# Cubase or Studio One?



## Behdad (Aug 6, 2016)

Hi everyone,

I’m a bit torn up on a decision, which I was hoping you could help me with. I've been using Cubase 5 for the past few years, and I love it. But the 32-bit/4GB maximum RAM issue is getting on my nerves these days. Especially with my new sample libraries. So I want to upgrade. But Cubase 8.5 isn't my only option; I’m also interested in Studio One 3. The problem is that I'm not sure which one would be better for me.

Here's a list of the most important things I should keep in mind:
1. I write instrumental and film music. So audio-video synchronization capabilities are of vital importance to me.
2. I use a combination of MIDI instruments and live recordings. So both MIDI and audio performance have to be perfect.
3. I use sample libraries, so the number of my DAW’s default virtual instruments won’t matter.
4. (This one isn’t very important.) The look and feel of my DAW is also something to consider. I don’t want to be lost among a multitude of windows and different options, having no idea what to do. But I also don’t want my DAW to look too old.

So, would you please give me some advice?

Thank you


P.S. It would be especially nice to know if any of you have experienced composing film music with Studio One.


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## Thorsten Meyer (Aug 6, 2016)

I used S1 for 6 months and change over to Cubase, never looked back


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## samphony (Aug 6, 2016)

I have extensive experience with studio one v1-3. 

I used it for trailer and film projects. Although my main DAW is still Logic Pro (since v3 or 4) it's a wonderful environment to be productive. 

In your case the only suggestion I can give is trial trial trial. 

The good thing:
Studio One was developed with existing DAWs in mind. So it's easy to get around if you are coming from logic or cubase. 

A lot of people think that logic and cubase are more advanced in all things midi and virtual instruments (of course both are what? 20+ years old) but it really depends on how you want to work. 

So only by testing it in a trial on a project where you simulate to achieve goals instead of playing around is the way to proof for yourself which one lets you achieve what you want and how you want it. 

Studio one has a great community as well as a lot of video tutorials. 

Checkout studio-one.expert and groove3.com as well as macprovideo.com

VI control probably has nearly all "scoring to picture with cubase" users in one place so you will get a lot of wonderful advice from this community as well. 

Still only by trying it before you buy is what you should do first. 

And don't give up to quick. Just work around issues and try to stay focused to achieve your goals!



Behdad said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I’m a bit torn up on a decision, which I was hoping you could help me with. I've been using Cubase 5 for the past few years, and I love it. But the 32-bit/4GB maximum RAM issue is getting on my nerves these days. Especially with my new sample libraries. So I want to upgrade. But Cubase 8.5 isn't my only option; I’m also interested in Studio One 3. The problem is that I'm not sure which one would be better for me.
> 
> ...


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## Tfis (Aug 6, 2016)

Behdad said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I’m a bit torn up on a decision, which I was hoping you could help me with. I've been using Cubase 5 for the past few years, and I love it. But the 32-bit/4GB maximum RAM issue is getting on my nerves these days.



There's a 64bit version of Cubase 5.


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## Behdad (Aug 6, 2016)

Thorsten Meyer said:


> I used S1 for 6 months and change over to Cubase, never looked back


Okay. Thanks for sharing your experiences with me. But may I ask which version of Studio One you used?


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## Behdad (Aug 6, 2016)

samphony said:


> I have extensive experience with studio one v1-3.
> 
> I used it for trailer and film projects. Although my main DAW is still Logic Pro (since v3 or 4) it's a wonderful environment to be productive.
> 
> ...


Thank you very much for your detailed and useful advice. I'll put it to good use when making my final decision.


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## Behdad (Aug 6, 2016)

Tfis said:


> There's a 64bit version of Cubase 5.


Thanks for the tip. But if I'm going to spend money on an upgrade, I'd rather get the highest version available, even if it costs much more. Plus, Cubase 5 looks a bit too old to me and that's another reason for upgrading.


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## Thorsten Meyer (Aug 6, 2016)

Behdad said:


> Okay. Thanks for sharing your experiences with me. But may I ask which version of Studio One you used?


I used Studio One Professional Version 3


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## 5Lives (Aug 6, 2016)

I have both and as much as I love S1, Cubase for orchestral / scoring 110%


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## kitekrazy (Aug 8, 2016)

If you like to look at a score that would rule out Studio One.


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## Jaredf920 (Aug 12, 2016)

kitekrazy said:


> If you like to look at a score that would rule out Studio One.


This. 
PreSonus owns "Notion", but they have yet to implement it into Studio One.
Maybe version 3.5 or 4 will have notation in the DAW. 

Depends if you want/like a score view.


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## novaburst (Aug 12, 2016)

Behdad said:


> I love it. But the 32-bit/4GB maximum RAM issue is getting on my nerves these days. Especially with my new sample libraries.



