# Am I the only one using Studio One?



## bloco (Dec 18, 2015)

I use Studio One mainly because I got it real cheap and now it's what I got.... 
I really like it... it's simple and and I'm satisfied with it... 
but I keep reading a lot of critics about how it's not good for scoring films, does anyone else use studio one to score to picture or is it really that bad and I should try a switch?


----------



## germancomponist (Dec 18, 2015)

I am 54 years young and am working with Cubase since it exists. So I know it very well. I also know that some other cool music software is around us, but I am not willing to learn it. I think the reason is that I know that no company can conjure and I love it to have free time for other things. But, I have heard great compliments about this software. You have to find it out by yourself.... .


----------



## Vastman (Dec 18, 2015)

Sonar (SPlt) user here... I picked up the full on s1 3pro awhile ago from a fellow cakewalk user...for $150... couldn't resist but after mucking around a bit I realized why he sold it and have put it aside... It really suffers from a lack of template flexibility... among other things. Not worth the time learning as everything will take more time on the platform.

Sonar allows for unlimited "track" templates you can bring into any song... full on setups/effects/routings/instruments/subsmixes/effects sends/prochannel setups/patchpoints/etc...available in 10 seconds (vs. lots of time to set them up) and you can just pull whatever you want into any song... and more as you work on it...no track template limits... saves a HUGE amount of time, preserves total flexibility (as opposed to the 300 track song template approach most use...)

Can't imagine living without this... Indeed, often while doodling around I'll decide I like bits of a new set up, just flag them, and "viola!"... a new template...1 to a million tracks, doesn't matter... including multi instrument settups... coming up with adequately descriptive names is the hardest part of the process!


----------



## tack (Dec 18, 2015)

Vastman said:


> Sonar allows for unlimited "track" templates you can bring into any song... full on setups/effects/routings/instruments/subsmixes/effects sends/prochannel setups/patchpoints/etc.


With Sonar, can you have routing references between templates? For example, say I have a mix template, that sets up a busses for mixing, reverb, etc. And then I have another template for, say, Strings. Can my strings tracks have a send to the reverb bus created by the mix template, and not actually part of the strings template? If so, what happens when you pull in the strings template before the mix template? Does it understand the dependency, or does it ignore the sends that fail to resolve?


----------



## RiffWraith (Dec 18, 2015)

bloco said:


> Am I the only one using Studio One?



Don't be silly - of course not! There are three other people using it.



Who said it's not good for scoring films, and why? I can't see that being the case.

Similar to Gunther, I have been using Cubase for a long time, and have no interest in learning something new from the ground up.

I am sure you can score films with S1 - all sequencers are basically the same. They give you the ability to play, record and edit both MIDI and audio. Although there are going to be a few features here and there that are different, it's really the workflow that separates them.

Cheers.


----------



## Jimmy Hellfire (Dec 18, 2015)

bloco said:


> I use Studio One mainly because I got it real cheap and now it's what I got....
> I really like it... it's simple and and I'm satisfied with it...
> but I keep reading a lot of critics about how it's not good for scoring films, does anyone else use studio one to score to picture or is it really that bad and I should try a switch?



I don't think so. What does that even mean - "not good for scoring films"? It totally depends on the personal workflow, habits, individual needs etc. I use Cubase, mainly because I'm so used to it and because of the expression maps, which happen to be invaluable for my workflow, choice of libraries etc. But just as I wouldn't wanna live without those maps any more, there are a lot of Cubase users out there that don't use them at all.

I looked at Studio One 2 when that came out and didn't stick with it because, aside from the lack of expression maps - which is a Cubase-exclusive thing anyway - I missed a "free form" tempo curve editor, because I like to obsess over micromanaging slight tempo variations throughout the measures of a piece. That's just me. But overall, I thought it was a quite solid and attractive DAW that definitely has its strong points. There are people out there who are really fond of it.

In the end, the best DAW is the one you know inside out and feel comfortable in working. Depending on personal preferences and needs, I don't see why it couldn't be Studio One just as any other professional grade DAW could.

