PreSonus Blog

Tag Archives: Studio One


Five New Sample Packs from Sample Tekk Now Available for Studio One

Click here to browse and shop!

We’ve got five new amazing sample sets from Sample Tekk that we’ve just added to shop.presonus.com. These packs are compatible with Studio One Prime, Artist, and Professional (version 3.3.4 and higher).

The White Grand

Sample Tekk recorded The White Grand with the finest equipment available, using a specially-designed digital recording technique to give you unequaled performance and sound. Prepare to explore a tactile and expressive feast, not heard in many sampled pianos today.


INIL Choir

Get the crazy ethereal choir sounds of “I’m Not In Love” by 10CC with INIL Choir! These choirs are unique—the combination of voices and the way they were produced have given them a sound that’s truly one of a kind. Now, SampleTekk, in cooperation with Eric Stewart of 10CC are very proud to release of The INIL Choir, thus taking one of the most famous analog samples into the digital era.


Tubed Keys

Great-sounding Rhodes for Studio One, recorded through a Fender Twin as the Rhodes was intended to be heard. Sample Tekk didn’t go for 80s sheen and gloss with lots of tines and overtones. The Tubed Rhodes is more representative the 70’s: a gritty, hard-core rythm’n’blues kind of sound.


The Rain Piano

Somber sounds of a piano that has been left out in the rain and elements. Musical, but with extra overtones and character. The Rain Piano has become a kind of a synonym for character pianos. It has been used and is still used on countless productions where you want something that adds a different flavor rather than using a normal piano.


Singularis

Old School piano recorded with vintage mics, tape, and preamps. In glorious MONO!

Click here to browse and shop!

A Cubase User, a Logic User, and a Digital Performer user Find Common Ground in Studio One

[We recently came across a great story—three different producers, all of whom use different DAWs, needed to collaborate on a single project. They decided that Studio One offered them the best of all three worlds, and chose it for their collaborative effort. Details below courtesy of Roger Hooper, Robert Holmes, and George Napier.]

GNapier Studio-5

George Napier’s Studio

George Napier kicks things off by describing the task at hand, as well as the backgrounds of the collaborators.

“Robert, Roger, and I took a group of 11 executives from a 75-person tech startup into Studio A of Omega Studios for two days of team building. We needed to prepare backing tracks and beds for them to play against. Roger is a film composer, former Logic guy and current Mac-based Cubase user. Robert is a musician and games music composer and a 20 year die hard Digital Performer user who switched to Windows on DP and was not liking the experience,” says George. “I’m a composer/sound designer and a bit of a serial monogamist when it comes to DAWs. I’ve used Studio One since version 1, left it for Logic/Cubase at 2.6, and came back to try it out with the release of 3 (all on Mac). FYI: We all work together on projects for each other’s companies. This particular project was done under Robert’s company ResonantClarity.

“The deadline was tight, and we needed a single DAW we could all use to develop the pre-work backing tracks and the final post studio mixes,” continues Napier. “and of course it had to work on Mac and PC. When I showed Robert Studio One he liked it, and by the end of the project it became and is now his primary DAW. Since Robert and I were using Studio One, when we brought Roger into the project, he downloaded the 30-day trial to work with us. Once Roger was on board with Studio One, we were 100% compatible across platforms and worked seamlessly together to finish the project on that really tight deadline. Roger end up liking Studio One so much in fact, he added it to his permanent arsenal.”
Napier has been with Studio One from the get-go.
“I think I had been using Digital Performer for a while when I tried out a demo of Studio One in early 2010. I fell in love with the drag and drop workflow and I couldn’t believe how efficient of a VI host it was and that I could use AUs and VSTs! I used it quite exclusively over the first few years but later switched to Cubase and Logic around version 2.6. But when Studio One 3 was announced, I was blown away.  I remember watching the announcement live on the web and repeatedly picking my jaw up from my desk. I immediately bought it and started working with it again, and have ever since.
Napier is quick to describe why he came home to Studio One.
“The GUI changes are pretty much what I hoped for, the new Mai Tai, extended FX chains, and multi instrument are great, the scratchpad is really innovative,” he asserts. “I do a lot of stuff in the box, so my DAW has to be an efficient VI host, with an efficient production workflow. In my experience, Studio One is one of the best ones out there. It’s also a more focused creative experience. There’s not a lot of menus, submenus, dialogue boxes, etc. getting in the way. The stuff you need is pretty much right in front of you or just a right-click away. I love it when the software gets out of the way.”