I have been using cubase 5 for a few years too, on 64bit it has always been 64bit and comes with optional 32bit
even cubase 4 was 64bit

I just recently got hold of cubase 6,and am very happy with it and the new features it offers.

I would say if cubase 8 performs any where near the quality of cubase 6 i would say go for it, but at the moment i am hearing not so good story's about cubase 8 and VEpro.

So would advice studio one.


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## Replicant (Aug 12, 2016)

Throwing in another vote for Cubase, especially for orchestra and film scoring. 

but like others said, take 'em both for a test drive first.


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## woodsdenis (Aug 12, 2016)

Demo both, my experience has been S1 is a disaster on the Mac CPU and stability wise, Cubase is not perfect, but the better choice of the two by a mile.


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## kitekrazy (Aug 12, 2016)

woodsdenis said:


> Demo both, my experience has been S1 is a disaster on the Mac CPU and stability wise, Cubase is not perfect, but the better choice of the two by a mile.



Did the OP mention the OS? That could make a difference. I don't mind dongeled VSTs but a DAW I'm not sure. I have Cubase LE or whatever that came with my UR22. I haven't messed with it.


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## muziksculp (Aug 21, 2016)

Hi,

My main DAW is Cubase Pro 8.5.20 on PC, but I'm currently learning to use Studio One Pro v3, and finding the workflow in S1v3 really wonderful. I also find these two DAWs to be very closely related, and have a lot of similarities in terms of their design/workflow. Cubase imho. still has more features when it comes to MIDI, but I tend to use some of these MIDI features, not all of them, so I think Studio One will be good enough for most of my needs, I also find some features in S1 not available in Cubase, like multi-instruments, and the flexibility it offers to layer instruments, and add effects chains to them in a very flexible manner. The Arranger and Scratch-Pad features are very useful in S1v3, and offer a great way to experiment with an arrangement in a single project. The Audio editing in S1v3 is also very slick, and powerful, a bit less convoluted than the Cubase, the melodyne integration is great as well. Also loving the smart way the pointer tool changes depending on where you pointing on an event. ...etc.

I'm not sure yet which one I will be using more, but as I move forward with learning S1V3, I'm feeling more comfortable using it. It's always a bit of a pain in the .... to learn a new DAW, and get to feel comfortable in it, but so far I'm really liking what S1V3 offers, and think that it will be even more attractive, and powerful as it evolves. (I wonder what S1V4 will offer, and when it will be out.) 

Cheers,
Muziksculp


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## 5Lives (Aug 21, 2016)

I'm looking forward to seeing what Presonus does with Studio One. I hope they implement some sort of articulation switching system (like Expression Maps - or at least Scripter like Logic so third-parties can make their own). Really need to still work on that color scheme options too (especially for clips and wave forms).


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## muziksculp (Aug 21, 2016)

5Lives said:


> I'm looking forward to seeing what Presonus does with Studio One. I hope they implement some sort of articulation switching system (like Expression Maps - or at least Scripter like Logic so third-parties can make their own). Really need to still work on that color scheme options too (especially for clips and wave forms).



Hopefully Presonus will offer an articulation switching system like Cubase's exp.maps in version 4, and improve the GUI color scheme further, I also would like to have more MIDI features, even some basic ones, i.e. A Global MIDI-Thru, and a MIDI Channel of (ANY) that I can select, instead of just MIDI channels 1-16, for auto-channelizing midi via the source device. This is something I'm dealing with now in setting up my Yamaha Montage to work with S1v3, in Cubase I just set the MIDI channel to (ANY) , so that Cubase automatically channelizes that track depending on what it is receiving from the Montage. I'm hoping I can get my Yamaha Montage Synth to communicate correctly with S1v3, if this is not possible due to midi limitations of S1v3, I might have to just stick to Cubase for now. (kind of a bummer if that turns out to be the case).

It would also be great if they implement a similar feature to Cubase's (Disable Track) feature, to have a large template ready, and enable only the instruments you need to work with.


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## sp_comp (Aug 21, 2016)

I cross graded to Studio One v2 because I was getting super frustrated with Logic 9. Unfortunately it wasn't very stable for me and would crash a lot for no(apparent) reason. When LPX came out shortly after I switched back to logic.


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## PeterKorcek (Aug 22, 2016)

I was trying S1 v3 for a couple of months, but decided to sell it now (its for sale!) as I was torn between Cubase and S1 and did not want to spend time on both DAWs. But I still think it is an amazing DAW and the decision was not easy (months!). The familiarity with C8 won over, and the know-how for more advanced editing. C8.5 on Win10 has been quite stable for me btw.