Sure you can always try something else too. But I wouldn't necessarily break the bank just because someone said they don't like the DAW you happen to actually be satisfied with.


----------



## Guffy (Dec 18, 2015)

I've been using Studio One for 2 years. I've scored with it aswell without any issues.
I think Alex Pfeffer went from Cubase to Studio One? Not sure if he did it permanently though.

This past week i've started transitioning to cubase 7.5.

For some reason i quite don't get, making a template in Studio One just isn't fun at all, while in Cubase i'm having a blast just fiddling around with everything.

I'm just touching the surface of cubase so far, but i think i'm really gonna love it once i get used to it.

I also think the stock plugins in Studio One are subpar, atleast compared to the ones in Cubase.
Expression maps is also nice.

Anyway, S1 is a great DAW, so there is no need to run and buy another DAW if you like S1.


----------



## kitekrazy (Dec 18, 2015)

I'm not a big time S1 user but I found working with video seemed to be the easiest and most stable. That was using the first version of Studio One. It's really interesting about DAWs that we can feel insecure because a well known person isn't using it. Next they become religions and when a user of another DAW says the DAW you use sucks then each declare jihad.


----------



## apessino (Dec 18, 2015)

I switched to Studio One two months ago after 20+ years with Cubase - never thought I'd see the day! It is not just my favorite DAW ever, but one of the best designed pieces of software I've ever encountered. It literally disappears under you and you just get stuff done. So many great ideas that make working that much more creative.

Is it as fully featured as Cubase? No, I don't think anything is, but it is fast, FAST, streamlined, robust and smart - and did I mention fast?  I am in love with it...


----------



## Dr.Quest (Dec 18, 2015)

I like it as well. Love the intuitive functionality of it. Streamlined and fast as you say. Don't use it for everything but if I need to do, quick sound design for a show, it makes things quick. Been using it since version 1.


----------



## paulmatthew (Dec 18, 2015)

I'm not completely familiar with it , but I just won Studio one 3 it in the Kvr Audio auction . I've been in Ableton for a few years , but am looking forward to a change of scenery in a DAW. Ableton crashes often , and there are many options available in Studio One that have grabbed my attention which is why I bought it . I also have Cubase 6.5 which i haven't played with much but never cared for the pop out windows in Cubase. I've been in other forums and it appears that a lot of the pro tools users ( mostly the amatuers and bedroom producers at least) are abandoning Pro Tools in favor of Studio One 3 so that may tell you something . Studio One 3 is bringing a lot of new users on board which may mean even bigger updates in the future . I'm looking forward to getting into Studio One . I've heard that the members of the Presonus Studio One forums are very helpful so you may want to jump into that .


----------



## Soundhound (Dec 18, 2015)

I've been using logic a long time. When cubase was on sale recently I grabbed it, and them for some reason S1 as well. I don't know what it is about S1 but I feel very comfortable with it, I'm really liking it so far. Fast, easy, friendly smart... I've got some film stuff to do soon so I'm thinking of exploring how well it works with that. Would love to hear more from others using it for scoring to film as well.


----------



## apessino (Dec 18, 2015)

BTW, I liked Studio One so much I got rid of my CC121 and Artist Mix and got me one these instead:

http://www.presonus.com/products/StudioLive-CS18AI

This thing is AMAZING - full on transparent integration with Studio One, everything becomes tactile. Ultimate hands on control - I have it on a slanted mixer stand next to my desk and it is brilliant.

Also, check out the Studio One Remote Control app for ipad. It is free, and PreSonus manage to make it so that all it needs is that the DAW and the ipad are ont he same network and that is it... they just see each other and stay in perfect sync. You can define and trigger macros, get all remote controlling of transport, mixer, plugins, etc. It works flawlessly, minimal latency, trivial to use. I still use it even if I have the CS18AI. Again, nothing in the way... just well designed, fast, streamlined software. 

http://www.presonus.com/products/Studio-One-Remote


----------



## Michael K. Bain (Dec 18, 2015)

apessino said:


> I switched to Studio One two months ago after 20+ years with Cubase - never thought I'd see the day! It is not just my favorite DAW ever, but one of the best designed pieces of software I've ever encountered. It literally disappears under you and you just get stuff done. So many great ideas that make working that much more creative.
> it is fast, FAST, streamlined, robust and smart - and did I mention fast?  I am in love with it...


