PreSonus Studio One
Encyclopedia
PreSonus Studio One is a music creation, production and mastering application for Mac OS X and Windows made by PreSonus
.
. Previously Kundrus had been one of the early developers of Cubase and was the primary author of Nuendo
for Steinberg
, and Juwan had written version 3 of the VST
plug-in specification and had been responsible for the freeware
KRISTAL Audio Engine. KristalLabs later became an integrated part of PreSonus and now Wolfgang Kundrus acts as Managing Director and Matthias Juwan as CTO
of PreSonus Software, Ltd. Other members of the team who also originally came from Steinberg include Maik Oppermann and Eike Jonas.
Studio One Pro is the core product and offers an end to end solution for music production. It has multitrack audio and midi recording like competitive products. It also has integrated mastering and CD authoring. This is a differentiating feature of Studio One Pro, since other competitive DAWs don't typically offer integrated mastering. Studio One Artist is a reduced version of Studio One Pro. It does not include the integrated mastering and also does not support 3rd party plugin effects or instruments. Both versions of Studio One feature unlimited audio, MIDI and instrument tracks, buses and effects channels. There are also 26 PreSonus effects; four instruments; automation; latency compensation; 32-bit or 64-bit processing; real-time timestretching
; and in the Pro version Audio Unit, ReWire
, and VST
support (including VST3).
Studio One has a full complement of built in audio effects. The effects cover the full range of typical music production tools: dynamics, delay, guitar amp modeling, master effects, equalization, modulation, metering, and diagnostics. It also has four virtual instruments
: Impact (drum sampler
), Mojito (monophonic
bass synth), Presence (which can play back SoundFont
sounds), and Sample One (sampler
).
One differentiating feature of Studio One compared to other DAWs is the Control Link system.Control Link makes it easy to assign knobs or faders from external hardware controllers directly to parameters in Studio One instruments, effects, plug-ins or the console. A concept called "focus mapping" allows the same hardware knob to control different functions based on which on-screen effect or instrument has focus. A direct one-to-one mapping is also available.
Studio One has been acknowledged to have a more streamlined workflow than other systems of this kind. Drag and drop functionality has been used extensively for importing audio or midi, adding effects to channels or invoking virtual instruments. Studio One also uses a one-window concept: rather than having numerous pop up windows, Studio One keeps the UI in a single window with various panes that can be quickly hidden or shown using keyboard commands and on-screen buttons.
The developers claim that Studio One employs a state-of-the-art audio engine. Studio One Pro features a 64-bit floating-point version of this audio engine that automatically switches between 64- and 32-bit operation on the fly to accommodate 32-bit plug-ins; whereas Studio One Artist features the same audio engine but always operates in 32-bit mode. The software has received praise for both its sound quality and its "drag & drop" workflow and ease of use.
Several Digital Audio Workstation
s offer mastering
capabilities but most require using separate applications to author CD or digital releases. Studio One Pro is unique in having this part of music production built-in to the recording and mixing workflow. The Studio One "Project" page allows a round trip organization where you can easily return to a mix then automatically update the mastering files. The developers have also included key mastering effects, like a multiband compressor and automatic dithering. Studio One has the most integrated mastering solution compared to other DAWs
at the time of this writing.
Studio One is compatible with any ASIO, Windows Audio, or Core Audio
compliant audio interface. Each Studio One license entitles the user to 5 activations on a Mac and/or Windows computer, 64-bit or 32-bit. Copy protection is handled by an online user account that keeps track of how many installations have been used.
In keeping with PreSonus' Louisiana
roots, Studio One also ships with a free jambalaya
recipe.
PreSonus
PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc. is an American manufacturer of recording and live sound equipment, founded in January 1995 by engineers Jim Odom and Brian Smith, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
.