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## muziksculp (Aug 22, 2016)

PeterKorcek said:


> I was trying S1 v3 for a couple of months, but decided to sell it now (its for sale!) as I was torn between Cubase and S1 and did not want to spend time on both DAWs. But I still think it is an amazing DAW and the decision was not easy (months!). The familiarity with C8 won over, and the know-how for more advanced editing. C8.5 on Win10 has been quite stable for me btw.



Interesting. 

I'm actually loving the workflow in Studio One Pro v3 . Although I'm just starting to get acquainted with it.

Cubase 8.5.20 on Windows 8.1 is my primary DAW. What amazed me is how close these two DAWs are in terms of overall structure/design, and even some of the key-commands are the same. imho. S1v3 feels less cluttered, not sure if this is because it has less features than Cubase, but it is refreshing to me. I wouldn't be very surprised if I end up using S1v3 more than Cubase Pro 8.5.20 once I get more familiar, and experienced with it. The Drag-n-Drop functionality does speed overall workflow for me. I also like the browser in S1v3 better than Cubase's browser. everything is nicely organized, and you can even setup favorite Effects, and Instrument in the browser. Overall, I'm finding S1v3 to be very friendly, and similar to Cubase, which makes it a great, and easy choice for an alternative DAW option. 

Thanks for the feedback on Windows 10 and Cubase Pro 8.5, I'm glad to know that you have a stable system. 

Actually, I have been holding back on moving from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, seems like some users have no issues in Windows 10, but others have. So, I'm just playing it safe for a little longer and sticking to Windows 8.1 

Cheers,
Muziksculp


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## dcoscina (Aug 22, 2016)

I used S1 get 2 for a while but Cubase 8 is infinitely better for my purposes. No notation editor is a deal breaker for me.


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## emid (Aug 22, 2016)

muziksculp said:


> What amazed me is how close these two DAWs are in terms of overall structure/design, and even some of the key-commands are the same.



Most of the S1 team come from Steinberg that's why it feels like next gen Cubase but it has a long way to go.


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## muziksculp (Aug 22, 2016)

emid said:


> Most of the S1 team come from Steinberg that's why it feels like next gen Cubase but it has a long way to go.



Yes, I'm aware of that fact. Actually they were the Steinberg Nuendo development team. 

I have a feeling that S1v4 will be taking another big step up from version 3. 

I really like the way Presonus is developing Studio One, i.e. Steinberg developed the *Arranger Track *feature in Cubase/Nuendo, but have not bothered to improve, or enhance it for decades. Now comes Presonus and offers both Arranger Track and Scratch Pad features in Studio One v3 ! I'm sure they will be adding some very useful new features in Version 4. Hopefully they will have it out next year.


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## emid (Aug 22, 2016)

muziksculp said:


> I have a feeling that S1v4 will be taking another big step up from version 3.



I had the similar feelings when S1v3 was about to release. In fact most of us. Presonus basically wanted to conquer the PT users hearts in S1v3 so they made improvements in audio editing area leaving midi as it is. Hopefully this time they will target Cubase users by improving/introducing more advance midi features.


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## PeterKorcek (Aug 22, 2016)

muziksculp said:


> Interesting.
> 
> Cubase 8.5.20 on Windows 8.1 is my primary DAW. What amazed me is how close these two DAWs are in terms of overall structure/design, and even some of the key-commands are the same. imho. S1v3 feels less cluttered, not sure if this is because it has less features than Cubase, but it is refreshing to me. I wouldn't be very surprised if I end up using S1v3 more than Cubase Pro 8.5.20 once I get more familiar, and experienced with it. The Drag-n-Drop functionality does speed overall workflow for me. I also like the browser in S1v3 better than Cubase's browser. everything is nicely organized, and you can even setup favorite Effects, and Instrument in the browser. Overall, I'm finding S1v3 to be very friendly, and similar to Cubase, which makes it a great, and easy choice for an alternative DAW option.
> 
> ...



I totally agree with you, I like so many things about S1 - drag and drop, automation assignments, super fast boot and no USB dongle, etc. However, I don't want to be focused on 2 DAWs, so I stuck with C8 as I know it already for a while and it's really good all-around daw.


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## muziksculp (Aug 22, 2016)

emid said:


> I had the similar feelings when S1v3 was about to release. In fact most of us. Presonus basically wanted to conquer the PT users hearts in S1v3 so they made improvements in audio editing area leaving midi as it is. Hopefully this time they will target Cubase users by improving/introducing more advance midi features.



Yes, that's very true. Presonus is attracting Pro Tools users to move to Studio One (check out their Youtube channel, lots of Studio One Pro for Pro Tools users tutorials have been made for PT users). I think they are doing a very good job at it. So, I wouldn't be surprised if their next focus is Cubase, and possibly Logic Pro users. That's why I think S1v4 will have more focus on midi-features, they already have great Audio editing features.


