kcearl
I see deaf people
I've been trying the demo for Studio One Pro ($399) for a day or so now and thought I post up some initial thoughts (no technical stuff from me, its just not my scene maaaaaaan)..
For starters you are given the spiel that this is an all-in-one turn to...from recording, mixing, mastering to producing digital albums or red book Cds..and to be honest it is..
From the off you know this is going to be a little different..it has a separate start page for your bands/artist name, profile pic and contact details..audio and controller set up is also on this page as well as an RSS news feed on the right hand side that gives news of product updates and instruction videos a la Youtube...once up and running you can set it up so it will bi-pass this page on start up if so wished..
Click on New song and you are given a number of options for templates including ready armed live band multi tracking, mixing, studio one instruments etc and of course a blank page....bringing this up and you have a rather dark, stark blank page with a browser on the right and track information on the left..
Instruments and effects are separated on the browser and can be found by either vendor, pre existing folder or alphabetically..pick your VSTi then simply drag and drop it into the workspace...inputs and outputs are automatically set...excellent...want some EQ or 'verb? just drag and drop them on top..it's that quick! (these can then be copied and pasted on other tracks, including settings, or just use one of the FX chain presets)
Audio is the usual right click create audio track..much the same as any other DAW...
F1 - F4 bring up the different views and the manual...bring up the mixer (which can be detached for another screen) and you can cut n paste effects across any amount of channels...create Buses, sends etc..an it slots in without any min max giving it a one page feel...there a very easy to use zoom (keyboard or mouse) to get closer in on the action..
Drop audio files in and they will all stretch (or shrink) to the tempo automatically...
automation looks great..quick to use and again can be duplicated onto any track
once you recorded your track and mixed it to your satisfaction then just change it into a mastering project at the touch of a button which open up a whole new page and series of effects (no more need for Wavelab)..these all seem sturdy enough but I am no expert..best thing here is now you've created the mastering project any changes you make to the original mix will automatically be transferred here...workflow anyone?
It comes will in two versions with the Pro looking the most interesting by Sonar standards there are not a lot of VSTi's...a couple of samplers and a softsynth called Mojito plus some other bundled 3rd party stuff (http://www.presonus.com/products/SoftwareDetail.aspx?SoftwareId=11) the effects all look like they are from Logic kinda to me but have the feel and sound of Ableton (dunno why I think that..just a personal opinion)..but that is Studio One, a best of everything kind of DAW...forgot there's a great little feature on the mixing tracks when you use one of the oe effects..it comes with a mini interface so you can adjust it during the mix without maximising..brilliant addition
Got my PCR up and running controlling it after downloading a template from teh PreSonus site...there are some bugs..I was getting error messages whilst using drum synths (superior and EZplayer) it wouldnt recognise Pod Farm..and I hate the dark interface...even my Sonar 8 is set up as almost a white page..Im 42 my eyesight is failing dammit
In conclusion
Well Ive only scratched the surface but I really like it..from a workflow point of view its fast, it has the feel of a one page for all even though it isnt..it also has the feeling of a Lite, SE or LE program rather than one that's fully functioning as it doesnt feel bloated or just plain complicated...the Mastering project page is also a welcome addition..really makes it stand out
One point though, if you are loading up instruments and deleting the tracks just to find that sound you're looking for you may notice your Ram disappear rather quickly...its because the instruments are kept in a trash can until you physically delete them..had me worried for a second..read the manual, read the manual
For starters you are given the spiel that this is an all-in-one turn to...from recording, mixing, mastering to producing digital albums or red book Cds..and to be honest it is..
From the off you know this is going to be a little different..it has a separate start page for your bands/artist name, profile pic and contact details..audio and controller set up is also on this page as well as an RSS news feed on the right hand side that gives news of product updates and instruction videos a la Youtube...once up and running you can set it up so it will bi-pass this page on start up if so wished..
Click on New song and you are given a number of options for templates including ready armed live band multi tracking, mixing, studio one instruments etc and of course a blank page....bringing this up and you have a rather dark, stark blank page with a browser on the right and track information on the left..
Instruments and effects are separated on the browser and can be found by either vendor, pre existing folder or alphabetically..pick your VSTi then simply drag and drop it into the workspace...inputs and outputs are automatically set...excellent...want some EQ or 'verb? just drag and drop them on top..it's that quick! (these can then be copied and pasted on other tracks, including settings, or just use one of the FX chain presets)
Audio is the usual right click create audio track..much the same as any other DAW...
F1 - F4 bring up the different views and the manual...bring up the mixer (which can be detached for another screen) and you can cut n paste effects across any amount of channels...create Buses, sends etc..an it slots in without any min max giving it a one page feel...there a very easy to use zoom (keyboard or mouse) to get closer in on the action..
Drop audio files in and they will all stretch (or shrink) to the tempo automatically...
automation looks great..quick to use and again can be duplicated onto any track
once you recorded your track and mixed it to your satisfaction then just change it into a mastering project at the touch of a button which open up a whole new page and series of effects (no more need for Wavelab)..these all seem sturdy enough but I am no expert..best thing here is now you've created the mastering project any changes you make to the original mix will automatically be transferred here...workflow anyone?
It comes will in two versions with the Pro looking the most interesting by Sonar standards there are not a lot of VSTi's...a couple of samplers and a softsynth called Mojito plus some other bundled 3rd party stuff (http://www.presonus.com/products/SoftwareDetail.aspx?SoftwareId=11) the effects all look like they are from Logic kinda to me but have the feel and sound of Ableton (dunno why I think that..just a personal opinion)..but that is Studio One, a best of everything kind of DAW...forgot there's a great little feature on the mixing tracks when you use one of the oe effects..it comes with a mini interface so you can adjust it during the mix without maximising..brilliant addition
Got my PCR up and running controlling it after downloading a template from teh PreSonus site...there are some bugs..I was getting error messages whilst using drum synths (superior and EZplayer) it wouldnt recognise Pod Farm..and I hate the dark interface...even my Sonar 8 is set up as almost a white page..Im 42 my eyesight is failing dammit
In conclusion
Well Ive only scratched the surface but I really like it..from a workflow point of view its fast, it has the feel of a one page for all even though it isnt..it also has the feeling of a Lite, SE or LE program rather than one that's fully functioning as it doesnt feel bloated or just plain complicated...the Mastering project page is also a welcome addition..really makes it stand out
One point though, if you are loading up instruments and deleting the tracks just to find that sound you're looking for you may notice your Ram disappear rather quickly...its because the instruments are kept in a trash can until you physically delete them..had me worried for a second..read the manual, read the manual
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