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PreSonus Sphere (S1 v5)


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I'm a die-hard Logic user. Been with it since version 7 in 2005. I have never seriously considered cheating on Logic until today.

 

I shelled out the $15 to try out the whole package that PreSonus is now offering on subscription, and I am reticent to admit that it is pretty compelling. A lot of niggling issues that I've had with Logic are not present in Studio One. Plus, new features like mixer snapshots, a listen track (to put room correction plugins on without processing bounced files with the room correction enabled), Keyswitch lanes (so that transposition of MIDI tracks doesn't affect the key switches...) I could go on... and most of all - based on rumblings I've heard in many places, it seems like PreSonus actually listens to their users and give them what they want (within reason). How long has Apple continued to ignore certain issues? Like the bug with the small gap in cut audio regions? Still not fixed, even in 10.5?

 

Someone please talk me out of it. Please.

 

(I'm an all-in type of user, I don't really like splitting workflows between DAWs.)

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The listen track (Control room in Cubase) is really useful, it's something i didn't appreciate how useful it would become. I used to run into a mixing desk and apply calibration corrections/route to my monitors that way, now i can totally bypass that, come straight out of my interface and control levels and corrections/emulations without affecting the mix. Honestly, just having that 'listen' fader in constant view is brilliant.

 

Also, in Studio One you can route audio or MIDI out of one track/instrument into another - this is killer too, Logic and AU is way behind in that regard, and is also something i use a lot, particularly when combining Maschine or i want to record the output of Komplete Kontrol's MIDI data.

 

I'd run it alongside Logic for the month and see how your productions/compositions go - as that's the real indicator, if you feel that you're getting a better end result - you have your answer.

 

The main thing i miss from Logic is the track stacking, it's built-in compressors and the deeper MCU support. I don't miss Apple's arrogance, however. When you see the level of community engagement and how reactive PreSonus are it really is a breath of fresh air.

 

I still love Logic though, always will and that's why i visit this forum to keep up with things. It's very hard to walk away after investing so many years into it. But i'm like you, i have to be 'All-In' too and there's too many more useful features out there within other DAWs. Chord track is a real game changer for me, documenting and building on chord progressions is so useful when you return to a project that you may have only put a few hours into, but had a good idea.

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Things I like so far about S1:

 

1. This is a huge one... it will align recorded audio properly when recording with high latency plugins are on the stereo bus. LPX will align the recorded audio offset by the overall stereo bus latency, instead of in time, as heard through hardware or acoustic monitoring. (Other DAWs do this correctly as well, but not LPX.)

 

2. I can search for plugins when adding an insert to a track... this saves a bit of time.

 

3. The listen track, as noted earlier.

 

4. Console shaper - this is unquestionably the best way to implement console emulation.

 

5. Being able to resize every aspect of channel strips in the mixer view.

 

6. Mixer snapshots... another huge one.

 

7. Very quick region gain access.

 

8. Maintains low latency for software instruments and software monitoring even when the buffer size is high. Logic applies a universal buffer setting to all I/O.

 

9. Track/channel auto colorization - works the way it should. Logic's is not well-implemented

 

Things that give me pause about S1:

 

1. The MIDI setup is wonky compared to Logic. Logic just works. You plugin in a MIDI controller, and you can play with it immediately in Logic. In S1 configuration is required - but this is minor. (Logic requires configuration for any other setup than straight omni input.)

 

2. GUI - Logic is better. Not so cluttered, more straightforward.

 

3. Agree on track stacks. Logic does this better. S1 folders are pretty rudimentary.

 

4. Logic does comping better than anybody. Quick swipe rules.

 

5. LPX plugins are better-sounding, generally, and more usable.

 

6. LPX drummer has no peers.

 

Still, I've made lots of music with LPX, I've found workarounds for it's quirks, and 15 years experience is nothing to sneeze at, even though a lot of that experience is portable and helps me find my way around Studio One (it's nice that they have a setting in S1 for using LPX default key commands.

