PreSonus has released Studio One 5.4, the latest version and third major update in less than six months of its recording and production software (DAW) that introduces several performance and capability improvements.
With version 5.4, Studio One 5 Professional, Artist, and Prime now offer native support for Apple Silicon processor-based Macs. The Universal Binary macOS version is switchable between native Apple Silicon and Rosetta Intel®-emulation modes. Native mode offers additional CPU optimization for overall better performance but requires plugins, instruments, and hardware drivers to be native as well. To that end, all PreSonus plugins, extensions, and hardware drivers for macOS now offer full native support for Apple Silicon.
A new Plugin Nap option improves CPU performance for Windows and macOS computers and reduces the risk of dropouts by not processing plugins when they’re not passing audio. With this option enabled, users can run multiple instances of complex convolution reverbs, amplifier/cabinet models, and other demanding plugins with greater CPU efficiency while reducing the risk of audio drop-outs. PreSonus’ Studio One Mix Engine FX plugins have also been updated for greater CPU efficiency.
Up to seven audio formats can now be exported in one pass, with no added rendering time. This allows users to, for example, export their song as a 44.8 kHz WAV for a friend’s video project while simultaneously creating a 44.1 kHz MP3 to check the mix in the car. The settings are remembered when closing the Export Mixdown window.
The new floating, resizable Chord Display renders both the current and upcoming chords on the Chord Track during recording and playback. It’s designed to be a useful classroom and rehearsal tool for music students and educators, and session musicians can use it as a one-click digital lead sheet in the studio.
New Plugin Manager improvements are designed to make it easier to track down issues and identify outdated or slow-loading plugins. A new Statistics tab enables monitoring load/save times and preset sizes and identifies the version number for each plugin. In addition to manually resetting the Blocklist or removing individual plugins, users now isolate problematic plugins manually by dragging them from the plug-in list to the Blocklist.
Studio One 5.4 also offers several other new features and enhancements, and is a free update for registered Studio One 5 users that’s also included in PreSonus Sphere membership. Go here for more specifics.
