Studio One

Does the world really need another DAW? PreSonus thinks so, and so we have the Studio One. It's based on from-the-ground-up code, courtesy of some of the main brains behind Cubase. The claim is that it's powerful, but not bloated, software that takes a different slant on the way to do a DAW.

Well of course I'm always interested in that sort of thing - I'm currently checking out Propellerhead's Record, which is also the subject of a Pro Review. I could see it making economic sense for PreSonus to have a DAW in-house; after all, they make a zillion interfaces, so why not bundle one of their programs instead of something from a different manufacturer? In fact there is a "lite" version of Studio One Pro, called Studio One Artist, that is bundled with a variety of PreSonus products. While that's not the subject of this review, suffice it to say I've seen it in action at trade shows, and it's not really all that lite.

But Studio One Pro is what interests me, particularly because the company claims a really seamless integration of the mastering process. Samplitude was the first DAW to really hit on that angle, but based on what I've seen StudioOne takes that further.

Well okay...this is a Pro Review, so let's start with installation because I just opened the box - and found two DVDs and two very slim printed documents: Quick Start Guide and Quick Reference.

Installation of the program itself was amazingly fast. Huh? Two installation DVDs with content and it just takes a few seconds to install things? Well, I guess you copy the content over separately...or maybe it's something that happens when you open the program. We'll see.

Next comes authorization. You first need to create an account on the PreSonus web site (if you don't have one already)...give me a couple minutes here...okay, done. Then you register through online activation, although you can activate offline if your music computer practices "safe data" and isn't connected to the net.

Registration was really fast, too. I guess they're trying to make a point here. According to the confirmation screen, there are also licenses activated for Toontrack EZ Drummer Lite, and NI Guitar Rig LE.

Next screen: Aha! Check out the attached image - this is where you decide what to install from the two DVDs. Might as well install all the "packets" (data content as opposed to auxiliary programs) as well as Toontrack EZ Drummer and the Cocktail kit. I won't install Guitar Rig LE, because I already have Guitar Rig 4 (which by the way will be reviewed in the next issue of the free Harmony Central Confidential - ditto the Kore Player and Kore Sounds Volume 1.

I have a feeling this is going to take a while, so I'll do what I always do when programs are installing: Remove some of the clutter around my workspace! I'll be back after all the packets are installed.