PreSonus has released Studio One 5.5, bringing improvements for production, performance and mastering to its recording and production software.
The first and still only DAW with an integrated mastering environment, Studio One 5.5’s Project Page now provides full track volume, master volume and insert-effects plug-in parameter automation. Automation can be written in real-time, using a mouse or hardware controller, or by using the Paint Tool. Clip Gain Envelopes have also been added to the Project Page, enabling gain issues to be fixed while mastering, without using dynamics plug-ins.
The new Listen Bus on the Project Page enables monitoring through room-correction plug-ins or headphone monitoring tools without affecting the Master output. Processing power for complex mastering chains can be freed without losing the ability to make adjustments later using Track Transform.
Studio One Professional’s Digital Release publishing feature now provides the ability to export multiple formats at once, so a mastered session for high-resolution releases and streaming services can be exported at the same time. The new Target Loudness options allow target values for loudness and true peak during export to be set or chosen from presets for popular streaming services. A new, proprietary, custom dithering algorithm minimises conversion artefacts and preserves low-level signals when preparing high-resolution audio for streaming.
Studio One 5.5 also introduces production and performance features. Any Midi file can now be dragged directly to the Chord Track to extract its chords. A strum pattern can be created manually by dragging note events in a selected chord while holding modifier keys. PreSonus’ Ampire XT guitar amp/cabinet/pedalboard plug-in, available in Studio One 5.5, adds faster preset switching optimised for the Show Page to trigger Ampire presets from a Midi pedalboard during live performance.
Other improvements include saving automation with mix scenes, to experiment with multiple automation passes without losing work. The Plug-in Nap feature introduced in version 5.4 is now available on a per-plug-in basis, providing increased optimisation control. Improvements have also been added for PreSonus Atom series controllers with Impact XT and SampleOne XT.
Studio One 5.5 is a free update for registered Studio One 5 users and is included in PreSonus Sphere membership.
