There are so many options to think about when selecting music recording software. What makes the task harder is the varying prices of music programs. Yet another issue is finding a program that is user friendly.
I have wasted countless hours in the past using “free” programs. These “free” programs allow you to record as much as you want; then request a paid license when you want to mix-down or save your music. These ‘free” applications are also buggy with little to no support, making every recording task that much more difficult and time consuming.
Making these “free” programs more costly is they have no effect plug-ins. Unless you are happy with a dry sterile sound you will have to buy some kind of reverb or EQ plug-in in the very least. A guitar amp sim would also be suggested. More time more money and more software to try to configure.
PreSonus Audio Electronics’ Studio One Pro is an out of the box solution for novice musicians and pros that has everything you need out of the box. The first thing I noticed about Studio One was the ease of the install. Studio One recognized all of my hardware on install. There was no additional mapping or tweaking needed to start recording.
Studio One Artist 1.6 or Studio One Pro 1.6? Whether you just want to get tracks down with minimum hassle or want to do elaborate production and mastering,Studio One meets your needs, with two different versions. Here’s a brief comparison of the two packages. Measure them against your needs and find the solution that works best for you.
Studio One Artist 1.6 – Studio One Artist is not a dumbed-down, “lite” version of Studio One Pro. Rather, it’s a powerful entry-level version of the same creative recording and production platform, with unlimited track count and the same intuitive interface. Studio One Artist is bundled with all PreSonus audio interfaces and is also available separately from authorized dealers.
Getting started was also incredibly simple. When you start Studio One it opens a landing page. The landing page lists recent files and projects. The landing page also gives you a profile of your hardware interfacing with Studio One Pro. The “New song” wizard has several templates that will quickly layout a recording interface for a rock band or guitar vocal duo. Using the “new project” dialog you can setup up a custom recording desk to your own specifications.
Making this interface easier is the drag and drop functionality. Studio One allows you to drop and drop audio clips, effects or virtual instruments from its browser. The effects are amazing, I especially liked “ampire”.
Ampire allows you to select multiple classic guitar head sims and match them with a music-store worth of classic cabinet combinations. If by chance you already have a VST plug-in StudioOne works great with other applications. Not only will Studio One Pro recognize your VST plug-ins but also ASIO & Core Audio interfaces.
Studio One Pro allows the home and pro user to make production quality recordings with little effort. This ease lets the artist be an artist, not a software geek. When you don’t have labor over the software it allows you more time to concentrate on the creative process…isn’t that what it is all about?
Studio One Pro has more features than we have seen in recording software costing 3 to 4 times the modest $399.00 price tag for this PreSonus package. PreSonus also has StudioOne Artist available for an even more affordable $199. At these price points the software pays for itself on you first day of recording. There are demos available for download on PreSonus’ website
When choosing between StudioOne Pro and StudioOne Artist there are a few differences you should know about. Studio One Pro supports third-party VST plug-ins Studio One Artist only supports the plug-ins that bundled with it. Studio One Pro supports video for film scoring. Most importantly StudioOne Artist does not have the Project page, Studio One Pro has a complete mastering section. That being said they are both world class applications.