 

Roger Hooper is a longtime Cubase and Logic user who was new to Studio One for this collaboration. His impressions and description of the collaborative workflow follow.

RHooper Studio 3

Roger Hooper’s Studio

“I’ve been a Cubase user for many years; used Logic Pro for 18 years prior to that,” opens Hooper. “When I entered into this project with George and Robert, I composed a series of beds with Cubase. When we went into the editing phase, I created stems and put them in Studio One. After taking the beds into Omega Recording Studios to add live players, I edited some of the resulting files in Studio One. The three of us passed files back and forth to do various edits, as well as adding additional parts.”
Hooper found himself impressed with Studio One’s flexibility, particularly in regards to the easy mobility between Studio One’s Song and Project pages.
“I especially like the Start/Song/Project interface. When I’m working on cues for a client, I need to do a quick mastering version before submitting them for approval. I can do this in any program, but being able to go between the song page and the mastering page and back again to make changes is really slick. I sell my music on download only at this time, so being able to line up the mastered files in a timeline isn’t necessary for me, but its definitely a big plus for many artists who might otherwise use a competitor’s program for mastering their CD. The audio transpose and time stretch was very easy to learn, and very high quality. I had to change many of the live recorded parts to fit timing and harmonic sections of the music; Studio One did well in these tasks, and was easy to figure out. It also seems to be lighter on the CPU than other programs I’ve used.”
When prompted for user tips and tricks for Studio One, Hooper acknowledges that he’s new to the software, but found the most valuable resource to be Studio One’s robust online community.
“No user tips, but availing yourself of sites like Studio One expert, the YouTube channel from PreSonus, and various Studio One users is a great thing. Manuals aren’t always easy to digest, although PreSonus’ is very good. I used to work in music retail, and if I suggested ‘read the manual’ during a customer service call, well… that response was no good! The web has a wealth of knowledge on this program, and finding others’ perspective on how to operate it has been illuminating. Studio One seems very solid and I’m looking forward to getting to know it much better.”

 

Robert Holmes is a long-time Digital Performer user who made the switch to Studio One after a 20-year commitment to DP. He’s a self-proclaimed “old pop/rock studio guy from LA who ended up doing game scores in the golden age of adventure games.”

RHolmesStudio-0

Robert Holmes’ Studio

Asking Robert what he likes about Studio One begets a long response.
“I enjoy the lightness and flexibility, the direct simplicity yet high quality of the features is great. I love the drag and drop stuff, the different pages, and the small but meaningful touches like the Console Shaper, or the easy copying and input for inserts is really helpful. The importing and exporting processes are well thought out and really painless. They are all subtle things, but they add up to such an effortless dynamic that makes it easy to just sit down and get to making music quickly, which is a big priority for me. It’s just more nimble, more fluid, more no-nonsense, but the sound and the results are top tier. I’m still learning in every session, so the ability to have rollover reminders on functions and features is great! I tend to be very lazy in how I use effects, inserts, VST’s etc… I’m not always doing them in the most efficient way… but Studio One seems much more capable of bearing that load and keeping me working without locking up.”
Holmes even had a happy accident concerning Studio One’s Console Shaper.