I feel the same exact way. And it is so stable.


----------



## Tjur (Dec 18, 2015)

I've been a Cubase user for a couple of years until I by plain coincidence came across the first edition of Studio One when I bought a Presonus Audiointerface. I switched to being a Studio One User that very day, the overall layout, its sober-mindedness and the drag&drop-functionality just appealed to me big time. In the very beginning, Midi- and vst-functionality was limited compared to Cubase, but I just never looked back. Nowadays, I couldn't even tell about the differences between S1 and Cubase any more, because I don't miss anything.


----------



## jonathanwright (Dec 19, 2015)

Studio One 3 is a great DAW and it has features that really speed up the process of getting ideas down. I use it now and again for library music as its scratchpad is perfect for creating multiple versions of a track.

It has some innovative approaches, many of which I really miss when working in other DAW's.

However there are a few elements missing that may explain why you don't see it talked about so much on here.

Some areas of midi editing need refining
No ability to save track templates
No alternative to Expression Maps/SkiSwitcher etc
No integrated Score Editor
If you don't need any of those in your day to day workflow, it's certainly worth a shot. For such a young DAW they've done a good job so far.


----------



## mickeyl (Dec 19, 2015)

Been a Logic user for long, but tempted by Studio One – what's holding me back is some reporting it runs much faster on Windows – which is a nogo for me. Who's running it on OS X and how does it run?


----------



## Suganthan (Dec 19, 2015)

I use Studio One Prime along with others DAWs. Even that free version has audio comping, the fx chain, unlimited tracks, etc. Studio One for me seems like a stable DAW. So you are not the only one


----------



## jonathanwright (Dec 19, 2015)

mickeyl said:


> Been a Logic user for long, but tempted by Studio One – what's holding me back is some reporting it runs much faster on Windows – which is a nogo for me. Who's running it on OS X and how does it run?



I've never used it on Windows so I can't compare the two, but I haven't had an issues with it on my Mac at all. I'd say its performance falls somewhere in between Logic and Cubase.


----------



## thov72 (Dec 19, 2015)

I got studio one artist a few years ago to record some songs, upgraded to producer and started working with samples, now I own studio one 3 pro. People complain about midi editing being easier in other daws, I can´t tell, because s1 is the only daw I ´ve ever used. Everything seems simple, stable, you can drag and drop anything, I love the melodyne integration and I really want to get into using the scratchpad, which seems like an awesome invention that no other daw has. I´ve already written some (movie?)music with it, didnt seem to be a problem. Only thing I miss, as others mentioned, is the score integration. But I haven´t tried out notion so far. Until now I just move the midi files from Finale to S1. The mastering window is nice, too.


----------



## Vastman (Dec 19, 2015)

tack said:


> With Sonar, can you have routing references between templates? For example, say I have a mix template, that sets up a busses for mixing, reverb, etc. And then I have another template for, say, Strings. Can my strings tracks have a send to the reverb bus created by the mix template, and not actually part of the strings template? If so, what happens when you pull in the strings template before the mix template? Does it understand the dependency, or does it ignore the sends that fail to resolve?



Hi, Tack... sorry for the delay... up all night mucking round with OT's new METROPOLIS ARK 1 and spend all day at work gardening in a semi-oblivious state 

As to your question, Sonar's track template system is quite intellegent... For example, I have a couple very different vocal package templates with mains and harmonies and sends to "reverb" and "delay". One routes the Harmony tracks to a submix buss "Harmonies" and the other just routes them to the mains... As long as the busses are labeled the same, it doesn't duplicate them... which ever template you load first creates them and the next template looks to see if they're there...if so, it uses them.

I have another template with the addition of a nectar2 harmony set up sending to a "Nectar" buss... in that case it looks for the buss and not seeing it, it creates it. And it automatically uses the verb/delay busses... If you want 2 different delay busses, using different delays, you just label the other one "delay2"...

