Just found out that now we can add insturments via macros("add instrument track" + "add instrument X to selected track"). Pretty useful feature.
The thing is I stepped on the feature accidently. No where in the release notes it was pointed out.
I wonder if there are any other hidden gems added in this update.

 

Last edited: Jul 13, 2020

Late to the party. Don't have time to read all of the comments, but this is a pretty exciting release. Specially mix snapshots, music notation, key switches, and note expression.

Dropping Win 7 and Win 8 means that the new versions will have better performance as well, as they are built using the latest toolchains.

 

Someone said on Presonus Facebook group that V5 sounds better than previous versions. 4 other people confirmed while as usual hence being a sensitive topic, other people started making fun of him ala placebo effect.

 

Some people have noticed an improvement on cpu performance on heavy projects,around 10-15%.

 

Yes. Also, the program loads faster, plug-ins scan happens faster as well, and, what's more important, auto-save now can be really fast(you need to switch on an option in settings "use plug-in cash" or something like that).

 

This and the news about adding instruments via macro is incredibly positive news. Thank you for the update.

 

Nice, because S1 4 is already very fast.

Yeah, still has no rival. In fact, the ARA standard was created by Celemony (surprise lol) and Presonus together.

I also have a soft spot for these things

I could explain you but it would be about Star Trek instead of DAWs, so perhaps a bit off-topic...

 

Perspective obviously defines how we view "new product" launches like this one. I've been using Studio One for a little over two years and I'm for the most part a happy customer. So why do I lean more towards the camp of users who are disappointed with the feature focus of v5? Version 4.6 hasn't lost any value and the fact that 5.0 exists doesn't impact me in any way.

After some thought I've come up with three reasons, all of which might be illogical (time will tell). The first reason is the sense that a new version could have included something valuable to improve my workflow, so I'd characterize it as lost opportunity. However, my current WF isn't broken, there isn't some critical element I'm pining for Presonus to implement, and it's not like some other DAW maker has recently put out anything revolutionary that makes me envious. The second reason is my perception of the home audio production market continuing to trend towards catering to electronic music application (DJ, techno, 100% ITB virtual instruments). I don't want to insult anyone so I won't elaborate on why that frustrates me. I will say this opinion is also tied to the frustration I felt the first time I read the Babyface Pro FS manual and noted the disproportionate sea of detail devoted to MIDI instrument connections and live application vs. the basic functionality of an interface for home recording. My work is about a 50/50 split of recording mic'd instruments and ITB virtual instruments, so please don't infer that my comments are colored by some old school strictly analog perspective.

The third reason is the one that feels somewhat valid to me. This update seems to target casual hobbyists with a focus on new customer acquisition (vs. keeping their current customer base satisfied). Presonus built its core user base by steadily attracting professionals and serious hobbyists away from the deeply entrenched / industry standard DAWs (Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase) through the implementation of innovative WF features. It is worrying that they might now be reversing course by moving towards a wider breadth of application instead of continuing to focus on the types of improvements that endeared many of us to them in the first place. Their apparent strategy to cast a wide net towards the lowest common denominator casual user and weekend warrior live musicians is troubling for people who made the switch to Presonus based on the view that they were on the path to surpass the capabilities of the top professional DAWs. If they start to appear "gimmicky" they will damage their current reputation with serious users and it could be the kiss of death if they fail to attract a new segment of customers.

The people who seem most frustrated are those who don't see much of a step forward in S1 mixing and mastering capabilities. The scenes feature looks like it could be useful but the only other obvious innovation I noted was the volume leveling capability. I already have a half dozen ways to efficiently level my recordings now, so it never dawned on me that someone might actually be struggling with this element in S1. As far as native plugins go, nearly all of the tools I use are 3rd party. I don't care all that much about GUI improvements or even application advancements that bring their suite closer to some of the commercial products, again a 5.0 feature that is geared towards less serious users. I will add that I do use some of the v4.6 stock plugins on a regular basis so it's not that I believe commercial products are always necessary to compensate for the limitations of stock plugins. I am suggesting though that the capabilities of stock plugins are not a high selling point for experienced or even intermediate users.

It looks like there are two camps of people who are happy with the new version. The first group are composers and cinematic producers, and I can legitimately see why they are excited with the new features. The second group are people whom I assume feel they will get enhanced utility by implementing S1 into their live performances (someday). My primary live instrument is acoustic guitar and occasionally I will play electric guitar, bass, or piano. When I do play live, I'm not looking to deliver a carbon copy of what I've recorded and I'm struggling to see how the new feature would improve my current approach. Then again, I'm probably not their target live musician who is probably more in need of technology to facilitate sequencing, drops, triggered backing tracks, and whatever else techno/DJs use in their performances.