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## samphony (Aug 22, 2016)

emid said:


> Most of the S1 team come from Steinberg that's why it feels like next gen Cubase but it has a long way to go.


It won't be that long


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## muziksculp (Aug 22, 2016)

samphony said:


> It won't be that long



I have the same feeling  .


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## samphony (Aug 22, 2016)

muziksculp said:


> I have the same feeling  .


But these are not the droids you're looking for!


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## emid (Aug 22, 2016)

samphony said:


> It won't be that long



I truly hope so, and I will upgrade my dusty S1v3 version which I abandoned recently after using it since it came out. Please don't ask why


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## muziksculp (Aug 22, 2016)

Oh.. anyone know, or want to elaborate on this announcement from Steinberg

Is this issue only affecting Cubase on Windows 10 ? what about the other DAWs on Windows 10 ? and how many plug-ins are we talking here ?

http://www.steinberg.net/en/newsandevents/news/newsdetail/article/vst-plugin-loading-limitation-on-windows-3852.html

They also need to integrate a new non-quicktime based video player in Cubase/Nuendo , so far they are taking their time.


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## gtrwll (Aug 22, 2016)

muziksculp said:


> Is this issue only affecting Cubase on Windows 10 ?.



I recall hearing the same thing about Studio One 3.


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## devonmyles (Aug 23, 2016)

Some gossip going on over at the Presonus/Studio One forum.

_"Please join us August 25 at 10am CDT for TWO major software announcements. Get a first look at some exciting new stuff that has been years in the making! Interviews, tutorials, Q&A, and a chance to win several free prizes…
New: we’re now streaming on YouTube as well as Livestream! Your choice:"_


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## muziksculp (Aug 23, 2016)

devonmyles said:


> Some gossip going on over at the Presonus/Studio One forum.
> 
> _"Please join us August 25 at 10am CDT for TWO major software announcements. Get a first look at some exciting new stuff that has been years in the making! Interviews, tutorials, Q&A, and a chance to win several free prizes…
> New: we’re now streaming on YouTube as well as Livestream! Your choice:"_



If they do announce *Studio One Pro v4* that would be a huge surprise and party time







But I doubt it's ready. I was thinking it would be released early 2017. Although '_Major Software Announcements_' could mean more than just an update.





I guess we have to wait and see.

What could be the second major software announcement ?

You can watch the Live Stream on August 25th, 8:00 AM here :


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## 5Lives (Aug 23, 2016)

Highly likely that it is Studio One 3.5. Their 0.5 updates tend to be pretty big (2.5 was as well).


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## muziksculp (Aug 23, 2016)

5Lives said:


> Highly likely that it is Studio One 3.5. Their 0.5 updates tend to be pretty big (2.5 was as well).



Yes, that is highly possible. I wonder what the second major announcement is ?


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## devonmyles (Aug 23, 2016)

Maybe something to do with Notion ? New version?
Or a real, real surprise. Notation in Studio One !
(I can't see that happening for a while, if ever).


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## esencia (Aug 29, 2016)

I hope that next v4 version will have more focus on midi tools also.. 

One bad point for me is that S1 doesn´t support EUCON and Presonus answered me that it won´t be supported...


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## Mishabou (Aug 29, 2016)

esencia said:


> I hope that next v4 version will have more focus on midi tools also..
> 
> One bad point for me is that S1 doesn´t support EUCON and Presonus answered me that it won´t be supported...



Same here, definitely a no go for me without Eucon.


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## John57 (Aug 29, 2016)

I tried Cubase and it will not work on some of the audio interfaces I have. Studio One and Reaper have no problems interfacing with any of my audio interfaces. Sonar I had a few issues with but found work around for it.


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## InLight-Tone (Aug 30, 2016)

If they do a little bit more work on the midi side I may switch. All the Cubase you love, without the old bloated code...


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## muziksculp (Aug 30, 2016)

InLight-Tone said:


> If they do a little bit more work on the midi side I may switch. All the Cubase you love, without the old bloated code...



That's exactly what I'm experiencing with S1v3. Although Cubase Pro 8.5.20 is still my primary DAW at this time. imho. it's only a matter of time, and I might go Studio One all the way.


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## wst3 (Aug 30, 2016)

Sonar is my main DAW right now, but I'm using Studio One V3 more and more as I try to learn how to use it. For audio work I like it better than any other DAW I've used, the workflow just works for me. For MIDI, and especially virtual instruments, well, I haven't gotten it figured out yet.

I never could get my head wrapped around Cubase, and I've tried more than once.

So for me the choice in the poll is easy<G>... but if you are accustomed to Cubase I'm not sure I'd switch yet. I'd try Studio One, but I'm not sure there is enough there yet for the switch.