 

I guess I'm just a sentimental, loyal type. But I'll be running S1 through its paces for the month.

Edited by nathanimal
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4. Console shaper - this is unquestionably the best way to implement console emulation.

Yeah i agree, i believe that S1 does something special 'between' channels too, to replicate analog gear. I'm pretty sure that channels that are near each other receive crosstalk dependant on the amount you allow... That relationship is such a great idea to have baked into the DAW mixing engine, and i love the subtle results it gives you to add a bit of glue.

 

But can be a bit confusing when you have slight bleeding when a track is muted though, it's proper old school! lol

 

1. The MIDI setup is wonky compared to Logic. Logic just works. You plugin in a MIDI controller, and you can play with it immediately in Logic. In S1 configuration is required

Funny, this is the main reason i prefer Studio One vs Logic as i can setup devices to ONLY send into S1 on a particuar channel, and pick 'per device' on each track. In Logic you have to use 'demix' function, make sure that multiple tracks are enabled, and only then can it split by channel.. In Logic you can't even pick MIDI Device 1 for drums, Device 2 for Synth etc.

 

This allows me to run a Maschine controller in MCU mode AND use the pads for instrument input, and i can setup the same hardware device as two seperate hardware in S1 split by channel.

 

But, i agree a little, when new to S1 it's not clear which MIDI type you have to pick to record notes and CC data as they have 3 options in there. After you've mapped a few it becomes clear and the options become more evident. Mapping to plugins is very efficient however, and the automation tools are brilliant.

 

4. Logic does comping better than anybody. Quick swipe rules.

Oh 100%, comping is a bit crappy in S1. It's there, and it works better with melodyne than Logic when you comp (i.e. tracks to changes well). But it seems cumbersome in use to me, and not immediately obvious how to flatten the final vocal take. S1 seems very keen that you keep all the previous takes, which isn't how i work.

 

I just hope that they add a perpetual license to the sphere plan, so let's say you complete 2 years subscription you get the version you were using over the majority of that time to keep/roll back to. A few other subscriptions i run offer that scheme and it just provides a bit of comfort should you decide to cancel the sub but still want to load old projects.

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In Studio One you can turn a regular Folder to a Summing Folder and and vice versa plus have folders in folders.

On top of that you can put more than one instrument to a single track and have them different inserts levels etc. Really powerful.

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On top of that you can put more than one instrument to a single track and have them different inserts levels etc. Really powerful.

 

Is this not the same thing that summing or track stacks can do in Logic? Even though it's not technically a single instrument track?

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On top of that you can put more than one instrument to a single track and have them different inserts levels etc. Really powerful.

Is this not the same thing that summing or track stacks can do in Logic? Even though it's not technically a single instrument track?

They were replying to the comment where i miss the track stacks from Logic, i believe.

 

And you're both right, it's pretty much replicating what i need - so i'm glad this discussion came up as i'd never noticed the little pulldown box in the folder to put it out to it's own summing bus or VCA.

 

Thanks! Was not expecting a S1 tip from Logic lounge! lol

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Is this not the same thing that summing or track stacks can do in Logic? Even though it's not technically a single instrument track?

They were replying to the comment where i miss the track stacks from Logic, i believe.

 

And you're both right, it's pretty much replicating what i need - so i'm glad this discussion came up as i'd never noticed the little pulldown box in the folder to put it out to it's own summing bus or VCA.

 

Thanks! Was not expecting a S1 tip from Logic lounge! lol

 

Yes, sorry I should have quoted :)

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Nope, and there's nothing in the exchange either - i was looking for something similar a few days back, and hoping there was a macro.

 

I ended up using the Actions menu and there's a select notes by velocity option in there, so applied that and lightly quantized (50%) only the selected (higher) velocities - but it's nowhere near the same as Logic's smart quantize.

 

I put it into a macro anyway, just while i'm finding stuff out. Very easy to setup and i do like the customisation via macros.

