued any fixes. There may be some out there now or in the future. Other than that, it holds up very well. UPDATE: An update issued in february corrected this issue. It works as intended.

Overall Rating: 8 (UPDATE: 9!)
For a 48 track DAW, this is one pretty sweet setup. The 8 inserts and effect sends are really great. It would be nice to be able to use the process effects, but there are ways around it by means of plugins and automation. Overall, I am incredibly happy with this. My only cause to upgrade out of the LE is if I need more than 48 tracks. It might seem limiting, but unless you do a lot of layering, then you shouldn't run into a problem.