PreSonus has released Studio One 2.5, a major update that adds nearly 100 enhancements and features, along with bug fixes.

Studio One 2.5 is a free update and is available now. Details below.

Arrangement

Comping/Editing

• Ranges are promoted automatically when selected on a layer instead of the old “create range + double-click” to promote.
• Double-click/[Command]-click to promote a range on a layer that is defined by events on track.
• Resize events on track via edges of clip shadows on layers.

Listen Tool

• This tool now has the same behavior on track/layer: It always plays while the mouse button is pressed.
  • No modifier: plays from clicked position (snapped if snap is on).
  • Shift: plays event range on track in loop.
  • The Special Layer tool switches to the Listen Tool while holding [Alt].

Solo State

• Soloing a Layer will also affect layers on grouped tracks.
• Collapsing a layer resets the layer solo state.

Comping into Audio Parts

• Events are beamed into a part if the event already exists on the track.
• Clip shadows are shown on layers from inside audio parts.

Other

• Graphic appearance of events on layers changed.
• Better visibility for grouped layers (selected together in the track list).
• Right-click contextual menu for an event on a layer (color and name for “tagging” good/bad takes).
• Unpack Takes now works on multiple selected events (e.g., on grouped tracks).
• The option Record Takes to Layers now always copies recorded events to a new layer (also when not recording in loop or only one take). All material is collected on layers as long as the option is enabled.
• Layer Follow option per track in Inspector
  • Layer content follows events on main track on move/copy/duplicate operations on the same track (similar to Automation Follows Events).

Folder Tracks

• Editing on Folder Tracks
  • Waveforms shown per track in folder.
  • Cut, Copy, Paste, Duplicate, etc., are now possible directly on Folder Track.
• Folder Tracks now have buttons for record-arming and monitoring.
• Adding new tracks to a folder will expand the folder.

Record Mode Changes

• Note Repeat is independent but cannot be combined with Erase mode.
• Erase mode can only be used in Loop-Mix mode and cannot be combined with Repeat mode.
• Erase mode per MIDI-keyboard trigger now causes Erase button to light up.
• Note Repeat and Input Quantize are reset when you restart Studio One.

Audio Export

• Stem Export for channels now renders all channels simultaneously (previously, this rendered the channels consecutively).
  • In the related dialog, channels are now the default, and the Tab List has been replaced with radio buttons.
• Continuous clipping warnings (including dB readout) no longer cancel export.
• Export warnings dialog (with options) after mixdown/stem export.

Song Notes

• Song/Song Information menu now has Notes tab where simple text notes can be kept.

Track Transform

• Automatic tail detection
  • In addition to Fix Tail, there is a new Auto Tail option. If this option is selected, rendering checks to detect whether there is sound after the end of the tail of the rendered event and stops when there is a silent slice of 100 ms.
• Multiple selected tracks are transformed in one pass (formerly required multiple passes per track).
• Multiple Output Instruments with Audio Transform: Rendering of all instrument channels option.
  • The option to select a synth channel is gone.
• If the synth has only one output, it is rendered (no options).
• If the synth has multiple outputs, there is a Render All Channels checkbox. If this option is off, only the channel selected in the Track Inspector is rendered.
  • Retransform to instrument track will remove all audio tracks that were created during the first transform step.
• Other Fixes/Changes
  • The Remove Instrument option does not move the instrument to the trash anymore.
  • The Remove Instrument option can only be checked if no other tracks reference the instrument.
  • Undo/Redo for Removed Instrument fixed. (The bug was: Redo did not remove the instrument after Redo Transform to Audio, and on Retransform to Instrument a second instrument instance appeared.)
  • Undo/Retransform of a multiple output instrument now restores all instrument channels.
  • The output channel selected in the Track Inspector is restored (Undo and Retransform).
  • Undo Transform Instrument to Audio now restores output connections of instrument channels.
  • Retransform to Instrument Track restores delay, transpose, and velocity.

Audio Engine

Pre-Record

• Pre-record is a global setting (Options/Advanced/Audio). The user can switch it on/off and modify the required length up to a maximum of one minute.
• The recorded data is collected in the input channels as long as physical inputs are connected.
• After recording with Pre-record enabled, the user can reveal that data by pulling the Event Start handle to the left.
• If that recording restarts on the same track, the Pre-record data is limited to end of the last recording so that data is not repeated, and a seamless join between the two recordings is possible.

Re-record

• Instrument output, bus, and ReWire channels can be selected as the input to any audio track (grouped in branches in the input selection menu).

Other

• Record offset can be set at Options/Advanced/Audio (in samples).
• Memory used by timestretched audio files is released/reused more efficiently during playback.
• Port menus for input/output selection of channels and tracks are now sorted by type and alphabetically by name. (Previously, there were in creation order.)
• Audio waveform overview now uses 16-bit instead of 8-bit peak files.

Remaining Record Time Display and Stop Function

• There is a new alert message and recording is stopped when the hard disk is full.
• Remaining record time is shown in transport panel.
• There is a new popup panel: View -> Remaining Record Time.
• Color changes to red when disk is nearly full.

