Working With Instrument+FX Presets In PreSonus Studio One

Working With Presets

Working with presets is a great way to speed up the creative process and enhance your workflow when working in the studio. The obvious reason being that “some” of the heavy lifting is already done, and essentially there’s no need to start from Ground Zero. A simple analogy that comes to mind would be doing some prep work before cooking. Having everything “ready to go” makes the whole process go a lot smoother.

My guess is that many of you are already doing this, and have your favourite plug-ins set up with a handful of useful presets that can act as a great “starting point” to build upon. But this doesn’t just apply to plug-ins.. Having some basic Instrument’s that are set up and ready to go is also extremely useful. But in this case, we not only have to consider the preset within the V.I. - but also any additional FX processing that we’d like to add in our DAW.

Working With Virtual Instrument Presets

One question that I get asked a lot by colleagues and some of my viewers is “what’s the difference between Storing/Exporting a Preset vs Storing/Exporting an Instrument+FX Preset?”

Well - Here’s the simple answer. Most Virtual Instruments offer built in effects such as EQ, Reverb, and Delay. So these would obviously be recalled when storing a preset. But in certain cases, it may be preferable to utilize additional plug-ins and FX chains. An example of this would be using either 3rd Party plug-ins, or Native Studio One plug-ins for the above tasks.

Furthermore, if we take a look at Multi-Out V.I.’s then there are other aspects to take into consideration as well, such as the multi-Out routing, Channel names, etc.

In this regard, using Instrument+FX Preset’s can REALLY come in handy.

In this video I demonstrate how (and why) to work with Instrument+FX Presets in PreSonus Studio One. More specifically, how they differ from using traditional Presets.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

Mixing With The CTC-1 Pro Console Shaper In PreSonus Studio One

Mixing In The Box

Mixing in a DAW can be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, we have pristine digital audio, with no noise, non-linear artifacts, or colour added to our tracks. On the other hand - well… we have pristine digital audio, with no noise, non-linear artifacts, or colour added to our tracks. All kidding aside, the bottom line is that sometimes things can be so clean - that they begin to lack a certain character. I might also add that there is such thing as “too clean”.

Hands On Control

But first, let me set the record straight - I love mixing in a DAW. That being said, I think it’s worth mentioning that I mix using a Faderport 16 and a Console 1 - with a handful of my favourite plug-ins. Both Native (Studio One) and 3rd Party. In the end, I love the feeling of ‘grabbing faders’ and massaging things into place. Actually to be honest I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I fully embraced the Faderport 16 into my workflow and got off the mouse all together. Quite simply, I find that my mix comes together in a much different way then it does if I’m just moving faders with a mouse.

Injecting Some Character

Having said that, I will also add that I really love using tools that give me a certain “colour” or vibe that I can impart upon my tracks in their digital world. As mentioned, I use a Console 1 by Softube - and this is a great place to start. But it’s not the only option. In fact, I will often use the Console 1 in addition to using the CTC-1 Pro Console Shaper (made by PreSonus).

The purpose of this article is not to explain everything there is to know about Mix FX - or how they work, but more specifically, just going over how I will typically use the CTC-1 in a mix.

Essentially, PreSonus changed the way we can approach Mixing in a modern-day DAW with Mix FX Plug-ins when they were released in Version 3.2. In this video I demonstrate my basic workflow when mixing using the CTC-1 Pro Console Shaper in PreSonus Studio One.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

How To Fix The Phase of Multi Mic Performances Using Editing In PreSonus Studio One

Using Multiple Microphones on sources is a great way to thicken up and contour the sound of a recording. That being said, it also has the potential to introduce some un-welcomed issues if not done properly.

Generally speaking, when I’m using Multi Mic setups to record a source, I’m paying careful attention to the phase relationship between both microphones and the source. Flipping (or inverting) the polarity on one of the channels is a great way to check this.

Example: When using a Top Microphone & Bottom Microphone on a snare drum - in order for the phase relationship to be correct - the bottom mic would need to have its polarity inverted . Failure to do so may result in a a thin, weird sound - that loses all it’s bottom end.

