In this video review Michael shows us the SA-2 Dialog Plug-in from McDSP in PreSonus Studio One 3. Michael shows us that in addition to being used on speech, and dialogue, the SA-2 is also useful on instruments tracks.
For more information on the SA-2 Dialog Processor, click here.
One of the benefits of working with MIDI is the ability to quickly transpose an entire selection of notes up, or down, in chromatic steps, or octaves. For me, I happen to find it quite klunky to do this with a mouse, but thankfully, there is a shortcut. 🙂
Simply select a midi event in Studio One, then open up the editor by clicking F2, (or just double click the midi event). We can now simply select all the midi notes with our command + A shortcut (MAC) or Ctrl + A (PC) and use the up/down arrow keys to transpose up or down, or by adding shift, we can move up or down in octaves. If you do not wish to select all the notes, simply use your mouse to highlight all the MIDI notes you’d like to transpose, then the same above keyboard shortcuts apply.
In this free video, Marcus shows how to use Waves Renaissance Bass, to enhance the harmonic content of a bass guitar track.
Waves Renaissance Bass is currently on sale until Wednesday Sept for $29.99 USD, Click below for more details.
In this free video tutorial, Marcus demonstrates how to quickly use Waves InPhase to phase align 2 mono guitar microphone tracks, that were recorded slightly out of phase.
Waves InPhase is currently on sale until Wednesday Sept for $29.99 USD, Click below for more details.
The team at PreSonus have announced Universal Control 1.7.3 to offer support for Mac OS X El Capitan as well as some other changes.
On their knowledgebase article they say:
This update to Universal Control for PreSonus FireStudio Interfaces and classic StudioLive Mixers is to add support for OS X 10.11 El Capitan. It also adds support for co-install of Universal Control with UC Surface for RM mixers and AI Consoles on Mac OS X.
Improvements:
Added support for Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan)
Co-install compatibility with Universal Control AI / UC Surface software on Mac OS X. Both software control panels can co exist on the same system at the same time. PC co-install support coming soon
NOTE: Simultaneous operation of StudioLive AI mixers with Firestudio interfaces or 1st generation StudioLive mixers is not supported. This driver and control panel will not control the new StudioLive AI series mixers.
For more information on co-install and further instructions should you run into issues, please see this link below:
In this quick tip video, Marcus goes over mapping out “expand layers” to a keyboard shortcut, for ease of use when working in Studio One.
You may have caught a video done recently by Paul, on using ampire xt on vocals. Paul brings along with him a vast amount of experience in producing, engineering, mixing, & songwriting.
Paul Started off his musical career as a session guitarist playing for bands like Roachford, McCabe, Artful Dodger. During this period Paul discovered his passion for Music recording/ music technology and producing. Paul is the D of DWB Music Ltd/ DWB MIXING, the DWB Music team have sold in excess of 50 million records throughout the world. DWB have written/produced and mixed tracks for Project 46, Marcella Detroit, TVXQ, Boa, McCabe, Kate Ryan, Kat-Tun, D-Side, Born Crain, Shinee, Natalia, Debi, Sandee, NEWS, Anna Tsuchiya, Katerine, SS501, Tohoshinki amongst many others.
When asked what he thought about his new role, Paul simply had this to say:
“I’m really pleased an honoured to now be part of the Studio One Expert Team. As a long term Pro Tools user I’m finding this DAW really inspiring to work on. With Studio One my workflow has been refined, I’m excited and inspired every morning I travel in to the studio.
I hope I can inspire the Studio One community the same way!”
Paul has been using Studio One since version 2, along with Pro Tools. But as of lately, Paul has moved from his Pro Tools HDX setup, over to a mobile rig running Studio One 3, a Universal Audio Apollo interface, and his trusty MacBook Pro, along with an ADL 700. He is currently doing the majority of his work in Studio One, and loving it.
Welcome to the team Paul, we couldn’t be happier to have you on board!
Many of us came from other DAW when we discovered the joys of Studio One. With the release of Studio One 3 back in May, those of us who used other software samplers were surprised with an update that would load sample libraries from some of those samplers. The sample libraries mentioned by PreSonus were those in Giga, EXS, SoundFont and Kontakt (Version 4.1 and below) formats. This was excellent news!
Well, a community member has asked “How do I import my EXS sample libraries into Presence XT?” It’s fairly easy to do and only requires a little bit of work to accomplish. There are a couple of ways to import the libraries, which I’ll mention below.
1. To simplify things, start by making sure your EXS sampler instruments (.exs) and your samples are in the same folder(s). If you decide to skip this step, you may be asked later to point Presence to the folder containing the samples (if it can’t find them on its own).
2. Add Presence XT to a track in Studio One. You can also just drag one of the EXS presets onto the empty space in the arrange area and it will create a Presence instrument for you.