Saves settings per track, so they can all be different.
It's great for spreading the load among cpu cores for multi-instruments like Falcon, which aren't multi-core... just add the same template.

Of course, it gets tricky if you save a kontakt instance as a multi as any changes will be lost when the original multi is brought up again. In such cases I've learned to avoid saving multis I might want to add to as templates... but the basic track set ups are lickity split...

I'm still new at this "template" thing and ain't lookin' for huge templates as each song is unique. It's why I just love the "track" templates... as I can create flexible chunks of instrumentation quickly.

The templates deal with both mix and instrument setups as one but I can't see any reason why you can't have a mix overlay of busses proceed or overlay material... With Sonar's recent monthly additions of new things like patch points, I haven't had the time to fully explore any problems, but the basic system of prescreen/add if needed, should preclude any problem. Wish I wasn't working on gardens for money or I'd have more time for such stuff

There's only one frustration with the track templates... they don't save the colors assigned to the various tracks/folders. It is a feature request many have voted on and we expect it to show up in some monthly update.

Have no idea if Cubase or Logic works this way but neither Ableton or S1 does.

You can trial SPlatinum for 30 days. I'd be curious how a real "orchestrator" would deploy this tool.


----------



## wst3 (Dec 19, 2015)

Cakewalk has been my primary DAW since it was CWPA6, so getting me to budge is difficult, not so much for financial reasons (although always a factor) but I just really don't relish learning a new tool. Gad I'm lazy!

I try other DAWs when I can. I've tried Cubase demos since v5 I think, and I tried DP (which I really wanted to work well on Windoze), and I tried Studio One (and Abelton and Reaper and, and, and...)

So far Studio One is the only one that is still on my machine. I find it brilliant and FAST for working with audio. Easily the easiest audio workflow I've experienced (and of course that is largely a personal experience thing, but it works for me.)

But I have not yet upgraded to V3 because I just can't get my head around their workflow for MIDI and virtual instruments. I find Sonar to be much more complete, and much easier to use. The recent addition of route-anything-anywhere in a recent update is amazing!! And I find the subscription model is working well. I don't know how they managed to come up with ten meaningful updates this year, but they did, I hope they keep it up!

If anyone can help me understand the error of my ways with MIDI in Studio One I'd be happy to listen. I'm always curious!


----------



## emid (Dec 19, 2015)

I am using S1 since it came out. Now it's v3. I have used Cubase and PT in the past. I have also demoed DP for a while and although it is certainly a beast, it didn't fit in my needs. My best bet in any DAW is the fast work flow which is all about S1. There is no unnecessary long routing process. The quick drag/drop functionality, saving track fx presets that can be called up upon one click and a logical workflow is the hallmark of S1. It sure lacks in some 'micro' midi functions but all other are available that are required for compositions. I have yet to explore more about it.


----------



## paulmatthew (Dec 19, 2015)

Notion can be integrated with Studio One through rewire. Granted , Notion costs a little extra but it is a scoring option available to users of Studio One.


----------



## H.R. (Dec 20, 2015)

I've been using S1 from version 2 and now I'm on 3. I've switched from Cubase to this and I'm really happy with it. I score films and video games and you can't imagine how many sound designs I've done with this. I've mastered two albums with S1 in it's great mastering section.

But again I believe DAW is not the important to be worry about. Choose the one that suits you better, not what other people says.


----------



## Vastman (Dec 20, 2015)

Ur last paragraph truly hits home...any daw these days is on par with the million dollar studios i grew up around back way before midi... From the composer/artist vantage point, they're far superior.

We are both creatures of habit and perceive things differently. The challenge is defining how you best work and what fits; ya don't really know and I'd rather be composing...

I got s1/3p for the unique new features but missed my track templates...just no work around for that. But that's me...

In the end it's just a tool...I have to laugh at all the soap boxing as if a daw is part of the person's ego. 

Wise words hr...


----------



## samphony (Dec 20, 2015)

If possible participate at answers.presonus.com there is a feature request area for studio one. It has a new voting system. It's easy to enter stuff there and promote it to other S1 users. I think the higher the votes the better but most importantly explain your feature requests clearly so the guys know where you are heading. Just don't write "make everything DAW xyz has..." 