But not every case is this cut & dry. For instance in the case of using multiple microphones on an Acoustic Guitar track - it’s not really a case of using a Top & Bottom Mic, where one of them will be 180 degrees out of phase with the other. Having said that - inverting the phase of one of the channels may still very well provide telling results. But furthermore, it may be a case where the phase is “close” but not perfect.

In these cases, I usually try to aim to get things as close as possible while tracking, and if I feel there is a need for further refinements - I will turn to good old trusty manual editing in my DAW.

BUT before I go, one thing I wanted to add (that I really should have mentioned in the video), is that if you can visually see that the waveforms are completely out of phase with each other - you’d definitely want to make sure to invert the phase using a plug-in such as Mix Tool in Studio One. And it might even be worth rendering this into the file using Event FX - so that visually the Waveform updates. The way to see this visually would be that the Waveform would be going down (from the Centre) as opposed to going up from the centre.

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Note that the Waveforms (although not identical) are similar in terms of their positive and negative direction that they are both flowing.

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Note that the Waveforms are heading in exact opposite directions - and hence 180 degrees out of phase with each other.

In this video I demonstrate some basic concepts on how to fix the phase of multi mic performances using basic editing when working In PreSonus Studio One. And to be clear - this is assuming that the Audio files are both generally ‘in phase’ to begin with.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

Studio One Quick Tip - Removing Plug-Ins & Sends By Click + Dragging

Today’s video is a super simple tip! If you've ever wanted a quick and easy way to remove plug-ins and sends from your Studio One Song (besides Right Clicking and choosing "Remove") - then this video might be of use.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

How To Quickly Export Multiple Files Using The 'Between Each Marker' Preference In Studio One

When I first made the move from Pro Tools - one of the first things I noticed was the multiple different options to define the Export Range in Studio One. One of the main options that caught my eye was having the ability the export “Between Each Marker”.

I have always used Markers to define specific areas in my arrangement - so for me, this was like a dream come true. Just imagine being able to print 6 or 7 separate arrangements all offline, without any fussing about. Or even more powerful, how about different chapters in an audio book, or different snippets of a VO. You can literally print 50, 100, 150 (however many you need) and Studio One will render them quickly & with ease - all based on the power of your computer.

I used to have to do these all one by one, and in the case of when I was working in Pro Tools, I was printing back into my session on a new Audio Track! That being said, one thing I quickly noticed was that this feature didn’t quite work as I expected it to (or wanted it to) when using the Export Mixdown option. Hence, I went back to my old process of doing things one by one.

BUT - then I was on a call with my friend Don Baarns - who does a ton of work supporting the Studio One Community in the Audiobooks / Narration / Voice-Over area. Essentially, he let me in on a little secret in that the “Between Each Maker” exporting workflow is actually quite different when using the Export Stems option.

In this video I demonstrate how to use the 'Between Each Marker' preference to quickly export multiple files when working in PreSonus Studio One.

Using this option vs the traditional "Between Loop" format is a lifesaver when needing to export various files according to pre-defined Markers in Studio One. That being said, there is a fundamental difference between the way this feature works with "Export Mixdown" vs "Export Stems".

And once again, a special thanks to my good friend Don Baarns for the pro tip.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

Studio One Quick Tip - Using 'Create Ranges On Tracks' To Simplify Automation

Any time I'm doing Studio One training clinics or seminars - I always get stopped by someone whenever I use one particular shortcut in Studio One. So I figured it would be worth covering this feature in detail. In this video I demonstrate the 'Select Ranges On Tracks' function in PreSonus Studio One. More specifically what it does, and how it can be used to simplify editing automation when working.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

Working With VCA's In PreSonus Studio One - Part 2 - VCA Automation Demystified

One of the biggest feature requests in Studio One (especially from former Pro Tools users) was VCA Faders. Having said that - Studio One added VCA's in Version 3.

I find that it’s kind of tough to explain to people exactly why mixing with VCA’s is such a killer way to work. The usual responses are something along the lines of “Well how is that different then creating a group?” or “Isn’t that that same as creating a BUS Channel for selected tracks?”

My answer is always the same. Once you fully understand (and start using) VCA’s - it’s hard to imagine NOT having them. So with that being said, I wanted to do a 2 part series that would (hopefully) get people accustomed to using VCA’s and explain some of the advantages in terms of incorporating them into one’s workflow.