Automation

• When moving points, [Cntrl]/[Cmd] locks time or value depending on mouse distance.
• [Alt]+Double-click in empty space (or on a point) selects all points from there to the end.
• Paint tool: simple click (no dragging) only inserts one point.
• Points are only drawn on selected tracks/lanes, in the color of the envelope (but selected points are always visible).
• Envelopes in music editor are drawn in the color of the notes.
• Adjust point value with Alt + mouse wheel.
• After moving one point over another, one gets removed (must be same time and value).
• To avoid adding unwanted points by accidentally clicking beyond a point, there are now different mouse cursors for envelope/point.
• A point’s value and the envelope color can now be edited directly in the Right-click contextual menu of a point (replaces the Edit Value dialog).
• Navigate/nudge points with arrow keys.

Browser/Drag-and-Drop

• Replace an audio clip in an event with drag-and-drop by holding [Alt].
• Insert multiple clips selected in Browser to the same track by holding [Cmd].
• Drag effects onto events as Event Effects by holding [Alt].
• The Merge File command now merges files consecutively instead of presenting an error message when the suffix .L or .R is not found.

Native Effects

• Wet/Dry Mix parameter for dynamics processing and distortion effects. Exists in:
  • Compressor
  • Multiband Compressor
  • Tricomp™
  • RedlightDist™
  • Send FX Mix Lock
• Inserting an effect into the first slot of a bus/effects channel sets wet/dry mix to 100% and enables a lock for the mix. The Lock state is saved in the Song but not overwritten/saved by presets. Exists in:
  • Beat Delay
  • Analog Delay
  • Groove Delay
  • MixVerb
  • Room Reverb
  • Spectrum Meter
    • Sonogram and Waterfall modes with freeze
    • Curve mode (“binwidth corrected”)
    • Larger maximum FFT sizes
    • Sidechain in (for comparison)
    • Note + cent tooltip for frequencies

ProEQ

• Waterfall and Curve mode
• Sidechain in (for comparison)
• Note + cent entry for frequencies
• Foldable controls (hide controls, show only curves)

Chorus

• Chorus now has two modes:
  • Doubler (plug-in default, old mode)
  • Chorus (default preset, standard chorus behavior with inverse allpass movement)
  • Multi-FX Units (e.g., Ampire FX and Presence) now use standard chorus mode instead of Doubler
  • Reduced flanging artifacts (added feed forward)
• Improved /selectable LFO waveforms
• Limited free version

AmpireXT

• All models have been improved.
• All cabinets except for the Univox now use new, improved impulse responses that have been resampled at a high sample rate. This may delay loading quite a bit.
• Input-trim lock (prevent presets from changing input gain)

Multiband Dynamics

• Phase-corrected summing
• Dry/Wet mix control

Macro Toolbar

• Added Mac OS X 64-bit support for Macro Toolbar.

Music Editor

Legato and Overlap Correction

• The Length dialog (change note lengths) contains three new modes:
  • Legato: Note lengths are enlarged until they reach the desired overlap with the next event. Note lengths are never shortened.
  • Overlap correction: Note lengths are shortened if there is an overlap with another note.
  • Legato + Overlap correction: All notes lengths are set to the start of the next note.
• The desired overlap range with each mode can be set with a slider and a text field.

Percent/MIDI Resolution Switch

• Representation of velocity and controller values can be switched between percent (0-100) and MIDI resolution (0-127) via a contextual menu on the envelope scale in the Music Editor.

Project Page

• Added Sonogram and Waterfall modes for Spectrum Meter.

Other

• QuickTime video import and playback supported in Windows 64-bit version.
• Macro Toolbar support in Mac OS X 64-bit mode.
• Tempo, signature, sample rate, etc., can now be set for all templates.
• Song templates are now sorted into three tabs (Styles, Interfaces, and User).
• New Song dialog has additional options for sample rate, resolution, and song information settings.
• Improved Remove Unused Files: move files to trash, file list (also in other file dialogs).
• Add Tracks dialog now has additional options for audio and instrument tracks to make I/O connections directly.
  • When creating multiple tracks at once, I/O ports can be assigned in ascending order. This helps, for instance, to create audio tracks for recording as an alternative to Add Tracks for All Inputs, and it also helps with MIDI routing of multitimbral instruments when creating 16 instrument tracks at once, connected to individual MIDI channels.

The Studio One 2.5 update also fixes the following issues:

• [Mac OS X] Root drive volume was not visible in file browser.
• [Mac OS X] Problem with many files open when ARA is disabled.
• [Windows] MPEG 1 videos were not played correctly.
• [Ampire XT] did not save 48 kHz cabinets.
• Playback was out of sync when using a long fade and overlaying object.
• Project audio cache file was not updated after song update when the song sample rate had changed.
• Send-level automation was 10 dB too low.
• Septuplet grid was not correctly drawn.
• Crash when undoing MIDI recording.
• Crash when dragging effects/synth to Track List Inspector.
• FF and Rewind keyboard shortcuts can now be used during recording.
• UAD plug-ins did not switch to Mono mode.