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Anybody know if there is anything in S1 comparable to "Smart Quantize" in Logic? So I don't have to manually de-quantize flams and grace notes, etc...

 

Nope

 

Thanks for that info.

 

After spending every spare moment I can the last few days bouncing back and forth between both programs, making "I wish Logic did this," and "I wish Studio One did this" lists and trying to come up with an answer for each point from the other program, I've become less and less certain about which one I would choose, given my desire to be "all in" on one or the other.

 

They're both pretty damn good in their own ways. I could make good music without much hassle going either way. It's also been very educational... finding something I like in Studio One, after going into the manual and watching quite a few videos, and then going into Logic and seeing if I could do that thing has helped me to learn some things about Logic that I had never known before. (For example... Logic is unique compared to S1 and PT in that it can make transient-based selections in both directions... the latter two can only change the right selection boundary. And yet Logic "sucks at audio editing...")

 

It's definitely an oversimplification to say that Logic is better for composing/producing and that S1 (and others) are better for editing and mixing. For example, the chord track and scratch pad in S1 are both very useful for composing/production. And Logic is perfectly competent at editing and mixing, as we all know. You can very easily do everything in both.

 

It's hard for me to draw any certain conclusions about which is better in what way, given that I am so new with Studio One. Every time I think "This is so much easier in Logic," I go a little more in depth with a feature in Studio One and find that it can also do a certain thing... I just had to stop thinking about how Logic does it.

 

But when it comes to MIDI and software instruments, Logic definitely has the edge. It just stays out of your way. And the smart drummer... even though I can play real drums and can program my own parts, smart drummer just helps things move along faster when writing.

 

And S1, with it's mixer scenes, listen bus, much more in-depth track color coding, and console emulation, definitely has the edge from a mixing standpoint. Also, it's audio engine seems more robust and less prone to drop-outs and glitches... especially when loop recording. For that reason, if I was working predominantly with audio, I would probably do everything in Studio One.

 

If I had to pick one today, I would let my Sphere license lapse and continue working in Logic - if for no other reasons than I have 15 years experience with it and haven't paid any money to continue using it since 2013.

 

But I think I am going to use both: Logic for composing and tracking, and Studio One for mixing and mastering. Even though I could do it all in either program.

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You're approaching it wrong mate :)

 

See, i wanted to try a Win 10 machine out so went on a DAW journey, and learnt that the only way to truly test each is to stop comparing them feature by feature and just judge yourself on the music you make with each - i.e. listen to a finished track. Because they all have their unique ways of working, if you get your best work from one other the other that's the one - differences in how you use each will just come with familiarity.

 

For me, Hands down Cubase is the most productive and delivers best results, i don't know how as i hate the workflow (Far too many clicks and always getting lost). and there's so many parts that are broken (You have to export MIDI mapping pages to .xml files 'incase' it loses the changes), but i'm so very creative with it and i just find mixing and variaudio to be gold. It doesn't even make sense as i actively dislike the GUI as a whole lol.

 

However, there's the issue of the dongle with Cubase. During lockdown my dongle was in a studio machine that i couldn't get access to and it really made me consider the limitations of a dongle (i.e. i have to carry it around with me 24/7 if i wanted to use it in my laptop at home for example). So i'm shaky with Steinberg right now.

 

i've always used Studio One on and off as a mate runs it, so when Sphere dropped i thought 'bugger it', i'll give it another try and it won't affect the old S1 license i have... This time it seems to be sticking, i'm really enjoying everything about it - it's slick and quick, plus having Poly Aftertouch added in V5 means all my controllers work to their full ability now, and that was a big preventing factor for me in the past that i had a mental block over.

 

However, Cubase still delivers for me. But i'm really looking forward to finishing some tracks as a test in Studio One and trying out the project/mastering page more - only then when i have finished pieces in my hands will i know how viable a full time move will be. If the end product is good, it's a done decision and i'll cash in on my Cubase 10.5 license while it's the current version, or else i'll start yo-yo'ing between them.