Before I go any further - If you haven’t already seen the first video - You can watch Part 1 by clicking here.

In this 2nd video of a 2 part series, I demonstrate how to work with VCA's with respect to automation. More specifically, how to render VCA Automation into source tracks - as well as how to merge VCA Automation (static offsets) when needed.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

Working With VCA's In PreSonus Studio One - Part 1 - VCA Basics and Setup

One of the biggest feature requests in Studio One (especially from former Pro Tools users) was VCA Faders. Having said that - Studio One added VCA's in Version 3.

I find that it’s kind of tough to explain to people exactly why mixing with VCA’s is such a killer way to work. The usual responses are something along the lines of “Well how is that different then creating a group?” or “Isn’t that that same as creating a BUS Channel for selected tracks?”

My answer is always the same. Once you fully understand (and start using) VCA’s - it’s hard to imagine NOT having them. So with that being said, I wanted to do a 2 part series that would (hopefully) get people accustomed to using VCA’s and explain some of the advantages in terms of incorporating them into one’s workflow.

In this 1st video of a 2 part series, I demonstrate the basics of VCA's - more specifically how to set them up, what they do, and why they're so incredibly useful.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

Workflow Tip - Using Reference Tracks In PreSonus Studio One - Routing and Preferences

Using Reference Tracks

Using Reference Tracks is a great way to maintain objectivity when mixing - but it can also be a huge pain unless your routing is set up to accommodate. Furthermore, unless you’re using a Control Surface of some sort such as the Faderport 8 or 16 - attempting to solo one track whilst un-soloing another with a mouse at the same time is a dead end street..

So if we take a look at the 2 above issues, it’s safe to say that even though this concept is a rather simple one. ie: “I want to reference SONG A while I’m mixing SONG B” - It requires a bit of thought to put together a workflow that would allow references to be used. But first, a few more points.

Taking Loudness Into Account

It’s safe to say that a good benchmark to aim for is that of a commercially released track. That being said, if you’re planning on using a track that’s sitting on the current charts - it will most likely have been mastered and have that processing “printed” into the track. This leads to another issue.

Avoiding Double Processing

This is something I’ve spoken about before, but essentially - If you DO have a reference track in your mixing template, and it’s routed directly to your Main Outs, then there is the possibility of double processing your “already mastered” reference track.

What do I mean by this? Well, let’s say that you’ve got a great mix going, and perhaps you’ve got some Mix Bus Processing happening on the Main Outs. (something like iZotope Ozone). In order to get an accurate A/B comparison between your reference track, and your mix, you’d have to first bypass the plug-ins on your Main Outs, and solo your reference track (hopefully after adjusting the fader to compensate for the difference in level if there is any). Furthermore, you’d also want to be able to go back to listening to YOUR mix with the processing on the main outs. Back & Forth, as needed.

In addition, the ears can adjust to a Tonal Balance rather quickly, so in my personal opinion, being able to quickly toggle between your mix and your reference track is imperative to utilizing reference tracks properly. If it takes you 5-10 seconds to go through the A/B process - this isn’t really an efficient approach. Also, there is nothing more evident then the instantaneous epiphany of realizing you’re off the mark.

The Solution

Now that we’ve spoken about the problem, let’s talk about a possible solution that I personally use. Well, it involves some simple routing within your Studio One Song & enabling a preference within Studio One that can help make this process go a little smoother.

In this video, I demonstrate a workflow that can be used to smoothly incorporate using reference tracks when mixing in Studio One.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

Studio One Quick Tip - How To Edit Adjacent MIDI Notes (Legato Phrases)

Not every tip needs a long explanation. :) This one is both extremely simple AND extremely useful. Have you ever found yourself in the situation where you needed to move the ending of one MIDI note and the beginning of another that were “butted up” against each other?

