3 Different Workflow Approaches for Creating a 1 to 1 Track-Channel Parity When Working In Impact XT

In this video, I demonstrate 2 different workflow approaches I like to use for creating a 1:1 parity between the tracks (Arrange Window) and the Channels (Console) - when working with Impact XT in PreSonus Studio One 5. In addition - I also show one other workflow that can be utilized (that I don't personally use)

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

Cheers, Marcus

WHY You Should Create a VCA FX Master In PreSonus Studio One

In this video, I demonstrate a recent discovery I made when assigning a VCA (Master) Channel to my FX Returns - Needless to say, it's something that I'll be using on all my Mixes & Productions henceforth, and I wish I had discovered this sooner!

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

Cheers, Marcus

Mixing Workflow Tip - Using The Alt or Option Modifier Key In PreSonus Studio One

Working with groups (both selection based, and tradional) is a great way to speed up the mixing / editing process in Studio One. But in some cases, you may find yourself in need of quickly adjusting a parameter outside of the group.

In this video, I demonstrate how to Alt/Option Modifier Key(s) can be used to temporarily suspend parameters from selection based groups as well as traditional groups, in PreSonus Studio One 5.

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

Cheers, Marcus

The One-Pass Stem Printing Approach In PreSonus Studio One 5

In this video, I demonstrate a change that I've recently made to my Mixing process. More specifically, How I'm able to print/archive all tracks with hardware processing, as well as my Mix, and my Mix going through a limiter - all in One Pass.

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

Cheers, Marcus

How to Copy FULL Send Chains in Studio One 5.1 and Above

In this video, I demonstrate a new feature that was added in Studio One 5.1 - the ability to Copy FULL Send Chains (Multiple Sends) between tracks. A small but incredibly useful feature.

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

Cheers, Marcus

Session Archiving Workflows when working with External Hardware in PreSonus Studio One 5

Although Pipeline XT offer's users the ability to make text notes (of settings), as well as bring in pictures of your hardware all directly within the plug-in interface - IMHO, there are many different reasons why printing (re-recording) tracks that had hardware processing applied, is a good idea when it comes to archiving a Mix.

First - let’s start off with the obvious. It might be the case, that you no longer have a certain piece of hardware in your collection. Or perhaps it’s in need of some maintenance and doesn’t sound the same anymore with the same settings.

These two above reasons alone are a good enough reason to take the time to ensure that you have the ability to recall a Mix sounding “reasonably” the same as where it was left upon client sign-off.

In this video, I walk through a basic workflow that I like to use when archiving Mix sessions where external hardware was used.

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

Cheers, Marcus

Quick Tip - Copying and Pasting Clip Gain Envelopes from One Event to Another In PreSonus Studio One

Clip Gain was a seriously welcomed feature when Studio One Version 5 was announced. But in some cases, it can be useful to transfer the clip gain adjustments to another Event. A few circumstances where this come into play would be when dealing with Multi-Mic recordings, as well as receiving updated regions that are sitting in a Mixing session.

In this video, I demonstrate how to copy Clip Gain Envelopes (Automation Nodes) from one Event to another in PreSonus Studio One Version 5.0 and above.

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

Cheers, Marcus

Prepping a Session For Mixing In PreSonus Studio One

In this video, I walk through the basic steps I take when prepping a Mix Session (sent from a client). Although it seems like a simple task - I find that separating this process from the creative side of mixing, helps me be more creative and focus on the mix.

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

Cheers, Marcus

How to Fix The Routing In a Studio One Song when Needing to Export Stems

Printing stems is something that comes with the territory when working in the Audio Production world. More often then not - We mix in a hurry, or as creativity strikes. This can sometimes lead to a Mix that becomes difficult to stem out, if (or when) the need arises. This is most likely because we’re building the mix as we go, and sometimes use a single Reverb for a whole track, or forget to be diligent with creating Sub Groups when mixing on the fly.

Thankfully Studio One has a robust workflow that allows us to fix these potential issues, and render out stems efficiently, and simultaneously if needed. In this video, I demonstrate how to fix the routing of a Studio One Song, with the end goal of rendering stems in mind.

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

Cheers, Marcus

How To Toggle Optional Views In PreSonus Studio One

In this video, I demonstrate how to Toggle Optional Views in PreSonus Studio One 5. This simple but useful feature can be used to immediately clear any unnecessary windows, views, that are open in the GUI - with the added bonus of being able to bring them "back" into view just quickly.

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

Cheers, Marcus

Auto-Expand Selected Channels In PreSonus Studio One 5

I must say that when compared to the other DAW’s that I’ve used in the past (Mainly Pro Tools & Logic Pro) Studio One has a really dynamic GUI. It allows a user to customize the amount of information being displayed quite a bit. Admittedly, when I first began using Studio One (somewhere around 2014 during Version 2) it took me a bit to get used to. But now, I love it. Especially when working with a mobile setup.