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## gtrwll (Nov 5, 2016)

PreSonus announced a special price for crossgrades this month, $199 and even lower at Audiodeluxe, $168.99 (add to cart for price). I wonder if there's a way to get a new trial version to check if the cpu spikes I was having with Studio One and EW Play are still unfixed? Use another email to register or something?


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## IoannisGutevas (Nov 5, 2016)

Been a Cubase user since version 5. Studio One is miles ahead from Cubase at the moment at least (no idea what steinberg has in store for ver9). Automation is a breeze on Studio One and if you are composing with VSTs mostly then Studio One is your best bet. Think of it like the best of cubase + ableton in a wonderful intuitive and excellent DAW 

If you are scoring to film though then Cubase is miles ahead. Tempo editing and finding changes at the film changing the tempo and all that stuff you wont find a better DAW than Cubase. I know that it can be done in Studio One also, but its waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay easier to be done in Cubase.


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## muziksculp (Nov 5, 2016)

I'm sure Studio One v.4 will have some great features that will make it better suited for Film/Video scoring tasks, and much more. I'm guessing S1 Pro V4 will be out during the first half of 2017. 

I would love to see it also have something like Cubase's expression Maps, and additional midi editing tools. i.e. (a midi strumming tool, a Dedicated MIDI Drum-Editor), also improved tempo track editing, More GUI color customization, improved CPU utilization/performance, .....etc.


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## samphony (Nov 5, 2016)

I really like a lot about studio one. I use it as my secondary linear DAW. One of the annoying things the development team has to look at and probably will soon is the save/auto save feature. Meaning: if you work mainly with VIs and/or VEP the save/auto save pop up window will block your workflow for the time it needs to package all the things it needs to save into a file. This process should be a true background process without interfering the users workflow.


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## muziksculp (Mar 29, 2017)

Hi,

I'm getting started with using Studio One Pro 3, and so far loving it.

Although my primary DAW is Cubase Pro 9, I'm finding S1-3 to be more fluid/faster to use, and offers me almost everything I need to make tracks. Yes, Cubase has more advanced features, but I don't use them a lot, so I'm not missing them. I think a Drum-Editor would be really nice to have in S1-3, but not having it is not a deal breaker at this time. There are so many little details that S1-3 offers that are very cool, and make using it more fun that using Cubase. Everything is laid out, accessible easily, and logically.

I also got the Presonus Faderport 8 Control Surface, which integrates tightly, and flawlessly with S1-3, and actually works with Cubase as well, but not to the extent of integration it has with S1-3.

Hopefully I will get past the learning curve soon, and use S1-3 quite a bit to make some tracks.

If there are any Studio One Pro 3 users here, it would be nice to hear from you.

i.e. Are you having any issues ? Are you using it with VSL VE-Pro to construct large templates ?

Are you using the Disable-Track feature (Similar to Cubase), to construct a large Template ?

Any other comments/feedback , Tips, ...features you really like about S1-3 ? ...etc.

Cheers,
Muziksculp


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## mwarsell (Apr 1, 2017)

Have you installed the S1 X scripts?

They add a lot of midi editing features, among other things.


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## jonathanwright (Apr 1, 2017)

Studio One 3 has some wonderful features, and I can safely say out of the three I use (Cubase and Logic being the others), it's the one that I can get ideas down with very quickly. In fact I often use S1 to sketch out music and then transfer the MIDI to Cubase or Logic to develop further.

Being able to move tracks around the mixer is also great.

I've never used it for composing to picture though, mainly for production music.



muziksculp said:


> Hi,
> Are you using the Disable-Track feature (Similar to Cubase), to construct a large Template ?



I did attempt this once, but it was unworkable for large templates, as autosave in S1 isn't a background process, it saves all of those disabled tracks every time, which can kill workflow.


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## dcoscina (Apr 1, 2017)

I'd go Cubase.


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## muziksculp (Apr 6, 2017)

*Cubase Pro 9* is my primary DAW, but I'm really enjoy using *Studio One Pro 3* a lot these days.

I also added a Presonus *Faderport 8* Control Surface, which works wonderfully with Studio One Pro 3. it also works with Cubase Pro 9 via MCU protocol, but it integrates much better with Studio One Pro 3.

I wouldn't be too surprised if I start using Studio One Pro 3 a lot more than Cubase as I get more used to it. Both are great DAWs, but great workflow, speed, and some of the cool features I'm discovering in S1-Pro are moving me towards using S1-Pro more, and more every day.

I can't wait to see what *Studio One Pro 4* will offer.

I even decided to vote for Studio One Pro 3 in this poll. Which is not what the majority voted for here, but I really feel S1-Pro 3 is a fantastic DAW. It might not have all the advanced midi features Cubase offers, but I feel it gives me enough midi tools to make music.