“I had one interesting experience where I was mixing, and I was getting lots of crosstalk,” recalls Holmes. “And it was actually very cool from a sonic point of view, but it was making mixing a challenge. That’s when I discovered the Console Shaper had accidentally been activated  on the master track somehow and was in Crosstalk mode. So YES, the crosstalk really works if you want that Gold Star Studio Wall of Sound.”Despite a lengthy relationship with Digital Performer, Holmes has taken the plunge and made the switch to Studio One as a result of his experiences in this project.

“I had been a longtime Digital Performer guy, basically for the last 20 years. My pal George sent me the Studio One demo and suggested I give it a spin. As I’m a self-confessed immediacy freak with gear, the ease of entry and short learning ramp was very helpful when I had to make a quick jump from DP in the midst of a project. The similarities in workflow were helpful, yet it all was so much more fluid and responsive.

“I never looked back.”

James F. Reynolds on Studio One

[This just in from James F. Reynolds, pop and dance music’s “secret weapon.” He has mixed and produced a wide range of acts including Ellie Goulding, Emeli Sande, Years and Years, Tinie Tempah, and The Saturdays. Last year he made the switch to Studio One and was kind enough to share his insights with us.] 

• For what applications are you using Studio One Pro? (Example: for recording, composing, sound design, and so on; in a commercial studio, project studio, for live recording, etc.)
I use Studio One 3 Professional for mixing, production, and recording.

James F. Reynolds

James F. Reynolds

• What led you to choose Studio One? Was it the company’s reputation, audio quality, ease of use, specific features, price, other factors?
I spent many years using a combination of Logic, Pro Tools, and Ableton Live, as they all have strengths in different areas. I had been searching for a while for a DAW that has the best of all these platforms, for example:

  1. The creative speed of Ableton
  2. The accuracy and mixing ability of Pro Tools
  3. The lay out and ease of use of Logic.

Last year I had quite a few producers in my studio talking about Studio One and decided to investigate further. After taking some time to get to know the program, it became apparent that this was a program that has been thought out really well and ticks the box of being a one stop shop for mixing/production and writing.

• Having used Studio One, what do you like most about it?
I have used it consistently for 5 months now and it has sped up my mixing and overall workflow. One of the best features is being able to set up a series of commands using Macros. It’s also very stable.

• What Studio One features have proven particularly useful and why?
The arranger track is very handy, as often when I am mixing a song, the label wants extended versions. The Arranger and also to try out different structures within the arrangement. This is very easy to do using the arranger as it can copy any section with all the automation related to it.

• Any user tips or tricks or interesting stories based on your experience with Studio One?
My tip is this: if you are trying Studio One out, stick with it. It’s always very difficult switching from a platform that you use day in day out for many years as everything is second nature. It takes a while to get back to this speed on a new platform but if you persevere it pays off !

• Please give me some basic background info on your career and current projects, credits, and so on.
I am mainly known as a mixer. I am currently mixing Emeli Sande and before that was mixing Ellie Goulding “Still falling for you” (U.S.A radio mix) and Kelly Clarkson. I also mix for a K Pop band called B.T.S who’s album last year broke records. I co wrote “Drinking from the bottle” with Mark Knight and Calvin Harris and Tinie Tempah. For more info, check out www.jamesfreynoldsmixing.com

• Any final comments about PreSonus and Studio One?
I am really excited about the future of Studio One and have been really encouraged by a development team that actually take on board feedback from mixers and producers and often implement ideas if they are good. This was a big frustration with other DAWs, as feedback was not listened to or acted on.

The Studio 192, Eris E44 MTM monitors, Studio One and Thou

Baton Rouge-based Thou—winners of Pitchfork’s Metal Record of the Year in 2014—recently took a Studio 192 on the road to record rehearsal sessions and demos for a forthcoming full-length.

Opportunities for collaborative songwriting had become more difficult for the band, as their members have scattered across the country. They typically only get together for tours and shows, making songwriting and recording opportunities somewhat scarce.