Perhaps future updates will balance out the needs of different user types and everyone will be happy. If an update adds a feature that will make my WF more efficient I will gladly jump on board but the initial launch adds nothing of value for me. Even though the upgrade is very reasonably priced, It's simply not worth the hassle or risk that typically accompanies migration to a major revision.

 

Great input. Detailed, reasoned, showing your preferences and opinions without trying to impose them.
Refreshing to see comments without the " X is shit, I'm moving to Z" extremism.

 

There are 3 types of updates Presonus does, 2 are free, 1 is paid.

5.0.0 is a paid update, it brings big marketable features.

5.0.1 is free and will contain only bug fixes. You may get a new feature if it somehow resolves a bug.

5.1.0 is free and will focus on adding workflow improvements, these are the things that aren't sexy marketable words, like retroactive midi recording.

Its very important to keep in mind that what you pay for when you upgrade is not 5.0.0, its 5.0.0 to 5.9.9 - which will roughly last 2 years.
(In comparison Pro Tools will cost you 4x as much in that time period)

And as we've seen with v3 and v4, by the end of their run they are completely different animals to how they started.

 

Last edited: Aug 3, 2020

''analog delay with gay flag ''
really ?

do we really need gay flag stamped on our plugins now ?

should i start making gay techno music now ?

 

I don't debate anything in your post, and think for the most part my post is in harmony with your comments. I am a satisfied customer because of the stream of WF improvements I received after initial purchase. I ended my post by mentioning the potential for update enhancements, but as of now there isn't anything new in this version that is appealing to users like me.

I also chose not to include a list of features/capabilities that I was hoping would be added, because that wasn't the point of my post. I'm going to add one now though to illustrate an example of the type of reasonable improvement some of us were expecting. Izotope RX is a near industry standard utility for audio repair. In addition to best-in-class tools, it also comes with a very high price. One of the reasons is because of the semi-intelligent Repair Assistant module that can automatically detect noise, clipping, clicks, etc. The individual tools work inside of Studio One but not the time-saving Repair Assistant tool that is a primary driver setting RX apart from other products. We are going on several years now of people requesting this Studio One disconnect be resolved. After it was ignored throughout the period of 4.0.0 updates I assumed it wasn't an easy fix but that it would be addressed in the next S1 version. Instead we get the ability to level audio inside the track, which as previously mentioned is something that can already be accomplished efficiently in many different ways.

We are currently at the stage 5.0.0, so not surprisingly my observations pertain to what this version of the software brings to the table. The intent of my post was to offer an "emotion free" objectively detailed perspective as to why a portion of Studio One users are disappointed and slightly concerned of a potential shift in direction. My post was getting painfully long so I stopped short of elaborating on an element of this release that is playing a part in the disappointment of mixing/mastering engineers and people like me who produce their own music. The "most important event" trumpeting.

Marketing shtick is to be expected with the release of any new product. However, Presonus made the statement that this is the most important event in their 25 year history. When a company makes a statement this bold, I think it's reasonable to take a closer look at what is new and different in the release and draw some conclusions about where this thing might be headed. The list includes a subscription option, a live performance module, and integration of composing tools. None of these things pertain to continuing to drive Studio One towards becoming and remaining the best mixing/mastering DAW available for serious production. I hope that anyone closely tied to Presonus can reflect on this viewpoint and understand why a segment of the Studio One community is a bit concerned. I'm not worried that Presonus is going to abandon adding WF enhancement updates to improve the production value of S1. What I do find concerning is that if the new aspects of 5.0 are what they deem the most important in their 25 year history, then there is at least some potential they might be veering from the path that led me to them in the first place, and based on comments I've read in multiple forums I'm far from alone.