In this video I demonstrate how to edit adjacent MIDI Notes (AKA Legato phrases) in PreSonus Studio One - essentially allowing a user to move the beginning and ending position of 2 MIDI notes at the same time.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

How To Export Raw Audio Files (Regions) In PreSonus Studio One

If you’re collaborating with other engineer’s, producer’s, songwriter’s, or studio’s - then there’s a good chance that you’ve been asked to deliver “RAW Audio Files” (aka regions) before. If you haven’t - then my guess is that you will be eventually. :)

First off, let’s take a moment to talk about what this term means.. Well, essentially we can think of Raw Audio Files, as the actual files that are created when recording to your hard drive. Another term for RAW files could also be “un-processed” but in my personal experience, the term RAW is used more often. In fact If I had to narrow it down even further, I’d say “Raw Audio Files / Regions Consolidated from Bar 1” is the phrase I’ve heard the most.

Regardless of whether you are recording a vocal, a kick drum, or an acoustic guitar - whatever source is being recorded through the preamp (after it has passed through the A > D Converters) INTO your DAW would be the raw audio. It’s also important to note that the actual gain that the files have been recorded at will have been determined by your preamp’s gain settings, and the level at which you recorded them. So any fader levels and panning done within the console / mixer of your DAW - would not have any bearing on the levels of the files.

There are certain cases where having access to the RAW audio files (vs exported stems) may be preferable, but without getting into too much detail, the main reason would be to have maximum flexibility/control in terms of mixing or producing. Case in point, you’ve done some vocal tracking, and someone has requested that you deliver RAW tracks so that he or she may continue to work on the song, and have full control over any processing that may be added.

“Translation - Don’t do any mixing, I’ll handle that on my end… Just record the tracks as best as you can, and send them to me..”

One last thing to point out, is that I think it’s also important to note that in most cases - even when delivering RAW Audio files, it’s pretty common practice to do some basic house keeping, such as deleting unwanted sections of audio in between phrases, and adding basic fade in’s & fade out’s. But the end goal is to usually render a new contiguous audio file that starts at “Bar 1” with no additional processing.

In this video I demonstrate how to export Raw Audio tracks (Regions) in PreSonus Studio One 4 using a Drag & Drop workflow from the Arrange Window to the Browser.

Although this video was done using Version 4, the same concepts can be applied to previous version of Studio One.

Exporting Stems In PreSonus Studio One - Follow-Up Q & A Video

Its safe to say that although it sounds simple enough, exporting Stems can be a tricky subject. Especially when there’s parallel processing, FX Returns, & Mix Bus Processing involved. That being said - In last weeks video we covered the basics on using the ‘Export Stems’ function in Studio One, and more specifically - the difference between using Tracks vs Channels.

In this weeks video, I wanted to dig down a little further into some of the questions and comments I received from last weeks video "Tracks vs Channels - Exporting Stems In PreSonus Studio One”.

So essentially - a Q & A Video Response that will hopefully help clear things up a bit more for those who had further questions.

Furthermore, last week was all about how to export Stems from your Studio One Song - (and the difference between Tracks vs Channels) whereas this week I wanted to focus more on routing options, and how to go about structuring your Studio One Song to ensure that exporting Stems doesn't become a tedious process. Not necessarily any hard rules - but more along the lines of some guidelines and tips that I’ve picked up over my years of having to deliver stems for various clients.

However - one thing that I do want to mention with respect to exporting Stems, is that the minute you involve ANY Mix Bus Processing (on your Main Outs) the whole entire concept of ‘Stems’ kind of goes out the window.. Or to be more clear, Specifically when dealing with things like Mix Bus Compression, or any dynamics processing that may be potentially reacting to the whole mix vs individual elements.

Case in point: If you have some epic SFX Tracks that are kicking your Mix Bus Compressor or Limiter into overdrive - if you muted those tracks and played back the same mix - you would most likely note that your levels would be different. This is because the tracks are summing together and effecting the cumulative level that your dynamics processing is responding to.

This can also be the case when dealing with saturation as well.. It’s a cumulative effect. So the short answer is that “usually” (not all the time) this is something to be taken into consideration when printing stems. In my personal experience, things like basic EQ curves usually translate pretty well and don’t drastically alter the sonics - unless of course you are aggressively pushing gain or drive to saturate the Mix Bus on purpose.

At the end of the day, your deliverables will usually provide the best insight as to how to deliver your stems, and how to set up the routing in your DAW. So if it’s a matter of having to deliver stems that perfectly match your Stereo Mix Down - there are way’s to accomplish this. And in some cases Getting your stems to come ‘close’ to your final mix might be good enough as well.