Not anymore. Recording straight into Studio One via the Studio 192 allowed the band to write and record in whatever impromptu spaces their tour found them in. Josh Nee (Drums) took recordings home to edit and mix demos for the record after returning from their most recent tour. The full-length, Magus, is on its way.

Learn more:

Chocolate Audio Pianos for Studio One

chocolateaudiopianostriplepackshot

Looking for some of the best-sounding pianos you can get for Studio One? Look no further than this Piano Collection from Chocolate Audio. Three different pianos are available, each recorded with high-quality mics and expensive preamps. They also take advantage of Presence XT’s advanced scripting functionality to simulate the behavior of these beloved instruments as accurately as digitally possible.

If you’re not sure which piano is right for you and your music, check out the descriptions below. And if you’re still not sure after reading, get the combo pack of all three. The Chocolate Audio Piano Collection for Studio One is available only at shop.presonus.com.

 

concert-grand-pianoThe Concert Grand:

A recreation of a world-class concert grand piano sound as found in a Steinway D274 grand coda. This piano is gorgeous and rich in sound with a very well-balanced tone, very well fit for classical but equally at home with jazz and any scenario where a full piano sound is called for.

Great attention was paid to recreate this huge concert’s signature full and balanced sound through sampling. The sample set features 11 dynamic layers and a sustain pedal resonances layer, 12 release sample layers and pedal and key release noise effects tuned to perfection using Presence custom scripting. Studio One Professional users can load the multi-instrument preset which combines the two microphone sets for an even fuller control on its sound.

The Concert Grand offers two different phase-coherent recording setups: a player’s perspective recorded with Schoeps CMC6 microphones and a listener’s perspective recorded right at the edge of the lid with Neumann KM microphones, all matched-pairs going through Millennia preamps.

 

 

Electric Grand:electric-grand-piano 

A top-notch rendition of a famous Japanese electric grand piano. At that time it was dubbed as “compact,” which it actually was when compared to the weight and size of an acoustic piano. Its mid-rangey character is due to the presence of a piezo pickup under the saddle of each string. Full restoration was carried out and proper tuning applied on the piano before sampling. A classic sound heard on countless hit records in the 70s-80s is now reborn inside Studio One.

Achieving a quality level on par with our goals from this piano was tough. The onboard electronics are noisy and the piano picks up a lot of ambient noise even if it’s electric (imagine a guitar with 88 strings!). Through attention and care, we managed to capture what we believe is the best rendition of this classic electric grand piano. The sample set features 12 dynamic layers, a sustain pedal resonance layer, nine release sample layers, and pedal and key release noise effects tuned to perfection using Presence custom scripting.

The Electric Grand was sampled direct from the output to the preamp and converter. All of the behavioral details of the piano have been re-created through the use of Presence XT’s custom advanced scripting.

 

Steinbach Upright:steinbach-upright-piano

A high quality Italian-made upright piano sampled in full detail. The recording techniques used make this piano fit for many different uses, from classical to pop, country, rock and beyond.

This is a world-class piano recorded in a state-of-the-art studio with choice microphones and audiophile preamps and converters. Great attention was paid to recreate Steinbach’s signature full, organic, sound through sampling. The sample set features eight dynamic layers and a sustain pedal resonances layer, four release sample layers and pedal and key release noise effects, tuned to perfection using Presence custom scripting.

The Steinback Upright was recorded with two different phase-coherent setups: Blumlein stereo and Spaced stereo, recorded with Royer R121 matched-pair ribbon mics through Millennia preamps. Studio One Professional users can load the multi-instrument preset which combines the two microphone-sets for an even fuller control on its sound.

 

Last but not least:

The Chocolate Audio Pianos are compatible with Studio One 3.2 or later: Prime, Artist, and Professional editions.