 

One things for sure, i don't think i could go back to Logic anymore. My whole workflow has become built around a Maschine controller and how it integrates into an VST3 environment (VST3 has the ability to pass MIDI from a plugin to the DAW), Studio One can also route audio tracks and MIDI tracks into one another - that's a massive feature to lose once you're used to it. It means you can start to use features of Komplete Kontrol/Maschine and instantly route their outputs (MIDI/Audio) directly into other tracks - which, as a Komplete Kontrol S mk2 owner means that you always have access to the light guide, chord and arps - but not forced into hosting plugins in Komplete Kontrol.

 

Add on to that the chord track features, how that ties in to Melodyne chord track which they added in ver 5, mixer snapshots, super quick on the fly MIDI mapping, routing Inserts on the same channel parallel or serial via the splitter function. It just really suits my needs right now, and love the freedom.

 

But as i say, my move has been fuelled on a desire to become multi-platform in the future. So a different angle than your approach.

 

Also, don't you find that Studio One is very good to punch in and out on the fly? It's so snappy and seamless that you can punch in and out across multiple tracks without stopping the playhead. In Logic i felt i'd often have to stop transport re-record enable a track and start recording, which puts me off my flow if i'm jamming.

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Skijumptoes do I understand correctly from your post that Cubase doesn’t understand note based aftertouch (compared to channel aftertouch)?

Sorry, i was rambling so that was confusing to read. Cubase DOES understand it, but Studio One didn't prior to V5.

 

So essentially that was 'a' reason as to why i was using Cubase... Now it's changed somewhat.

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(VST3 has the ability to pass MIDI from a plugin to the DAW)

 

Could you elaborate on this? I'm not sure I understand your meaning, and the practical application of it.

 

...plus having Poly Aftertouch added in V5 means all my controllers work to their full ability now, and that was a big preventing factor for me in the past that i had a mental block over.
So essentially that was 'a' reason as to why i was using Cubase... Now it's changed somewhat.

 

LPX supports it as well, and has for a long time, which I was unaware of until just now (I obviously don't use it).

 

Also, don't you find that Studio One is very good to punch in and out on the fly? It's so snappy and seamless that you can punch in and out across multiple tracks without stopping the playhead. In Logic i felt i'd often have to stop transport re-record enable a track and start recording, which puts me off my flow if i'm jamming.

 

I was experimenting with that very thing a couple of days ago, and while Quick Punch recording in Logic does in theory work that same way, when cycle recording, there is a system-wide audio drop out for about 0.5sec after recording starts or stops, whereas S1 doesn't do that... it's amazing how audio dropouts interrupt creative flow. S1 for the win, in that regard - I agree.

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(VST3 has the ability to pass MIDI from a plugin to the DAW)

Could you elaborate on this? I'm not sure I understand your meaning, and the practical application of it.

Yeah sure, so if you take a plugin like Maschine, or Komplete Kontrol - they have chord/scale functions, arps built in and drum machine style sequencing capability - i.e. plugins that generate MIDI data internally.

 

What VST3 allows you to do is pass the processed MIDI of such plugins back to the DAW (i.e. AFTER the plugin has processed it).

 

In Studio One's case, you can then set the MIDI input of one track to be the output of another i.e.:-

 

Maschine Controller > INTO > Track 1 - Maschine Plugin

Maschine Plugin > INTO > Track 2 - Impact

 

So i can sequence on track 1 and the results are relayed to Impact for internal drumsounds. Or any number of VST instruments can be powered by the single Maschine instance.

 

What this means in practise is that i can use a Komplete Kontrol keyboard with lightguide, or a Maschine hardware controller that's playing chords via single pads into other instruments while retaining the key that i'm focused on. And, as the VST is within the project i also get access to all it's audio outs too.