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## MillsMixx (Apr 6, 2017)

Due to better midi options and layout I just made the jump from Ableton (_yes hello Daniel James_) to Cubase Artist version. However I haven't had time to really dig in. Ableton has just been fantastic for ideas and writing especially in the session view but I feel I spend too much time toying with ideas and not actually working through a full project. I was considering Studio One and played with the demo but eventually ended up going with Cubase. A bit more of a learning curve but like anything once you spend some time and get to know the features it can seem to do anything. However other than orchestral music when it comes to loops and beat type stuff Ableton just out performs on all levels. At least that's what I've discovered. Truly an amazing creation.


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## madfloyd (Oct 19, 2017)

I've been a Studio One person from the very beginning (switched from Cakewalk) but now as I'm trying to compose orchestral music I'm finding too many limitations and am trying Cubase. Very hard to figure out compared to Studio One (which is so much simpler) but hopefully the work will pay off.


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## muziksculp (Oct 19, 2017)

madfloyd said:


> I've been a Studio One person from the very beginning (switched from Cakewalk) but now as I'm trying to compose orchestral music I'm finding too many limitations and am trying Cubase. Very hard to figure out compared to Studio One (which is so much simpler) but hopefully the work will pay off.



What are the limitations that are holding you back from making Orchestral music with Studio One ?


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## madfloyd (Oct 19, 2017)

muziksculp said:


> What are the limitations that are holding you back from making Orchestral music with Studio One ?



Midi mostly. For example, being able to just select a region in the track view and jump into midi editing with all selected tracks present. In Studio One, you can only load up one track at a time and have to manually add-in additional tracks. 

Support for NKS (Native Komplete Kontrol) is also helpful (although not a deal breaker). In any case, it's always possible that I change my mind. I've loved Studio One for so long I never thought I'd want to learn another DAW, but whenever I'm editing midi I find it very cumbersome and think that it should be easier. We'll see.


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## muziksculp (Oct 19, 2017)

madfloyd said:


> Midi mostly. For example, being able to just select a region in the track view and jump into midi editing with all selected tracks present. In Studio One, you can only load up one track at a time and have to manually add-in additional tracks.
> 
> Support for NKS (Native Komplete Kontrol) is also helpful (although not a deal breaker). In any case, it's always possible that I change my mind. I've loved Studio One for so long I never thought I'd want to learn another DAW, but whenever I'm editing midi I find it very cumbersome and think that it should be easier. We'll see.



I'm not sure what you mean by "in Studio One, you can only load up one track at a time and have to manually add-in additional track" .

I'm able to select all tracks that are in the arrange page, to show up in the key-editor, and I can view, and edit them as needed. Don't see any limitations here.


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## StillLife (Oct 20, 2017)

I never used another Daw than Cubase. I am a big fan of its logical editor, esp in combination with generic mote. You can really tailor the whole daw to your workflow, having complex actions under your finger tips. I use a mouse, a cc121 and an apc mini (as generic remote) and fly through my projects. I don't know if other daws have equal control/workflow capabilities?


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## madfloyd (Oct 20, 2017)

muziksculp said:


> I'm not sure what you mean by "in Studio One, you can only load up one track at a time and have to manually add-in additional track" .
> 
> I'm able to select all tracks that are in the arrange page, to show up in the key-editor, and I can view, and edit them as needed. Don't see any limitations here.



If I do not have the editor open and select multiple tracks, then press F2 I only see one track's info in the editor.


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## devonmyles (Oct 20, 2017)

madfloyd said:


> If I do not have the editor open and select multiple tracks, then press F2 I only see one track's info in the editor.



I think you have to lasso/select the midi/audio events/clips of the tracks in question before pressing F2 (That is if I am understanding you correctly).


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## madfloyd (Oct 20, 2017)

devonmyles said:


> I think you have to lasso/select the midi/audio events/clips of the tracks in question before pressing F2 (That is if I am understanding you correctly).



Yes, that's what I did. It doesn't work.


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## muziksculp (Oct 20, 2017)

madfloyd said:


> If I do not have the editor open and select multiple tracks, then press F2 I only see one track's info in the editor.



Oh, I see what you mean, not a show stopper for me, but it would nice if that was possible. Maybe this can be offered in their next update/s. You can put it in their feature requests. Actually I will do that. 

Thanks,
Muziksculp


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## jononotbono (Oct 20, 2017)

If you’re goig to go with a Cubase then i wouldn’t bother with 8.5 and go straight to 9. I recently opened a project in 8.5 and can’t quite believe how dark the GUI is for a start. And then there’s mixconsole undo etc. Haven’t tried Studio One so cant comment on that but I love Cubase and used it since SX2.