All of the pianos in this family have the following onboard script controls:

  • Tuning: 440/442 Hz
  • Level control for Sustain Resonances, Pedal Noise and Release samples
  • Velocity Curve control
  • Hold, Decay, Release envelope controls
  • Touch Response* control: sets the amount of pre-attack key noise heard, sets the attack time at higher settings.

 

New Studio One Loops from LoopMasters available at shop.presonus.com

addonboxes1024x1024_loopmasters7in1_cnt-118-2We just launched no fewer than seven new loop packs for Studio One, all from LoopMasters! These cover a lot of sonic territory including Ambient, Drum and Bass, Techno, Trap, and more.

LoopMasters’.audioloops and .WAV files sound great, professionally produced at 24bit/44.1KHz, and are very reasonably priced. Get some inspiration for your next track for less than the cost of a lunch for two! Each of these packs contains 200 loops, (they are Loopmasters, after all) but you also get several drum kits and presets for Studio One’s Impact in every pack.

Click here to learn more about the LoopMasters sample packs—be sure to check out the audio demos to hear them for yourself!

Studio One, Metal and Shepherd’s Pie

You may be wondering what Studio One, Metal music and Shepherd’s pie have in common.

Well, her name is Linzy Rae. Linzy and her band, The Anchor, are the masterminds behind the viral video YouTube series “Metal Kitchen.” With over 1.3 million views on their first video, and 35K followers on Facebook, they caught our eye–and ear.

Check out her first video “The Ghost Inside makes Shepherd’s Pie” from December 2015.

The Ghost Inside makes Shepherd’s Pie” from December 2015.

Linzey is the lead vocalist for The Anchor, a Melodic Metalcore band based in Denver, CO. They’re also big fans of PreSonus so we figured we could trade them an interview for some Cajun recipes. They agreed and everyone wins!

  • What PreSonus products have you used and which do you currently use?

The band started out with an Audiobox USB 2X2 with a free version of Studio One 2 Artist. We eventually upgraded to the producer version because we loved it so much.  Now we have Studio One 3 Producer.

  •  For what applications are you using Studio One Pro?

We have used Studio One Pro for our first two EPs in my band, The Anchor. We have used Studio one for our entire YouTube channel as well.  It has worked great in our home studio.

  • What led you to choose Studio One? Was it the company’s reputation, audio quality, ease of  use, specific features, price, other factors?

We originally used it because we needed a USB interface.  We were told the Presonus Audiobox 2X2 would be a great start!  It came with Studio one Artist and we loved it because of its user friendliness.  Also the all the tutorials have been extremely helpful.

  • Having used Studio One, what do you like most about it?

We love it’s user friendliness, compatibility with vst’s and plugins.  It also comes with great mixing tools as well as the Project Page is such help with some post mixing/mastering things.

  • What Studio One features have proven particularly useful and why?

The project page is particularly helpful in putting final touches on songs.

  • Any user tips or tricks or interesting stories based on your experience with Studio One?

Go watch the tutorials and Studio One Experts!  It is so helpful!

  • Any final comments about PreSonus and Studio One?

Studio One 3 is a great expansion to the already awesome Studio One 2 we had previously. We will never switch, and can’t wait to see what the future holds for PreSonus.

  • Tell us about yourself!Linzey

I started uploading some covers to YouTube about a year ago. Now we consistently upload covers on a weekly or biweekly basis.  We have videos such as Metal Kitchen, Scream It Like A Girl, and Pop Goes Metal.

  • Where did you get the idea for Metal Kitchen?

We were in the studio and someone was going to order Chinese food for dinner. While I was in the recording booth, they asked me what I wanted to eat and I screamed “crab cheese wantons,” which created a running joke. Afterwards, our friend made a joke saying that I could write a recipe into one of our songs and people wouldn’t know the difference (Since the common opinion of metal music is that you can’t understand what the vocalist is saying). Then the idea sort of grew from there.

  • It went viral–what’s that like?

The video completely caught us off guard it was amazing and also scary at the same time.  We have never had so much attention on us all at once!