 

This is where Logic falls down, in Logic you'd have to run Maschine/Komplete Kontrol standalone, create an IAC device in MacOS and then bring that MIDI data into Logic externally... But you can't select which MIDI port goes to which track in Logic, as it only splits by channel number - so it becomes highly convoluted if you have a secondary device (i.e. maschine + keyboard).

 

If you want to route the audio into Logic's mixer too, it becomes crazy as you're having to also route audio outputs from a standalone application across MacOS via virtual audio cables, and then into those virtual inputs into Logic - it's insane. Imagine then adding in high latency projects into that scenario and dealing with sync issues.

 

I'm currently trying to learn more theory and scales, so for me, being able to set the lightguide up (Komplete Kontrol S keyboard) via the komplete kontrol plugin and hold that scale mode and feed it into any instrument within the project is really great as a learning tool.

 

The advantage is that your instrument plugins are still native to the DAW for automation/parameter control, and the MIDI data recorded is the final data that you want - this means that Studio One chord track can interpret it correctly... Which of course then ties in with Melodyne 5 chord track synchronisation for vocal analysis- it just makes the whole song writing experience very grounded in theory and defines a solid direction.

 

But i fully appreciate this is a somewhat niche requirement (Mainly because people don't realise it's possible i beleive), however, the VST3 architecture and S1's ability to route one track into another cannot be underplayed how flexible it makes the DAW as a whole...

 

It kinda closes the door on Logic being viable to these new workflows that i enjoy. I still love Logic, but it feels left in the dark ages in some aspects, plus Apple don't reveal any indication to their direction - i could stick with it for another 5 years and they STILL won't allow us to pick a MIDI port per track for example.

 

On the flip of that Presonus have so many representatives online teaching and discussing improvements - i've even made use of their 'expert' chat service too, which is not technical support but actually creative support to you artistically which i love. One of their agents made a macro for me, for example and put it in the exchange to share which allowed me to grab it in the DAW itself, great stuff. :)

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I think the whole changing DAW thing depends purely what you intend to do. 'Make music' is just too general a term. 'How' you intend to make music is a more appropriate question you ask yourself when choosing which DAW use.

 

I'm just regular run-of-the-mill home/hobby composer who uses quite a few hardware synths. I've tried most DAWs - with the notable exception of ProTools, SAW, Renoise and a couple of obscure others.

 

I use an iMac Pro because at the time, it was the best computer for me to make music. However, it has a 5k screen which at the time I didn't know how many problems that would cause me.

 

So back to my point! I was overjoyed with the additions of the aux tracks and the listen track in Studio One v5. However, there are a couple of reasons why i don't use it (at least for now until they are fixed)

1) It has a fairly well known bug with MIDI jitter and issues with track delay. I had a headache trying to align audio recorded from a synth playing from a MIDI track without using audio quantize. Logic and Cubase don't have this issue as their method of using a plugin for hardware synths have delay compensation.

 

By the way, this issue causes headaches for composers who were initially happy with the new articulation switching feature - the switches were delayed. The only workaround for now is to use a plugin specifically designed to create a negative track delay to try and offset this problem.

 

2) Many of Studio One's built in synths are not scaled to 5k screens and are annoyingly small. I like to grab a section of audio and throw it into a sampler and quickly make a looped instrument of it. It's very difficult to do with both Impact XT and Sample One because their interfaces are too small. Logic is the best for this, with huge scaled interface - and the Quick Sampler is wonderful for quickly looping, slicing, etc. Cubase's Sample Track is also very good, but can't slice.

 

Cubase is the next culprit with this problem. Sure a lot of the interface is now scaled pretty well but the plugins are still small. Also, Steinberg love to use tiny, cryptic icons for functions that leaves you constantly having to hover over them with the mouse to actually remind yourself what they do. Their plugins - although VERY good, use the same tiny icons and although you can now scale the windows in Halion and Groove Agent, the interface elements stay the same size.

 

So for me, with my particular requirements - I compose with Logic and mix with Cubase. Cubase's features for mixing (snapshots, compatibility with Softube Console 1, Control Room, etc, loop markers, etc) are too good to miss up.