Early development
In 2006, KristalLabs Software Ltd., a start-up company founded by Wolfgang Kundrus and Matthias Juwan, began working on Studio One in cooperation with PreSonusPreSonus
PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc. is an American manufacturer of recording and live sound equipment, founded in January 1995 by engineers Jim Odom and Brian Smith, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
. Previously Kundrus had been one of the early developers of Cubase and was the primary author of Nuendo
Nuendo
Nuendo is a music software product developed by Steinberg for music recording, arranging, editing and post-production as part of a Digital Audio Workstation. The package is aimed at audio and video post-production market segments, but it also contains optional modules that can be used for...
for Steinberg
Steinberg
Steinberg GmbH is a German musical software and equipment company based in Hamburg. It mainly produces music recording, arranging and editing software as used in digital audio workstations and VSTi software synthesizers.- History :...
, and Juwan had written version 3 of the VST
Virtual Studio Technology
Steinberg's Virtual Studio Technology is an interface for integrating software audio synthesizer and effect plugins with audio editors and hard-disk recording systems. VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing to simulate traditional recording studio hardware with software...
plug-in specification and had been responsible for the freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
KRISTAL Audio Engine. KristalLabs later became an integrated part of PreSonus and now Wolfgang Kundrus acts as Managing Director and Matthias Juwan as CTO
Chief technical officer
A chief technology officer is an executive-level position in a company or other entity whose occupant is focused on scientific and technological issues within an organization....
of PreSonus Software, Ltd. Other members of the team who also originally came from Steinberg include Maik Oppermann and Eike Jonas.
Features
Studio One is recording and production software intended for music production. It is cross-platform running on both Mac OS X and Windows computers. It is available in two versions: Studio One Pro and Studio One Artist.Studio One Pro is the core product and offers an end to end solution for music production. It has multitrack audio and midi recording like competitive products. It also has integrated mastering and CD authoring. This is a differentiating feature of Studio One Pro, since other competitive DAWs don't typically offer integrated mastering. Studio One Artist is a reduced version of Studio One Pro. It does not include the integrated mastering and also does not support 3rd party plugin effects or instruments. Both versions of Studio One feature unlimited audio, MIDI and instrument tracks, buses and effects channels. There are also 26 PreSonus effects; four instruments; automation; latency compensation; 32-bit or 64-bit processing; real-time timestretching
Audio timescale-pitch modification
Time stretching is the process of changing the speed or duration of an audio signal without affecting its pitch.Pitch scaling or pitch shifting is the opposite: the process of changing the pitch without affecting the speed...
; and in the Pro version Audio Unit, ReWire
ReWire
ReWire is a software protocol, jointly developed by Propellerhead and Steinberg, allowing remote control and data transfer among digital audio editing and related software...
, and VST
Virtual Studio Technology
Steinberg's Virtual Studio Technology is an interface for integrating software audio synthesizer and effect plugins with audio editors and hard-disk recording systems. VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing to simulate traditional recording studio hardware with software...
support (including VST3).
Studio One has a full complement of built in audio effects. The effects cover the full range of typical music production tools: dynamics, delay, guitar amp modeling, master effects, equalization, modulation, metering, and diagnostics. It also has four virtual instruments
Software synthesizer
A software synthesizer, also known as a softsynth is a computer program or plug-in for digital audio generation. Computer software which can create sounds or music is not new, but advances in processing speed are allowing softsynths to accomplish the same tasks that previously required dedicated...
: Impact (drum sampler
Sampler (musical instrument)
A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
), Mojito (monophonic
Monophony
In music, monophony is the simplest of textures, consisting of melody without accompanying harmony. This may be realized as just one note at a time, or with the same note duplicated at the octave . If the entire melody is sung by two voices or a choir with an interval between the notes or in...
bass synth), Presence (which can play back SoundFont
SoundFont
SoundFont is a brand name that collectively refers to a file format and associated technology designed to bridge the gap between recorded and synthesized audio, especially for the purposes of computer music composition...
sounds), and Sample One (sampler
Sampler (musical instrument)
A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
).