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## PaulieDC (Feb 7, 2018)

I just read this whole thread, excellent insight, thanks all for piping in. If some are still on the fence, I'm one who's going to ride it out and see if PreSonus gets us the missing biggies for scoring. I think there are some who haven't really used Studio One and understandably pan it and say "just go to Cubase (or whatever DAW)", but there's a reason why we all glom onto S1, the software overall is so blasted easy to work in (and the Mastering module alone is worth the price of admission), plus the number of improvements PreSonus has done since v2 is off the chart such as Notion integration... they DO listen to requests. I think that's why the audio-based ProTools crowd is REALLY embracing Studio One and the number of people switching over is pretty surprising. Groove3 and MacProVideo and others have entire course specifically for ProTools folks going to S1.

But now that I'm starting out in VI composing, I do have concerns about S13's missing stuff like Polyphonic Aftertouch, no real multithreading, no Ripple Delete and auto-save NOT running in a background thread (that one is obvious, duh). But I've got a pretty big hill to climb so hopefully by the time a get halfway up, PreSonus will have taken the MIDI world more seriously. If I were ready to start scoring films, I'd be Cubase all the way on my PC-based system, and I almost pulled the trigger today based on this thread and a crossgrade price of $325, lol. But then I realized I've got so many other things to ingest, S1 is NOT a ball and chain right now. ANYWAY, as I write this, PreSonus just answered a tweet I sent them. I played dumb and tweeted that I heard there were many MIDI improvements planned for v4, and is there any possibility of v4 in 2018. They just replied, in under 5 minutes, with "Keep your eyes peeled!". Good enough for me, I'll stay with them for now.


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## muziksculp (Feb 7, 2018)

My wild guess is we will see Presonus release S1-4 around July or earlier this year.


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## PaulieDC (Feb 16, 2018)

muziksculp said:


> My wild guess is we will see Presonus release S1-4 around July or earlier this year.


That'd be nice.

As a clumsy person, I have to admit I love having a dongle-less environment, especially since I run S1 on 3 different PCs (and the fact you get 5 installs per license). Kontakt U11 and EW just use iLok cloud authentication and PreSonus just has you log in, so I don't need to think about where the USB thingy is that I'd probably send through the wash in my pants pocket anyway.


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## altruistica (Sep 19, 2018)

I'm kinda late to the party.

I've used hardware samplers and hardware recorders and mixers all my life (I'm now 55). I bought Cubase 9.5 Pro about a year ago. I used Cubase 3.1 for Atari back in the 1990s and the learning curve of Cubase 9.5 has been massive. I also bought my first proper sample library NI Komplete 11 and upgraded it to include NI's Symphonic Series. Armed with a 2013 PC and 92Gb RAM I felt I was equipped enough to give the orchestral mock-ups a shot. 

I have been using an RME UFX but wanted hardware control so sold that and bought a 2nd-hand RME Hameerfall card to hook up to an aging Yamaha O2R. This gave me an audio solution but even with my Nektar Panorama P6 and the Cubase template, I found it nigh on impossible to control both the sample library and Cubase. It often required switching templated in the Nektar and inevitable 'hanging'. 

I don't like using the mouse much and have tried touchscreens on occasions, but these are not accurate enough even for my small fingers so when Presonus released the Studiolive Series 3 mixers my interest perked up. I couldn't understand why the mixer was only 48kHz with an update being in the pipeline.....but after a demo Studiolive Series 3 24 channel became available at a good price, I jumped on it. That was three weeks ago. I wish it had been the 32 channel version as that comes complete with Studio One 4, the complete version. Mine has only come with the 'Artist' version so is missing certain functions (although I did try the 30 day full but before I had the desk).

What I hated about the learning curve of Cubase 9.5 Pro was the fact that I was constantly consulting the manual for the simplest of things....and then having to read loads to find the bit I needed. With the Presonus solution of the desk and the software, I've effectively learned about 50-60% of the system in a couple of weeks, enough that I could probably record a session with foldback mixes. I've already assemble a basic orchestral template and what is beautiful about the system is that with the release of DAW mode for the SL3 desk, I have 25 automated faders that do touch and latch and as many banks as the composition requires (I think). The 25 faders are in three sections, 16 then a master and 8 more. For most of the time these correspond to inputs 1-24 of the mixer, 1-24 of the mixer tracks in Studio One but can perform many more functions. In the orchestral template, this gives me 16 faders for:

FLUTES
OBOES
CLARINETS
BASSOON
VIOLIN 1
VIOLIN 2
VIOLA
CELLOS
BASSES
HORNS
TRUMPETS
TROMBONES
TUBA
TIMPANI
TUNED PERC 1
TUNED PERC 2

Then the MASTER fader, then:

ORCH PERC
ALICIA KEYS
60's ABBEY ROAD
MODERN DRUMMER
RETRO MK2
EVOLVE

This is my first attempt at a template in Studio One so no doubt I'll re-jig things. 
The Nektar P6 can now be left on my NI template which gives 8 buttons to select articulations and 8 faders for expression etc. I have had more than a couple of 'hanging' moments so may have to load a midi utility to see if some control data is being generated and feeding back etc. It could also have something to do with the fact that the P6's USB cables (there are two, one for the flying fader and one for the midi data) do not like being fed into a D Link powered hub and then into the PC.....or maybe it's NI's incomplete programming.