 

I do own a perpetual license for Studio One 5 and as soon as they fix their timing woes, and native plugin scaling, I'll give it another go.

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1) It has a fairly well known bug with MIDI jitter and issues with track delay. I had a headache trying to align audio recorded from a synth playing from a MIDI track without using audio quantize.

Yeah i've seen a lot of people complaining about this, i tested it and if i turn on the MIDI sync options to my external sequencers (And set their clocks to be external/auto) it's fine. If that sync isn't enabled it's marginally falls out of sync every 3-4 bars @ 120 BPM. But of course, everyones mileage varies such issues, And i've not ran a highly latent project yet to see what affect that has, but definitely mindful of it!

 

Funny enough, a really pleasing feature i found when testing external sequences is that if i sequence in an external midi source on separate MIDI channels (i.e. multi-timbral performance), if you select those MIDI tracks and cmd+b to bounce it will automatically process each one independently (i.e. it will play only MIDI Channel 1 and record it into Audio 1 track, then it reverts back to the start of the clip and plays MIDI Channel 2 and records it into Audio 2 track etc.)

 

When you've got 10+ external MIDI tracks within a project this just makes bouncing so much easier. If this was available in Logic previously i'm gonna kick my self hard as i used to solo each MIDI external track and recording them in realtime (Multiplied by the number of channels). A lot of time i was too lazy to even render to audio on MIDI and now some of that gear is no longer here those projects are a borked, as there's no audio backup of the MIDI within them.

 

2) Many of Studio One's built in synths are not scaled to 5k screens and are annoyingly small.

Cubase is the next culprit with this problem. Sure a lot of the interface is now scaled pretty well but the plugins are still small.

I don't know about PreSonus, but it seems to me that Steinberg points the finger at having to support Win 7 being the issue for this, but then C10.5 was Win 10 only and still the issue persists. Being crossplatform means that some of that UI design crosses over too. What i find funny is if you're reading Cubase forum they're asking why it's not like Studio One in regards to 4k, and if you're reading Studio One they're asking why it's not like Cubase. It's a mess that needs sorting, and i'm sure Win 10 and it's infinite hardware flavours is key to the problem.

 

I'd love to upgrade my screens, i'm still on 2x large 1080P displays and get jealous everytime i see higher res/wide workspaces posted on forums, but hesitant to make the move.

 

So for me, with my particular requirements - I compose with Logic and mix with Cubase. Cubase's features for mixing (snapshots, compatibility with Softube Console 1, Control Room, etc, loop markers, etc) are too good to miss up.

Yeah Cubase feature set is incredible and i find composing yields better results than Logic - even though it's not as nice to use. I think with Logic i had a period of years where i couldn't achieve anything, going through slump... And psychologically when i see the Logic UI now it just bores me and i feel no inspiration, so i was probably just due a change of scenery.

 

Of course S1 now has snapshots and the control (Listen) room features so that's quite considerable, and i also found out that you can map external controllers to have pageable controls so that really made me happy, i'm a sucker for control surfaces. :)

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I don't know about PreSonus, but it seems to me that Steinberg points the finger at having to support Win 7 being the issue for this, but then C10.5 was Win 10 only and still the issue persists. Being crossplatform means that some of that UI design crosses over too. What i find funny is if you're reading Cubase forum they're asking why it's not like Studio One in regards to 4k, and if you're reading Studio One they're asking why it's not like Cubase. It's a mess that needs sorting, and i'm sure Win 10 and it's infinite hardware flavours is key to the problem.

 

I was actually talking about Studio One's instruments as well. :) At least in Halion, it's possible to expand the waveform area for accurate sample cropping/looping, etc. This isn't possible with Studio One's offerings. It's like painting the hallway through the letterbox, as the saying goes.

 

Yeah Cubase feature set is incredible and i find composing yields better results than Logic - even though it's not as nice to use. I think with Logic i had a period of years where i couldn't achieve anything, going through slump... And psychologically when i see the Logic UI now it just bores me and i feel no inspiration, so i was probably just due a change of scenery.

