A Steinberg program can crash or display errors upon start-up for many reasons. Before looking at some of the possible culprits it’s good to understand what exactly takes place when a Steinberg program launches:

• On start-up, Cubase/Nuendo begins to “talk” to the computer’s Operating System (Windows XP, Mac OS X etc)
• A verification of a connected USB dongle is made
• A request for the use of MIDI hardware is made
• Video playback components are scanned
• A request for the use of audio hardware (ASIO) is made
• Compatible plug-ins (such as VST, Direct-X, Software Instruments, etc) are scanned

Cubase/Nuendo now opens with a successful acquisition of all necessary components

Crashes or start-up error messages occur when something goes wrong in the steps outlined above. Here are some explanations as to why a crash can occur at each step of the start-up process:

1. Upon start-up, Cubase/Nuendo begins to “talk” to the computer’s Operating System (Windows XP, Mac OS X etc)

A crash at this point can occur because:

• Too many background applications are running on your computer at the same time that you launch Cubase/Nuendo.
• Poor or corrupt installation of your computer’s Operating System
• Incompatible Operating System
• Virus Infection
• Using a computer that does not meet the minimum system requirements
• Corrupt installation of Cubase/Nuendo
• You’re not running the latest updated version of Cubase/Nuendo

2. A verification of a connected USB dongle is made

A crash at this point could be due to:

• Corrupt copy-protection drivers
• Outdated copy-protection drivers
• Damaged USB dongle
• The license on the USB dongle is invalid
• The computer’s power suppler isn’t providing adequate power to the USB bus
• The USB host controller is sharing resources with other computer components (audio card, video card, hard drive controller, Firewire, etc)
• Too many devices are connected to the USB bus (Dongle, MIDI interface, printer, scanner, web-cam, etc)

3. A request for the use of midi hardware is made

A crash at this point can be because of:

• Corrupt or improper MIDI driver installation
• MIDI interface is in use by another program
• MIDI interface is sharing hardware resources with other computer components (audio card, video card, hard drive controller, Firewire, etc)
• Damaged MIDI interface

4. Video playback components are scanned

A crash at this point could be because:

• The Operating System’s video playback components are corrupt
• Direct-X, Video for Windows or Direct-Show on PC
• QuickTime on MAC
• The latest version of PC or MAC video playback engines is not in use
• Video components are already in use by another application
• An incompatible video codec

5. A request for the use of audio hardware (ASIO) is made

A crash at this point could be due to:

• Corrupt or improper audio driver installation
• Audio hardware being already in use by another application
• Audio hardware sharing hardware resources with other computer components (MIDI interface, video card, hard drive controller, Firewire, etc)
• Damaged audio hardware
• Word Clock is not properly set or configured

6. Compatible plug-ins (such as VST, Direct-X, Software Instruments, etc) are scanned

A crash at this point could be due to:

• Corrupt or improper plug-in installation
• Incompatible Plug-in
• Plug-in is not VST 2.3 compliant
• You are not running the latest version of the plug-in
• The plug-in is NOT dual-processor compliant
• Outdated version of Direct-X (PC only)
• The plug-in’s copy-protection being not present, corrupt, or expired
• The plug-in’s content cannot be found or loaded
• The plug-in being powered by dedicated hardware (UAD-1, Powercore, etc) and is:
• Sharing resources with other computer resources
• Improperly installed
• Damaged
• Incompatible with specific OS version

Finally, to prevent and eliminate crashes or error messages when launching Cubase/Nuendo, always make sure the following is in order:

• Your computer system meets or exceed the minimum system requirements
• Your software applications, plug-ins and video drivers are compatible, properly installed, and updated to the latest versions
• The hardware driver’s dongle, MIDI and audio are compatible, properly installed and updated to the latest versions
• Background running applications are minimized to optimize system performance and reduce conflicts

Understanding how Cubase/Nuendo operates, and then following these guidelines, are essential ingredients for maintaining a reliable music production system.