I do want to end this post on a positive note though, particularly for any readers who might be evaluating if Studio One is a good choice to replace their current DAW or for first time producers. S1 is rich in features that in my opinion set it apart from the field. It's also very intuitive and easy to use - short learning curve. I strongly recommend S1 for people who are just getting started and that's because it's easy to use, so don't take this comment to mean it's unsophisticated compared to other options. For someone considering a switch, in general I would also say yes despite concerns I've mentioned. I think we settle in on a specific DAW because we get comfortable using it and it has a set of features that we like. I think S1 is easier to learn than other DAWs I've been exposed to, so getting comfortable again shouldn't take very long. The second part is harder to answer. Can S1 do X like DAW Y can do? Maybe, probably? If there was one DAW in the market that encapsulated the most important or unique features of every other DAW then I think all of us would already be using it. This of course is an unrealistic expectation so if the question is whether or not S1 encapsulates more of the best features than any other DAW, then in my opinion the answer is yes. I think that was a significant consideration of the creators of S1 when they left Cubase (I think). Still, if there is a specific function that is the cornerstone of your approach and S1 doesn't have that capability then obviously the change would be less than optimal for you. For everybody else, I still recommend S1. They've earned a long leash with me and at this point I'm still optimistic that 5.0 could evolve into the next leap forward. I'm still happy continuing to use 4.0 in the event that future 5.0 updates don't address areas that I'd find beneficial.

 

FYI, if you purchased the Sphere account then you can block the api.presonus.com and then use RunAsDate to keep Studio One 5 from calling home every 3 days. I waited for S1 to ask me to update the registration (I had it blocked since v4) and then set RunAsDate to a few hrs before S1v5 asked me to unblock and update my 3 day registration. The settings that work for me in RunAsDate is to only check the 2nd box "Return to the current date/time after..." "10 seconds" Dont forget to let RunAsDate create your own custom Desktop Shortcut! The original wont work.
Im on Win10 x64 I used RunAsDate x64 v1.37 by Nirsoft
Presonus will catch it and patch it soon but for now...

 

I've heard this several times now. RX implementation is NOT on Presonus, its up to Izotope incorporate ARA.
Antares implemented ARA and the latest autotune works in S1, Steinberg added it to Spectralayers which somewhat scratches my RX itch atm.
Now that ARA2 is being widely adopted by other DAWs, you should push iZotope to incorporate it instead of releasing another Ozone every 6 months.

 

indeed that comment was offensive!

 

@Area51
well if these questions were offensive to you then ''im sorry you feel that way'' brother...or sister (no idea man or woman ? )
but i see you agreed on my comment so we are on the same page

i have to add that the flag is too big ,my eyes hurt seeing it ''coming out '' of my fx section

my apologies if my comment might be offensive to some people loyal to ''that coming out of the closet community''
but i wont change my opinion ''for them ..it is what it is

now laugh at this video

 

Last edited: Aug 2, 2020

You're right that it is primarily (ultimately) on Izotope, point well taken. However, I chose the word "primarily" intentionally as it's common place for major developers to work together to ensure compatibility, especially for high profile products. I've never gotten the sense that Presonus has pushed Izotope all that hard. You mentioned that you've seen this criticism mentioned multiple times. I don't know if you're referring to posts in the Presonus forum but if so, their lack of providing a substantive response is the basis for why I believe they aren't making an active effort to push Izotope. If any progress had been made I imagine they would say so.

Again, I didn't bring this topic up in my first post because I thought it would take focus away from my central point. There isn't much new in 5.0 related to mixing/mastering which in my opinion is the core purpose of a DAW.

My disappointment with the new version is not about the RX issue or any of the other minor improvements I would like to see implemented. It's that the new features hint at a direction that holds very little interest for me. More importantly I tend to gravitate towards products that do 1 or 2 things exceptionally well. When developers take a kitchen sink approach they usually end up with a product that doesn't excel or differentiate itself in any area. Nothing against the New Orleans artist they featured in their marketing campaign but the overall artificial feel of a group of musicians gathered in a large brightly lit room, full of cheery harmonic interaction, and portraying the use of a DAW as the key to being able to pull off a live performance made me throw up a little in my mouth. Flash over substance. Do you think professionals using ProTools in a studio environment are thinking, gosh I really like using this DAW, if only there was a module that allowed us to use it as a sequencer in a live environment?

We see this all the time with computer, phone, and music gear launches. Campaigns for products that illustrate technological advancements that offer a practical solution for a widely shared limitation, focus on... well, a straight forward demonstration of the practical application. I'll give Presonus credit for the Notion integration in this regard, but it's not something I envision using in the future. I started my series of posts with a statement about perceptions. I'll acknowledge there might actually be new features Presonus didn't highlight in their launch that I would find compelling, and there's a really good chance update revisions will add value. But as of right now there was nothing that jumped out to get me excited. My current perception is that I should pass on this version until I see new impactful and practical features geared towards mixing/mastering.

 

Studio One 6 !!!