Here is a more in-depth UX idea regarding articulation handling http://answers.presonus.com/3240/fr-articulation-editor


----------



## apessino (Dec 22, 2015)

99% of what I do is MIDI and I find S1 to be absolutely fantastic at it - again, if you just go by "available functions" nothing is going to beat Cubase (especially for MIDI!) but S1's workflow is so much more streamlined and versatile I find myself enjoying the work so much more.

I don't even miss Expression Maps - I have stopped using key switches altogether. S1 makes it so easy and quick to create, organize and keep huge number of tracks, layers, etc. that I prefer to just load as many individual instances as I need and just keep them separate. And finally, because of Track Transform and how efficient S1 is with CPU and memory, you can have essentially endless resources by toggling between track "modes." One command turns a track from VI to audio (instrument unloaded, track rendered with all the options you want) and, best of all, one command restores the instrument exactly to the state you had before. One PC is really enough to tackle project of any size, and S1 remains fast and robust regardless.

If there is one thing where S1 is definitely behind it is on Tempo Track features - no warping or scaling tempo to hit points, etc. These are the things I really miss about Cubase. The good thing is that S1 is already built from the ground up with the concept of "linear" and "musical" track modes (just like Cubase), so the foundation is there and all they have to do is add some tempo mapping functionality, I am thinking S1 v4 will definitely improve on this.


----------



## apessino (Dec 22, 2015)

One more thing: for those of you who assume you can't do Track Templates in S1, check this out - it is pretty damn awesome:


----------



## emid (Dec 22, 2015)

apessino said:


> One more thing: for those of you who assume you can't do Track Templates in S1, check this out - it is pretty damn awesome:




Thanks for sharing. That's awesome.


----------



## apessino (Dec 22, 2015)

Sure thing - I saw it this morning and immediately felt stupid for not thinking of it, even if I found all kinds of fun uses for multi-instruments myself.  Totally going to use it, so convenient - got to love just how versatile S1 is.


----------



## Vastman (Dec 22, 2015)

I find this pretty sad. lots of muckin around. Hope they respond to all the requests for real templates. I guess if you really like S1/3 this is better than nothing...work arounds within work arounds vs open, click and done... or highlight all the tracks you want to save and hit save as template...

S1/3 will sit on my hard drive till they address this issue.

Near the end, it appears there's potential..._if you can continue adding other instruments like kontakt_.

However, I much prefer working on a setup within a song's development or when adding new vst's and then just highlighting what I want to save as a new "track template". Seems to me this is backwords... or at least you should be able to go both ways.

I would appreciate hearing if anyone is able to make a multi multi template... ie, one with drums, omnisphere mult, and say 16 Kontakt tracks... and save all of this as a multi instrument...

can it already be populated with "sounds" or preferred things like a particular Kontakt setup using strings from Albion1, brass from Symphobia, etc... along with a Multi-Omnisphere setup and all saved as a "orchestra multi 1 with drums" multi...

can the same instance above be set up, with all the routings but no specific instruments assigned? ie, reverb busses and subs but open for sound selection...

I'm surprised this isn't given more attention. A huge time consumer on every new song. Or if it is the case that all the above is possible, then why isn't this prominently displayed as an S1/3 option?


----------



## rgarber (Dec 23, 2015)

My story is a little different. Been using Studio 1 v2 for a couple of years now and I really do like it. Before that I was a big fan of Sonar until the Skylight interface came about. My productivity spiraled downward as I had trouble grasping the interface. That's when I changed over to Studio One and have been happy ever since - until v3. I tried the v3 upgrade demo and maybe I'm missing something but I can't figure why the $150 upgrade pricing. With Sonar, even though I'm a couple of years long in the tooth since upgrading it, I was able to upgrade for just $99. So now I'm current with Sonar which I'm not using but not with Studio One which I do! 

Most of my entry of my music is by hand. I also work strictly with commercial samples. I don't do live instruments. What in the new v3 benefits me except the scratchpad feature?