One differentiating feature of Studio One compared to other DAWs is the Control Link system.Control Link makes it easy to assign knobs or faders from external hardware controllers directly to parameters in Studio One instruments, effects, plug-ins or the console. A concept called "focus mapping" allows the same hardware knob to control different functions based on which on-screen effect or instrument has focus. A direct one-to-one mapping is also available.
Studio One has been acknowledged to have a more streamlined workflow than other systems of this kind. Drag and drop functionality has been used extensively for importing audio or midi, adding effects to channels or invoking virtual instruments. Studio One also uses a one-window concept: rather than having numerous pop up windows, Studio One keeps the UI in a single window with various panes that can be quickly hidden or shown using keyboard commands and on-screen buttons.
The developers claim that Studio One employs a state-of-the-art audio engine. Studio One Pro features a 64-bit floating-point version of this audio engine that automatically switches between 64- and 32-bit operation on the fly to accommodate 32-bit plug-ins; whereas Studio One Artist features the same audio engine but always operates in 32-bit mode. The software has received praise for both its sound quality and its "drag & drop" workflow and ease of use.
Several Digital Audio Workstation
Digital audio workstation
A digital audio workstation is an electronic system designed solely or primarily for recording, editing and playing back digital audio. DAWs were originally tape-less, microprocessor-based systems such as the Synclavier and Fairlight CMI...
s offer mastering
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
capabilities but most require using separate applications to author CD or digital releases. Studio One Pro is unique in having this part of music production built-in to the recording and mixing workflow. The Studio One "Project" page allows a round trip organization where you can easily return to a mix then automatically update the mastering files. The developers have also included key mastering effects, like a multiband compressor and automatic dithering. Studio One has the most integrated mastering solution compared to other DAWs
Digital audio workstation
A digital audio workstation is an electronic system designed solely or primarily for recording, editing and playing back digital audio. DAWs were originally tape-less, microprocessor-based systems such as the Synclavier and Fairlight CMI...
at the time of this writing.
Studio One is compatible with any ASIO, Windows Audio, or Core Audio
Core Audio
Core Audio is a low-level API for dealing with sound in Apple's Mac OS X and iOS operating systems. It includes an implementation of the cross-platform OpenAL library....
compliant audio interface. Each Studio One license entitles the user to 5 activations on a Mac and/or Windows computer, 64-bit or 32-bit. Copy protection is handled by an online user account that keeps track of how many installations have been used.
In keeping with PreSonus' Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
roots, Studio One also ships with a free jambalaya
Jambalaya
Jambalaya is a Louisiana Creole dish of Spanish and French influence. -Jambalaya varieties:Jambalaya is traditionally made in three parts, with meats and vegetables, and is completed by adding stock and rice. It is also a close cousin to the saffron colored paella found in Spanish culture...
recipe.
Revisions
- 1.0.0: In August 2009, the very first version of Studio One was released to manufacturing.
- 1.0.0 Ships: On October 1st, 2009 PreSonus announces that Studio One has officially shipped.
- 1.5.0: April 28, 2010 the first major update was released. This release was announced in March 2010 at Frankfurt MusikmesseMusikmesseMusikmesse Frankfurt is a music fair held at the Frankfurt Trade Fair in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It is the world's largest music fair and it has been held annually for over 25 years.The Frankfurter Musikpreis award is also handed out during the fair....
. The 1.5 version included QuickTimeQuickTimeQuickTime is an extensible proprietary multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. The classic version of QuickTime is available for Windows XP and later, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and...
video support, improved drag & drop, REX2REX2REX2 is a proprietary type of audio sample loop file format developed by Propellerhead, a Swedish music software company.It is one of the most popular and widely-supported loop file formats for sequencer and digital audio workstation software...
file support, SoundCloudSoundCloudSoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform which allows collaboration, promotion and distribution of audio recordings.-History:SoundCloud was originally started in Stockholm, Sweden, but was established in Berlin, Germany in August, 2007 by sound designer Alex Ljung and artist Eric Wahlforss...
integration, improvements to the Presence and Impact virtual instruments, and enhanced automation, timestretchingAudio timescale-pitch modificationTime stretching is the process of changing the speed or duration of an audio signal without affecting its pitch.Pitch scaling or pitch shifting is the opposite: the process of changing the pitch without affecting the speed...