But regardless, there is NOTHING worse than getting an email AFTER you’ve mixed a track saying “oh yeah, by the way, we’re gonna need stems printed for this mix” and having to go though your mix and find a way to print stems that even remotely resemble your finished Mix. Needless to say, you will only need to go though this once to see how much of a pain it is. And my guess would be that once you do have to go through this, you will most likely find a way to structure your songs to avoid being burnt a second time.

All in all, Stems are a regular part of my world - I deal with them all the time, but they don’t have to be a pain, as long as you think ahead, exporting stems can be a breeze.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

Tracks vs Channels - Exporting Stems In PreSonus Studio One Demystified

Working With Stems

If you’ve spent any time working in a DAW then you’ve most certainly heard of the term “Stems” before. Without getting into too much detail - the concept is actually pretty simple. If you are looking to collaborate with another person, whether that may be a producer, a mixer, or an artist, you will most likely be asked to deliver Stems to them - so that they may import the audio files into their DAW of choice and continue working on the song.

The general concept with Stems is that certain elements may be ‘grouped together’ and rendered out as an audio file. In some cases, this may be quite simple, such as: Drums & Percussion, Bass, Guitars, Keys, Vocals, FX.

In other cases it may be more complex, such as: Kick, Snare, Hats, Toms, Over Heads, Room, High Percussion, Low Percussion, Bass, Acoustic Guitars, Electric Guitars, Lead Vocal, BG Vocals, etc etc..

In addition, Stems can also have different channel width’s as well. Such as 4.0, 5.0, Stereo, Mono, etc etc.. But for the sake of today’s example, let’s keep it simple and deal with stereo.

**Before we move on, I also want to point out that there is another approach to exporting audio files as well, which would be “Raw” tracks.. Meaning that NO processing is applied during the exporting - but this is something that I plan to tackle on another day. For all intents and purposes - let’s assume that we want our Stems to have any plug-ins, Fader level’s, and Panning rendered into the Stereo File.

The Benefit’s of Stems

There are many different reasons why stems are a preferable way to work. The most obvious being that in the case where someone is using a different DAW - they would quite obviously NOT be able to open up a session from YOUR DAW (we do have AAF options available - but that’s a different article all together). Another good example would be when someone may have the same DAW, but NOT the same plug-ins.

And lastly, In all honesty it’s just a great way to keep things clean, tidy, and simplified when collaborating with others, or archiving your productions. Case in point, if you are 100% completely happy with your drum sound - then why complicate things any further? Just print a Drum Stem and be done with it. Your Drums will now be 1 Stereo track and 1 Fader in any DAW that the stem was imported into.

Conversely if you feel the need to leave your options open, then perhaps it’s better to “Stem Out” the drums into all of the individual elements to allow for additional processing and mixing further down the line.

But regardless, using Stems is a fantastic workflow - that simplifies the production / recording / mixing process immensely.

Exporting Stems In PreSonus Studio One

If we take the above into account - it’s quite easy to see how having different methods of exporting Stems can be useful. And thankfully - Studio One offers a plethora of different options for rendering audio depending on what needs to be accomplished - whether it’s a simple Stereo Lead Vocal Stem with ALL the FX and processing rendered in, or discrete Stems for each element of the Vocal.

The 'Export Stems' option in Studio One is an extremely useful way to quickly render out Stems from your Song. But did you know that there are some fundamental differences between using Tracks vs Channels?

In this video, I demonstrate the key differences between the 2 methods - as well as when (and why) to use one method over the other.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

How To Embed Chord Track Metadata Into Audioloops In PreSonus Studio One 4

Since it’s introduction in Studio One Version 4 - I’ve been trying my best to make use of the Chord Track wherever I can. Although I must admit that with the exception of using “Import Song Data” features, (chord track information on Audio Events will come in when using Import Song Data) this is usually on a song by song basis. ie: I use it in certain songs as a production tool - but it’s not yet 100% engrained into my workflow. I also haven’t seen any Soundset’s that make use of this feature - (yet).

Then one day it dawned on me - “Wouldn’t it be nice if I could export all my Audioloops with the Chord Track metadata already having been detected… There MUST be a way to do this!”