My “main” setup is with my Macbook Pro in clamshell mode, connected to all my peripherals - which is connected to a 24 inch Samsung Monitor - so I tend to have a “default” view when I work. That being said, depending on what I’m doing, and how much of the arrange window I need to see I will usually toggle back and forth between the Console being in Large view (with Sends and Inserts above the channels), and Small View. This is especially the case when Im working with a mobile setup.

This is where the “Expand” View comes in Handy. It will allow a user to see the inserts, and sends of each channel directly to the right. But in the end, a user will still have to mouse click the icon, or use a shortcut or hardware controller to actually “open” the view.

In this video, I demonstrate a new preference that was added to the Console Options in Studio One Version 5. It's a small one, but I find it to be incredibly useful in specific circumstances - such as working with limited screen real-estate on a mobile setup.

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

Cheers, Marcus

A Workflow For Committing Pipeline XT Plug-in Inserts In PreSonus Studio One

When I first started working with a DAW, I had come from working with a Multi - Tascam DA-88 setup, an Analogue Mixer, a few stereo outboard EQ’s, Compressors, and External Effects Processors. Needless to say, my first DAW Rig made full use of hardware inserts - until such time that I sold all of my external gear (except my Alesis MidiVerb 4 for nostalgic reasons).

Very shortly after this - I transitioned to mixing fully in the box, and that remained the case for quite some time. I still kept some of my external preamps, and also invested in some additional channel strips and preamps for tracking purposes but as for mixing, I was 100% in the box for years.

There were a lot of reasons that I chose to work this way - the most obvious being the ability to perfectly recall mixes, and productions without needing to dial in / recall hardware settings.

But one of the main reasons was quite simply that it was a bit of a pain, and some of the “Hardware Insert” plug-ins that shipped with the DAW’s I was using at the time, fell short in quite a few areas (IMHO). Long story short - Pipeline XT solved this problem for me, with it’s sample accurate Latency Compensation (that works even when driver’s aren’t reporting accurate latency figures), and its ability to store either text or pictures for recalling. Not to mention it’s ability to offer a Mix Knob, and some other useful features.

But regardless of all this, I still think it’s a good idea to commit, and “print” (render) any processing into the audio once things have been dialed in. That being said, I also think it’s still a good idea to be able to recall those settings without disrupting my signal chain should the situation arise where this needs to happen.

For this reason, I tend to work a certain way when working with hardware. The idea is quite simple.. I like to use hardware as the first inserts on my track, then print a new Audio File which then replaces my original at the proper level in the signal chain, so that I can continue to work, and still have the flexibility to revert if I need to.

In this video, I demonstrate a workflow that I've been using with Pipeline XT with respect to rendering (committing) my external hardware inserts - whilst still offering the flexibility of recalling (and preserving) my signal chain when needed.

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

Cheers, Marcus

Exporting Multiple File Formats Using The PreSonus Audio Batch Converter

Dealing with multiple different File Formats with respect to deliverables is pretty much a given - especially if you’re dealing with Music that’s created for Television, Film, and Web. Based on my experience, different Music Production houses may request different formats, (ie: Wav or Aiff) and despite there being better options available - MP3’s are still widely used for Preview File’s.

Although this is a pretty simple task, if you’re just dealing with a basic stereo Mixdown - it can quickly become cumbersome when dealing with Multiple Mix Versions, and / or Stems of all of those multiple mixes.

For me, this task used to include 3 separate sets of exports for a lot of the work that I do when Mixing Music that’s meant to go to Music Production houses. So just imagine - sometimes I would be exporting a Stereo Mix, with up to 5 or 6 variations (edits), then Stems for each of those Mixes! Then it was basically a case of “Rinse & Repeat” for the Aiff Versions, and the MP3 Versions! Definitely NOT fun.

These days, though - I have a much quicker workflow!

In this video, I demonstrate how I typically use the Audio Batch Converter to Render multiple sets of files in different deliverable formats for jobs that require me to do so.

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

Cheers, Marcus

Faderport Tips For Power Users - Studio One Native Mode

Adding a Faderport 16 to my setup, was by far one of the best decision’s I’ve ever made. Not only did it re-ignite my passion for mixing - it also opened up a new world of possibilities for how I go about mixing a track with respect to my workflow.

Now, I’m not going to lie - At first, I was a little clumsy, as I hadn’t used a control surface for mixing since my DIGI 002 Days.. But after I began to force myself to use the Faderport more and more, it eventually became second nature - and although it sounds cliche, I really wouldn’t want to mix without it..