, and MIDI features. - 1.6.0: In October 2010 PreSonus released version 1.6.0. This released included: Free routing in mixer with infinite nested buses, Mackie HUI support, VST 3.1 support (Knob mode), Chinese language, Transmit option for mapped controllers in Control Link, new resizing modifiers for note data, and REX2REX2REX2 is a proprietary type of audio sample loop file format developed by Propellerhead, a Swedish music software company.It is one of the most popular and widely-supported loop file formats for sequencer and digital audio workstation software...
file support for 64-bit Windows. - 1.6.1: November 19, 2010 PreSonus released this minor upgrade. It included two new features: a split channel option for keyboard midi devices, and a numbering option when renaming events in the arrangement. More importantly, it included many minor fixes, along with performance and stability improvements for both Windows and OS X.
- 1.6.2: December 16, 2010 PreSonus released another minor upgrade. Browser navigation speed was improved. Minor bugs were addressed and the Japanese language translation was improved.
- 1.6.3: January 19, 2011 PreSonus released a minor upgrade. A new "Reset Window Positions" function was added to view menu. This was to help if the console view was lost when using a second monitor screen. The "Goto Time" command was also simplified. In addition there were several minor bug fixes.
- 1.6.4: March 14, 2011 PreSonus releases a minor upgrade. Improvements included audio track playback performance, Japanese manual, support for new controller devices, and several bug fixes. The new supported devices include: Frontier TranzPort, M-Audio Axiom and Axiom Pro, and the Akai MPKmini.
- 1.6.5 July 25, 2011 PreSonus releases a minor upgrade. The key feature is compatibility with OS X Lion. French and Spanish translations were added along with a zero latency indicator on the start page. Several minor bug fixes were also included in this release
- 2.0 October 18, 2011 PreSonus releases a major upgrade to Studio One. The line is extended to three levels of products Artist, Studio and Professional. The professional version includes dozens of enhancements like folder tracks, audio bend, track transform, event effects and a new track list view. A major new feature includes a tight integration with Celemony's Melodyne Editor using a new technology called ARA. Melodyne Essential is now included and allows in place editing of pitch and timing.
Third-party support
Since the launch of Studio One, several companies have announced support for Studio One, integrated it with other products, or developed training programs.- September, 2009 Waves AudioWaves AudioWaves Audio Ltd. is a developer and supplier of professional audio signal processing technologies and audio effects, used in recording, mixing, mastering, post production, surround, live, and broadcast sound...
announces support for their range of plugins via the VSTVirtual Studio TechnologySteinberg's Virtual Studio Technology is an interface for integrating software audio synthesizer and effect plugins with audio editors and hard-disk recording systems. VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing to simulate traditional recording studio hardware with software...
plug-in standard. - November, 2010 Groove 3, Inc. released two volumes of video training for Studio One Pro.
- November, 2010 Music Computing includes Studio One Pro as the part of their keyboard production workstation.
- November, 2010 Waves Audio offers Studio One as part of bundle with Waves Gold plugins. This was a marketing bundling that included PreSonus hardware, Waves plug-ins and Studio Pro at a heavily discounted price. While the offer only ran through the end of 2010 it gave Studio One added credibility by being associated with one of the leading plug-in manufacturers.
- December, 2010 Orange Amps announces availability of their Orange OPC - Speaker, Guitar Amp, Computer. This unique product was announced earlier in 2010 but the release specs indicate that it includes a special Orange Amps version of Studio One.
- October, 2011 Celemony announces a new interface to Melodyne called ARA (Audio Random Access) developed in partnership with PreSonus. Studio One 2 is the first DAW software to make use this interface which allows Melodyne to function without a real-time transfer of audio before editing can begin.