This would save me the step of having to detect chords (and verify they’re all correct in the Editor) if I wanted to use the chord track in my production workflow. Also, depending on how I have the tracks in my Studio One Song setup, those Audioloops could potentially “auto-conform” to my Chord Track (in my source Song) when dragged in. ie: if I had some blank tracks setup in a template for dragging in Audioloops - and they were set to follow the Chord Track.

furthermore, my guess is that we will eventually be able to audition Audioloops in the Studio One Browser against our Chord Track in our Studio One Song. IMHO - This seems like the next logical step to take. That being said, I’m simply hypothesizing here, so don’t quote me on this.. (Although it would be pretty cool).

However if that DOES end up happening, I thought to myself - wouldn’t it be nice to “future proof” all my Audioloops I’ve been creating by embedding the Chord Track data into them before exporting. In addition, this could also prove to be useful in the meantime for my own productions. But all of that depends on whether or not this is even possible!

Well the short answer is, Yes - it is..

In this video I demonstrate how to export Audioloops with Embedded Chord Track Metadata In PreSonus Studio One.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

Studio One Quick Tip - Using 'Define Tempo' To Timestretch Audio Events In Studio One

I always love finding a new feature that I didn’t know existed in Studio One.. And it just so happens that this happened to me a couple of weeks ago - and I wanted to share. :)

For anyone who has ever worked with Audio Loops in Studio One, be it Wav Files, MP3 Files, or AIFF - You’ll know that there are a bunch of different options we have at our disposal with respect to tempo - but a really simple way to “snap” an audio loop to your songs Tempo (when it’s BPM is undefined) is to simply use the alt / option modifier when clicking + dragging - and snapping an Audio Events edge to a Bar Boundary.

This works as expected for most cases, but one thing to note is that although it does snap the loop to work within your current song - there is still no File Tempo metadata information in the Audio Event. The simple solution for this is to do a quick bounce and create a new file. The new file takes on your Studio One Song’s BPM and all is well in the world again… So if you do end up making any changes to the BPM - your loop will play back at the proper BPM as long as the track is set to Timestretch in the inspector.

But did you know that Studio One has 2 completely different approaches that a user can utilize to Timestretch Audio Files? Well - to be completely honest, I’ve been on Studio One since ~2014/2015 and I had no idea until a couple weeks ago…

In this video, I demonstrate how to stretch Audio Files (Loops) using 'Define Tempo' vs the traditional 'Stretch Event' approach. Whats the difference? Well, Define Tempo is a unique approach that can be used when timestretching Audio Events - which (in some cases) may be preferable to use vs basic timestretching.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

Studio One Quick Tip - When and Why To Enable 'Automatically Add Envelopes For All Touched Parameters'

Editing automation is an essential part of modern music production. But lets face it - it can sometimes be a bit of a pain. I think in general there are usually 2 school’s of thought. Those who prefer to ‘mouse in’ their automation, and those who would rather take a more tactile approach and ‘perform’ an automation pass - either by using the mouse, (clicking and dragging parameters in real time) or a controller.

To be completely honest, I use both methods. If i’m just needing to automate a simple filter sweep, I might opt to quickly draw it in. BUT - in the case where I feel the need to have more control, manually grabbing faders, and performing my automation moves is a great way to achieve that.

But there’s one thing that can be frustrating during this process. That being the need to first “add” an envelope for the parameter I need to automate. Once an envelope has been added, it’s simply a matter of choosing the automation mode, and performing a pass. But if you’re wanting to automate multiple parameters at the same time, you would first have to “add them”.

The great news is that there is a preference in Studio One that takes care of this issue all together - and all you need to do is simply enable it!

In this video I demonstrate the 'Automatically Add Envelopes For All Touched Parameters' automation preference in PreSonus Studio One. More specifically when (and why) to use it - and how it interacts when writing plug-in automation.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

How To Properly Export One-Shots and SFX Samples In PreSonus Studio One

Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you're trying to import One-Shot samples into your time-line - that they end up time-stretching to your song's BPM? In reality, when dealing with One-Shots, this isn't really what we want.

