DAW Study Series Pt3 - PreSonus Studio One
The New Contender
When Presonus set out plans to create a DAW that would work both on Mac and PC no-one ever thought it would be that good. But now it’s released in its latest version 3, it’s taken the world of recording, both professionally and at home, by storm.
So what makes it so good? Well for a start and most importantly workflow. It’s quick and efficient and without too much fuss or window dressing, gets results fast. Windows are easily viewed, plugins simply drag and drop onto tracks, there’s extended FX chains and two new instruments Mai Tai and Presence XT. Studio One v3 comes complete and ready to go out of the box.
It may come in three flavours, for different budget levels but really if you can push to the professional version then you’re in for a treat. Pro comes with built in mastering (project page). I have never seen this offered in any other DAW. Now you can record, mix and master your own tracks and produce professional sounding albums. The only thing holding you back is your own skill and ineptitude.
Presonus may not have busted the bank, unlike some rivals, with its meger plugin offerings, 27 of them, to be exact, but they all work well and cover everything a mixer needs. It offers 4 virtual instruments, loops, midi samples and the wonderful melodyne integration.
To sum up, having used many different DAW’s over the years this has rapidly become my favourite. Yes there’s still annoying little quirks but slowly and surely Presonus are ironing them out. Of course the inevitable argument comes up as to whether it sounds better than this one or that one but that’s not the question to ask. Ask about workflow, speed is what we need, not being held back by overwhelming screens, searching for plugins, dropping in new tracks, midi editing etc. All these are taken care of with wonderful Germanic efficiency. There is even a fully functional demo version. I challenge everyone frustrated by their DAW to give it a whirl.
Pros
• Melodyne integration on its own will be reason enough for many people to switch to Studio One.
• New Arranger and Scratch editing, create alternative mixes without all the hassle.
• Excellent value for money, especially when you consider that Professional buyers get Melodyne Essential and DDP export for free.
• Many significant new features.
• Good built-in plug-ins and bundled sound libraries.
• Support of rival DAW key commands to help make easier transition
• Remains intuitive and easy to use.
• Non-intrusive copy protection.
Cons
• Needs a more intuitive Smart Tool
• Better 3rd party plugin integration, a favourites folder for example.
• No lockable events, to lock audio in place and prevent accidental moving.
• Poor send fader and pan controls
Once you start getting the hang of it you’ll be sucked in and never want to go back.