  • What’s next for Metal Kitchen?

We just released a Metal Kitchen about making Black Bean Burgers featuring Miss May I’s song, IHE. For the next metal kitchen we are thinking about making Tacos to an All That Remains songs.  Metal Kitchens format probably won’t change that much but we have a lot of other cool ideas that we can’t wait to try out!

Try out Studio One for free like these guys did HERE!  Who knows, you may be the next YouTube sensation! Stranger things have happened…

Chewy

 

Pete “Boxsta” Martin with Boxsta Music on Studio One 3.2

Pete “Boxsta” Martin with Boxsta Music is an award winning, multi-talented producer/songwriter and one of the most sought after mix engineer in the world. He has worked with a variety of top selling artists such as Arrow Benjamin, Jessie J, Sugababes, Alexandra Burke, and Missy Elliot. Here he discusses leaving Pro Tools for Studio One 3.2 and the ease of the transition.

“Studio One is an incredible platform because it’s the best of every DAW out there. It’s totally new and fresh; it encompasses everything you need.” – Pete Martin.

 

For more on Studio One 3.2, click HERE.

Try Studio One Professional Demo for FREE for 30 days!



Pete Stewart on Leaving Pro Tools behind for Studio One 3.2

Grammy-winning music producer, engineer and songwriter Pete Stewart with Fourth Wall Music Production has over a decade of experience in the industry and a trophy case of awards. Here Pete shares about his frustrations with Pro Tools and why he chose to try Studio One for free for 30 days. After the trial he was hooked and his workflow has never been the same. Now with 3.2, it keeps getting better.

 

If you’ve been holding off on crossing over to the most quickly-growing DAW on the planet, there’s never been a better time than now! Save $50 to crossgrade until April 30! – See more HERE!

Follow Pete on Twitter and Instagram!

Learn more about StudioOne 3.2 and try Studio One for FREE here!

Get in on FREE Studio One Training at IMSTA FESTA: Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Chicago

Looking to get up to speed on the latest tips ‘n’ tricks in Studio One? If you live in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, or Chicago, come on by IMSTA FESTA and learn from the best! You’ll have the chance to learn from longtime PreSonus regulars like: KATFYR, Johnny Geib, Marcus Huyskens, and David Vignola. Click here to register.

KATFYR: All-around bad-to-the-bone EDM producer, DJ, songwriter, and longtime Studio One advocate. KATFYR has done some NAMM demos for us over the years and has had some hits over on BeatPort that he produced in Studio One.

Johnny Geib: Anyone who has even skimmed our forum at one point or another over the past decade has probably learned something from Johnny Geib. Johnny is one of our longest-running and most vocal advocates, and a good friend. When not doling out seasoned answers to forum newcomers (and vets), Johnny runs HomeStudioTrainer.com, where he doles out even MORE answers.

Marcus Huyskens: An editor at Studio One Expert and Producer/Mixer/Engineer at Bad Cat Media Group, Marcus is a freelance Sound Recordist & Mixer for music, television, films, and web. Marcus also has an extensive knowledge of Pro Tools for those using both or making the switch to Studio One, and has created amazing training videos for Studio One Expert and specializes in advanced audio editing techniques for Studio One.

David Vignola: The Main Man behind Vision Recording Studios, where he has been a professional audio mixing and mastering engineer for over 15 years. He specializes in an “in-the-box” workflow that yields warm, analog-like results. Don’t believe it? Listen for yourself here. He’s also responsible for Home Recording Made Easy, where he has tons of great training videos for Studio One.

Click here to visit www.imsta.org, where you can learn more info and sign up! Hurry, space is limited—be sure to get your seat ahead of time.

  • Los Angeles: May 14. Presenter: KATFYR
  • Chicago: July 23. Presenter: Johnny Geib
  • New York: Sept. 24. Presenter: David Vignola
  • Toronto: Oct. 15. Presenter: Marcus Huyskens