Add my Softube Console 1 into the equation, and it’s a match made in heaven (but that’s for another day)

In this video, I demonstrate two Faderport Features, (that to the best of my knowledge, are undocumented) as well as numerous Workflow Tips for Faderport 8 & Faderport 16 Users.

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

Cheers, Marcus

3 Automation Tips For Working In PreSonus Studio One

Automation can really help a production come to life. That being said, there's nothing more frustrating than having an idea, and not knowing how to quickly tweak the automation to achieve your end goal. In this video, I demonstrate my top 3 tips for working with Automation in PreSonus Studio One.

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

Cheers, Marcus

How to Assign Alternate Key Commands In PreSonus Studio One

In this video, I demonstrate how to assign an alternate set of Key Commands In PreSonus Studio One. It may not be immediately obvious but this can be incredibly useful when working with Mobile Setups. ie: When you don't have the luxury of a full sized keyboard with a Numeric Keypad - yet still need to access to firing off an essential Key Command on a Laptop.

**Special thanks goes out to Don Baarns for showing this trick to me a few years back!!

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

Cheers, Marcus

How to Create a Cue Mix In PreSonus Studio One 4

In a previous video, we took a look at why it's a good idea to create custom Cue Mixes for artists when working in PreSonus Studio One. In this video - In this video - I thought it would be a good idea to show how one would go about setting one up with their interface of choice. :)

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

Cheers, Marcus

How To Get Your Studio One Song to Start with a Negative Bar Offset

Here’s a simple, but useful tip :)

In some cases it can be useful to have your Studio One Song start at a negative Bar - thus allowing some pre-roll for count off's or pick up's. In this video - I demonstrate how to go about setting this up!

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

Cheers, Marcus

My New Collaborative Workflow for 2020 - PreSonus Studio One

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, so this will be my first official post of 2020! First off, let me start off by saying that I wish you ALL the best for a productive and prosperous year. And - I’ve got a ton of useful content planned.

Secondly, I will say this: Make sure you back up your system regularly! And also make sure that you’re backing up your recent projects (sessions) to external drives. :) I’ve had quite a few issues with my current system over the last 4-5 weeks, so much so that it was time to move onto a new one. (More on this later)

But now that I’ve got things temporarily sorted out again - Let’s talk about Collaboration…

It’s not uncommon these days for multiple people to be working on a single project. It’s also not uncommon for each of these individuals to have their own home-based setup where they can work. This leads to sharing sessions.

Now for the most part, I don’t usually share the “Master” Sessions over dropbox, but rather a streamlined version of the session that’s created especially for the artists doing additional overdubs / production. So for a singer, this could be something as simple as a rendered stereo Instrumental Mixdown - or in cases where more flexibility is required - Varying degrees of Stems. From here, I make regular use of the “Import Song Data” functions within Studio One to easily bring over additional elements from my “Master” Song.

But one area that I’ve never really paid attention to (which I should) has been file size. Not everyone has unlimited cloud storage, and space on their systems - This is actually something that came up recently, and I thought it may be useful to some of you who are reading this article.

So needless to say, I've recently made some changes to my workflow that I use when collaborating with other Studio One User's via Dropbox. (Also applies to other cloud based sharing options). In this video, I demonstrate the basic's as well as give an explanation as to why I've made changes to how I approach "sharing" sessions.

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

Cheers, Marcus

WHY You Should Consider Setting Up Custom Cue Mixes When Tracking

I recently had a live off the floor session, where I was tracking Percussion / Drums and Guitar in order to get the best possible “Lock” in terms of Groove from the artists. Quite often I try to treat these types of sessions as if though the takes we capture, could potentially be the takes that end up on the record. Because In MANY cases - they are.

One interesting thing happened during that session - was both the Percussionist and Guitarist made mention of the fact that they were both really appreciative with the fact that I ‘even bothered’ to offer each of them a custom Cue Mix. In all honesty, I found it a little odd - because from my personal experience, giving a really decent Headphone Mix to an artist as he/she is tracking has got to be one of the easiest ways a tracking Engineer can improve the odds of them capturing some magic.

That being said, it’s an easy thing to say - but slightly harder to grasp without actually “hearing” exactly what I’m referring to. Also, this article / video isn’t really about HOW as much as it is about WHY! With this in mind, this will be the first of many new articles and video’s that will go further into exploring these types of concepts. 🙂 Watch this space…

But if you are interested in the HOW - A simple youtube search should kick back some video’s from multiple fellow content creators, and I myself have a video I did when I was with Studio One Expert, that covers everything you’d need to know about Setting Up a Cue Mix in PreSonus Studio One.

In this first video of a new series I'm launching, (Why vs How) we take a look at WHY, as a Tracking Engineer - You should consider creating custom Cue Mixes / Headphone Mixes for artists while tracking in PreSonus Studio One.