So I waited til Christmas to see if they would drop the upgrade price on Studio One v3 and so far I haven't seen that. So next year I figure to give the new Sonar (whatever it's called) a try and see if I do much better with it now since maybe I will understand the interface better. If I don't like it, then I'll pay the $150 upgrade for the new Studio One v3.

One of the biggest selling points for me when I was looking to switch away from Sonar a couple of years ago with Studio One is I could've sworn they said you didn't pay for upgrades. I must have misunderstood. But what works for me and because I have a ton of sample libraries and plug-ins, is, I need upgrades to be affordable. Not because I'm cheap! No sir. Just did my taxes for this year and I spent thousands in new sample libraries. But to keep all the libraries and daws and effect plug-ins up to date is a lot of money every year (not to mention memberships like puremix (which I couldn't do this year), taxi, soundcloud, etc.

My disclaimer here is I'm not suggesting anybody lower their pricing, but those that do, they got my loyalties. 

I say again I am a huge fan of Studio One but their v3 pricing surprised me. Had it been $99 for the upgrade, I wouldn't be switching. At $150, that's given me pause because I didn't even know there was a v3 in the works and what if there's a v4, is that going to be $150 too? And what if it's next year? $99 may not be that much less than $150 but considering the wealth of purchases I make, every little bit counts.

And that's my story.

- Rich


----------



## paulmatthew (Dec 25, 2015)

rgarber said:


> I say again I am a huge fan of Studio One but their v3 pricing surprised me. Had it been $99 for the upgrade, I wouldn't be switching. At $150, that's given me pause because I didn't even know there was a v3 in the works and what if there's a v4, is that going to be $150 too? And what if it's next year? $99 may not be that much less than $150 but considering the wealth of purchases I make, every little bit counts.
> 
> And that's my story.
> 
> - Rich


 well , you're in luck! The upgrade is now 30% off at JRR shop and is $104 right now.


----------



## rgarber (Dec 25, 2015)

Major thanks for the heads up!! Gonna take JRR up on that right now. - Rich

Even better, they applied some kind of group buy discount making the total around $90.


----------



## Chris Hurst (Dec 26, 2015)

I've been using it for audio for a while and have just started using it for VI's to see how it compared to Logic.

In general I think it's great. It really 'gets out of the way' and it just suits the way I like to work. Pretty customisable with plugin favourites and thumbnails etc - simple and small things, but I prefer aesthetics over long lists of plugins in some cases.

Pretty stable, but had no problems in Logic either. I prefer the colour options as well as I never got on with the logic X colour scheme (but again, I am aware that there are ways to tweak that should you want to, but I don't want to fiddle - I just want to get on with using the software).

No notation can be a problem at times, but I understand a solution could arrive in future.

Also haven't mentioned the mastering suite - really great and easy to use.

So yes, I like it, but pro's and con's with all these DAW's as we all know!

I think they offer a pretty decent low cost/free version to try, so anyone not sure but wanting to make the leap should probably start there.

Just my 2c!


----------



## Dr.Quest (Dec 26, 2015)

You can also demo the full professional version for 30 days. All functions working. That's how I made up my mind to jump on board. Also they have upgrade sales from time to time so it's easy to start on a lower version and get up to Pro for less money. Great DAW.


----------



## mickeyl (Dec 27, 2015)

Ok, installed the demo. Lets see how it goes. Is there a cheatsheet for the key combos somewhere?


----------



## Saxer (Dec 27, 2015)

update at audiodeluxe for 90$


----------



## apessino (Dec 27, 2015)

mickeyl said:


> Ok, installed the demo. Lets see how it goes. Is there a cheatsheet for the key combos somewhere?



S1 is very flexible with key commands - there is an option to generate a PDF file with all available commands and your current settings (which you can then print or keep for reference), you can create presets, and it even ships with a bunch of ready to use presets that map most key functions to the same as other DAWs.

As a starting point you can check this out:

http://www.studio-one.expert/studio-one-blog//the-unofficial-studio-one-3-keyboard-shortcuts-guide


----------