What I'm finding refreshing about Studio One is the fact that it isn't armed to the teeth with the 'nth' degree of programming like Cubase. It feels quite simple to operate and keeps me in 'right-brain' mode. Cubase always requires an inordinate amount of sorting out just to get something accomplished.

As I've said, a lot of the more complex 'in-the-box' processes to achieve great sounding orchestral emulations are things which I'm only just starting to learn and discover, but the integration of some DAW control and a tactile surface to work with, means the next year looks like being much easier to navigate than the year just gone. 

If anyone else is working in Studio One with either a Faderport or a Studiolive Series 3, I'd welcome your thoughts and ideas.


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## InLight-Tone (Sep 19, 2018)

The main problems with Studio One once you start to get bitten by the "Orchestral Template" bug are:

1-It can't handle too many tracks especially a media composers demands for high track big templates. It does have a disabled track feature like Cubase, but save time climb high once past a couple of hundred tracks disabled or not.

2-Even if it could handle loads of tracks, it doesn't have Visibility Agents like Cubase so you can manage all the complexity.

3-Lack of an Articulation manager, means you have to have one track per art, (but that means high track counts), or try to manage keyswitches in the piano roll, a pain.


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## madfloyd (Sep 19, 2018)

Not to mention that it's a real PITA to load multiple tracks into the piano roll - something very important when writing orchestral music...


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## altruistica (Sep 19, 2018)

I'd only respond that I'm not wanting a template with hundreds or even thousands of tracks......a track for each standard instrument /group of instruments is sufficient for what I want to do. I agree a grid showing the name of each instrument's key-switches would be useful, but if you're only using one sample library and a set template you'll probably get used to what they are....and by that time Presonus will probably have introduced a key-switching solution. I don't know if I've got enough life-time left to trawl through numerous libraries to find an exact marcato string....


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## Phillip Dixon (Sep 20, 2018)

madfloyd said:


> Not to mention that it's a real PITA to load multiple tracks into the piano roll - something very important when writing orchestral music...


 
Really its easy you just enable the tracks you wish to edit by ticking left hand menu
The ones you dont want can be hidden
Completly or just shadowed out .I gave cubase 95 a whirl and my pet hate was having to laso tracks i wanted to see in edit view before selecting which to edit from dropdown The edit view was also greatly inproved in 4...


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## Michael Antrum (Sep 20, 2018)

InLight-Tone said:


> The main problems with Studio One once you start to get bitten by the "Orchestral Template" bug are:
> 
> 1-It can't handle too many tracks especially a media composers demands for high track big templates. It does have a disabled track feature like Cubase, but save time climb high once past a couple of hundred tracks disabled or not.
> 
> ...



Yeah same here, I really like Studio One, they are a great company, and its got some really good features. I moved to Cubase, however, because of expression maps, and I don't find it at all difficult to use (but I did do the Groove 3 video training on it).

I was so disappointed when Studio One v4 came out with no articulation manager. I have heard rumours (here) they will introduce this as a point upgrade in v4. I'll upgrade my v3 like a shot if that happens, but I must admit I am getting more and more attached to Cubase and am likely to stick with it now.


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## KEM (Sep 20, 2018)

Cubase, always Cubase. I don't have much experience with Studio One, but a good friend of mine uses it and I just couldn't gel with it, Cubase seems much more intuitive, especially if you're writing for media.


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## PeterKorcek (Sep 20, 2018)

S1 would be a great DAW but, what always killed the enthusiasm was the fact that the CPU performance is not that great for me (custom powerful PC, win10) - definitely the worst of the 3 DAWS are switch between sometimes (Cubase, Reaper, S1).
They slightly improved somewhat flat interface, which you might like first, but I prefer GUI of Cubase - that DAW might have some problems, but it is really packed with useful features
And with increasing track count, etc, it seems the most stable for me


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## altruistica (Sep 20, 2018)

KEM said:


> Cubase, always Cubase. I don't have much experience with Studio One, but a good friend of mine uses it and I just couldn't gel with it, Cubase seems much more intuitive, especially if you're writing for media.


Some interesting soundtracks you have on your YouTube channel....I'll check more of them out later


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## KEM (Sep 20, 2018)

altruistica said:


> Some interesting soundtracks you have on your YouTube channel....I'll check more of them out later



Thank you!!


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