We previewed it from the NAMM show back in January and said it was shipping immediately but that information may have been premature as Steinberg have just announced that Cubase Essential 4 is now being shipped out to their distributors worldwide although the availability of Cubase Essential 4 at local outlets may vary regionally.
Here’s all the details in Steinberg's own words from their website…
With its compact set of professional music tools, Cubase Essential 4 is your key to Cubase technologies used by countless pro musicians and producers worldwide. Featuring the pristine Cubase 4 audio engine, 31 next-generation VST3 plug-ins, advanced MediaBay browser and the cutting-edge AudioWarp system, Cubase Essential 4 puts the latest generation of Cubase at your disposal, and at a price to suit any budget.
Cubase Essential 4 - Personal Music Production System
Bringing to your desktop powerful tools for composing, recording, editing and mixing, Cubase Essential 4 is your entry-level ticket to the world of Cubase. Cubase Essential 4 shines with the same user interface and award-winning Audio Engine as Steinberg’s flagship Cubase 4. And that means when it comes to audio quality and intuitive handling, Cubase Essential rivals its bigger brothers. Any way you choose to use it - as a sequencer for your home recording studio or a multi-track recorder for the band rehearsal room - with Cubase Essential 4 you get the real deal at an unbeatable budget price.

• Audio + MIDI Recording and Mixing
• VST3 Plug-In Set (including HALion One and Guitar Amp Simulator)
• Professional Technology (32-bit Audio Engine, 24-bit/96-kHz Recording)
• Powerful Editors for MIDI and Audio Processing
• Media Bay database for sound management
• AudioWarp realtime time stretching/pitch shifting
• Cross-Platform: Windows and Mac OS X Universal Binary (compatible with PPC- and Intel-based Macintosh computers)

New Features
Cubase Essential 4 (formerly Cubase SE product line) sets a new standard for personal music production software offering powerful editing tools, a new set of plug-in effects, the HALion One Sample Player instrument, a great-sounding guitar amp and more than 60 other new features and improvements. With a new Arranger Track, linear and pattern-style arranging is now seamlessly integrated. New AudioWarp realtime time stretching and pitch shifting makes working with loops and tempo-based audio easier than ever.
Pricing and Availability:
Check with local distributor.
More information:

• www.steinberg.net
  
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