 

Yes, I understand you. A change is required now and again. Also, changing brings you new ideas, or developing ideas in directions you wouldn't have tried before. I know it's possible to do any type of music on any DAW (I saw an amazing orchestral track done in FL Studio, for example), however certainly DAWs promote certain workflows that makes it easier to create certain types of music.

 

Of course S1 now has snapshots and the control (Listen) room features so that's quite considerable, and i also found out that you can map external controllers to have pageable controls so that really made me happy, i'm a sucker for control surfaces. :)

 

How do you use pageable controls in Studio One? I'd love to do that on my X-Touch + Extender.

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I was actually talking about Studio One's instruments as well. :) At least in Halion, it's possible to expand the waveform area for accurate sample cropping/looping, etc. This isn't possible with Studio One's offerings. It's like painting the hallway through the letterbox, as the saying goes.

I didn't know that. It's a bit inexcusable really.

 

I presume you have the HiDPI thingy ticked in Studio One? I don't know where it is by i've seen mention to it before in the options.

 

How do you use pageable controls in Studio One? I'd love to do that on my X-Touch + Extender.

Have you gone into the .xml files for the mappings? Basically you have to adjust the entries to have 'pageable' in the options parameter.

 

i.e.:-

<Control name="myControlName" title="myControlTitle" type="button" options="pageable">
<MidiMessage status="Controller" channel="1" address="#1"/>

 

And then in the mappings section of the xml you hard map two controls to the next and prev page commands, so 'myPrevPageControl' and 'myPrevPageControl' would be replaced with the of the buttons you wish to map to (i.e. 'Button[0]' or something) :-

 

<Global>
<using device="Editor/Paging">
	<Toggle control="myPrevPageControl" param="prevPage"/>
	<Toggle control="myNextPageControl" param="nextPage"/>
</using>
</Global>

 

And that's all you need to do, so you can have fixed and pageable parameters all within the single mapping. I find that it helps to have the external device editor open so you can see what page you're on, but as that's skinnable i'm going to create a really slimlined version of that to pin to my screen.

 

Edit: Actually, are you using your x touch in MCU mode? I think that's a little more complicated to work out - but it's something i'm going to try and do this week. Interestingly i saw this online 2 weeks back and the guy has put a lot of work into a control surface setup files AND mails out overlays in the post:-

https://modernidiots.com/implementation

 

He really needs to add paging to that if he can, but you can use the faders which is a nice addition for envelopes and EQ control.

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Thank you for the information! I didn't know that it's possible to have pageable control surfaces. If only they added this option somewhere in the GUI rather than having to delve into XML files. I am using MCU mode and I did look at the rather impressive implementation by modernidiots. However, unless I'm mistaken you need to have it's own GUI open for it to work? I don't like things like that cluttering up the screen.

 

Actually, i'd just like the ability to have two focus mapped devices working at the same time. The X-Touch and X-Touch Extender are seen as two separate devices. In previous versions of Studio One, you selected the active controller and that would be in focus mode - the other device would be in global mode. I'm not sure if that's changed with version 5.

 

*edit* I didn't answer your GUI question. Yes, it's ticked - although not having a scaleable interface on the DAW or plugins has been a common complaint. The only way around it is to scale the entire OS in OSX settings - the same in Windows. By the way, this is also the only way around the Steinberg issue of having it's plugin GUI elements too small.

 

One thing I forgot to mention in my first post about DAW comparison. I didn't know this but Cubase used to have an individual undo for each MIDI object on the timeline which is separate from the usual Undo. Apparently you could open the MIDI editor, make changes, close the editor and go about your work. Later, you could open the editor for the same MIDI object and undo the changes you made only in that object. I didn't know about this until I read a few composers complain that it was recently taken away in Cubase 10.5. They were lamenting that Steinberg quite often change or remove features without announcing it.

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