Add Presence XT
3. Now you can use your (Windows) Explorer or your (Mac) Finder and just drag your instruments onto Presence XT. This is, honestly, the slowest and least efficient way to do this….but it’s fast if you’re just looking for one specific instrument very quickly for a project. If Presence can’t find all the samples, it will ask you to point the browser to the folder where they reside. “Search in Folder” is the easiest option.
4. If you want to import your whole EXS library, all you have to do is open your Files (F9) tab in Studio One and navigate to the folder where your EXS instruments are stored. Now, create a new Tab for this folder by [Right]/[Ctrl]-clicking on the folder and choosing “New Tab from Here.” You can rename the tab to anything you want by [Right]/[Ctrl]-clicking on the tab itself.
Create a custom folder.
5. NOTE: There’s no real conversion involved for EXS instruments, so Presence XT should just load them when you drag them in.
6. Once you’ve loaded an EXS instrument into Presence, you can save it as a Presence Preset. This will put a new preset in the Presence directory without having to navigate to the EXS Tab. It’s not absolutely necessary and, if you have a very large EXS library, it could take a considerable amount of time. This is only if you want to have all your EXS presets show up under the Presence icon in the Instruments tab.
As mentioned before, when loading an instrument, you might have to tell Presence where to find the samples. That’s why it’s much faster to just ensure that all your samples are in the same folder as your EXS instruments.
Now…go give those old sample libraries new life!
What they have to say about The Mini Keys:
You can download The Mini Keys here
1. Preamble:
Writing for the virtual orchestra is an art that has come a long way in the last two decades or so. With the advances in computer hardware, sequencing software, MIDI and instrument sampling, it’s now easier than ever to create astonishingly professional sounding orchestral music using readily-available tools, even for the beginner. Although the process of simulating a full orchestra electronically requires great skill, patience and attention to detail, the process is far more flexible and economical for the media composer than using a full ensemble of live musicians. For this reason, very much of the music heard on the television and in cinema uses some form or other of virtual orchestra.
In this series of articles, we’ll be taking a look at the tools and technique of orchestral scoring, using PreSonus Studio One as our sequencer.
With the right tools, determination and a good ear, it’s perfectly possible to sequence very fine orchestral music with minimal musical training, without any experience working with an orchestra, even without being able to read and write traditional staff notation. While these things will no doubt be of tremendous benefit when we go to create our first orchestral piece, they are by no means essential to a producer willing to listen critically, make mistakes, learn incessantly, and refine his technique over time. It is, of course, vitally important to listen to as much orchestral music as possible, and to listen in an active way. Try to recognize specific things the composer uses to achieve the sound he does, whether it works well, and why. It is through critical listening that we become more acutely aware of what makes a successful piece of music.
The most often heard criticism of MIDI based music is that the result sounds too mechanical and computerized. The main reason for this is usually to do with the way the music has been programmed- if sufficient time and attention is not paid to adding in nuance and subtlety that make up a great performance, the final output will suffer for it. With MIDI, you have the opportunity to edit every aspect of the performance- from timing, pitch, velocity, articulation, vibrato, tuning… etc. With a large ensemble, this may seem like a formidable task, however, a good knowledge of the instrument, and an instinct of what goes into a quality musical performance makes the process of crafting the perfect performance an enjoyable and rewarding task.
A key element of being able to write effectively for the virtual orchestra is a deep understanding of the instrument you’re writing for- and by that I mean both the real acoustic instrument and the particular instrument patch you happen to be using. You should be aware of how it responds & behaves in the different registers, its best mode of use within an orchestral context, the ASDR (Attack, Sustain, Decay, Release) times of the patch as well as how to best blend all of your patches gel together into a cohesive unit.
When a composer writes music, he traditionally does so with the intention of having the music played by a live soloist or group. A skilful composer does not simply write however he likes, but writes idiomatically for the given instruments- There are all manner of practicalities to consider when composing for a live performance, depending on the instrument. For instance, the following would be a very unlikely line to give a flute player (or else an incredibly mean and sadistic one), simply because it does not allow anywhere for the poor flutist to take a breath!
Crucially, however, we are writing for an electronic performance, not a live one. So, while we need not necessarily allow our electronic performers time to take a breath (although would be advised, for the sake of realism), we must equally write in such a way that brings out the best in our virtual instruments. That means getting to know your instruments well. That means practicing with them, and using them a lot, just as if you were practicing on an acoustic instrument.
Throughout this series, we’ll look at every orchestral section in detail, as well as advice on hardware, software, sequencing, compositional technique, rudimentary music theory and aesthetic considerations. Everything we look at will be equally valid in any DAW, but I will be offering advice and tips specific to Studio One. Hold on to your baton!
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