Regardless of whether you’re using drum samples or SFX samples, the whole idea of using One-Shot samples is that if it’s a kick drum, or a snare hit, or hi-hat - the duration does not really matter.. If we’re talking Loops - then sure, but simple One-Shot samples (IMHO) shouldn’t need to be time-stretched. In fact it’s my preference that they aren’t.

This becomes even more evident when there’s drastic differences in Tempos. So let’s say that you import a sample that has an embedded BPM of 120 (the usual default) into an 75 BPM song. If a user has the “Stretch Audio Files To Song Tempo” preference enabled, (which most user’s do) Studio One will automatically time-stretch the sample to play back at 75 vs 120. This amount of time-stretching can really degrade a sample.

So the obvious thing to do here, is open the inspector and delete the tempo field of the audio event - and all is well. The file will play back with no processing and no extra artifacts. But wouldn’t it be easier if we could just avoid the issue all together?

Well, if you’re into creating and exporting your own samples, there’s a way we can handle this when working in Studio One.

In this video I demonstrate a workflow that can be used to remove Tempo Metadata when using a drag & drop workflow to export One-Shot Audio Files via the Studio One browser.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

Track Based Automation vs Part Based Automation In PreSonus Studio One

Automating your instrument tracks is a fantastic way to add movement and interest to your productions. In fact, sometimes a simple tweak such as a basic filter sweep can literally add a night & day difference to a song!

That being said, it’s also important to have a solid understanding of the different ways in which you can apply automation. Case in point; Studio One allows users to go about this in a couple different ways.. One of them is a pretty standard approach that most DAW user’s would be familiar with - while the other is (imho) a little more modern, (and perhaps preferable in certain circumstances).

In this video I demonstrate the main differences between Track Based Automation vs Part Based Automation (a.k.a. Region/Event Based Automation) when working with Instrument tracks in PreSonus Studio One.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

Studio One Quick Tip - When and Why To Use 'Collapse All Tracks' In PreSonus Studio One

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been doing my best to put together a series of videos that can be helpful for organizing your Arrange Window when working in Studio One. As many of you may have noticed, I tend to jump around quite a bit with my views - by doing things such as zooming in and out (both vertically and horizontally), as well as expanding and collapsing folder tracks as needed.

There are quite a few different way in which Studio One allows user’s to customize their views, and for this I am grateful. Furthermore, I tend to take full advantage of any view I need in order to accomplish the task at hand. But as soon as I’m complete - I tend to want to quickly return back to my “Zoom Overview” view - with all my automation envelopes hidden, and my folders collapsed.

This is where the Collapse All Tracks Command comes in super handy. :)

In this video I demonstrate the Collapse All Tracks Menu Command In Studio One. More specifically, why it's useful - and when to use it.

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus

Studio One 4 - Two Chord Track Tips You May Not Know

The Chord Track in Studio One Version 4 has really changed the way in which it’s possible to work in a DAW. I know that it has opened up many new creative possibilities in my own personal workflow, which were simply not achievable before.

That being said, it does take a bit of getting used to, because it’s not just a set of Markers for adding Chord Data, but rather a Dynamic tool that can non-destructively change your entire song with a single click.

If you’re interested in learning more about The Chord Track, here are 3 different tutorials that I’ve done in the past covering some of the creative possibilities:

1. Producing With The Chord Track In Studio One 4 - Working With Instrument Tracks

2. Tip - How To Render Chord Track Changes Into Instrument Parts (MIDI Events) In Studio One 4

3. How To Create Instant 808 Bass Lines Using The Chord Track In Studio One 4

Now If you’ve spent any time using The Chord Track - one of the areas that may be familiar, is using both Instrument Parts & Audio Events to “extract” or “detect” chord information - which can then be added to the main Global Chord Track. It’s also worth pointing out that once you have this information, it can be applied in various different ways to Audio Tracks & Instrument Tracks alike.

But did you know that there are some simple shortcuts that can be used to help speed up the process?

In this video I demonstrate a couple miscellaneous tips that can be used when working with The Chord Track in Studio One Version 4 with both Audio Events, and Instrument Parts (MIDI Events).

And as always, if you enjoy this content, please - Share, Subscribe, and hit that like button. :)

Cheers, Marcus