RRR Studio
New member
I'll admit it's hard to criticize when they gave me a full license for two years. That said, none of the issues in the previous versions have been addressed, and this is the second update focused on *cosmetic changes and moving stuff around* which SUCKS. Come on guys, quit changing the workflow just for the heck of it!
Cosmetic updates to all the stock plugins. I use mixtool on every single mix. Why in the *world* did they hide the automation indicator??? So you can't see if it's automated at a glance? Was the original design to constrained for space at 2"x4"??
Why is the clip editor button now a tiny "i" in the bottom left corner?? It was in a good place before.
Is it really necessary to change the main workflow when opening plugins? And aren't the micro views literally the same thing as the new "channel overview?" Who uses these?? Mostly my experience with micro views is they get opened too easily already and I end up closing them to clean up the DAW view (in other words totally wasted effort).
Why did they make the faders 3D? The shaded areas make it much more difficult to see the settings, and it's not useful.
Why do we need a 'freeze track' button? You can do the same thing right clicking on the channel header in previous versions (for a handful of times you do this in a mixing session). And now we can't access the automation lines from the stock view because we have a pan controller??
And rearranging the sidebar modules just makes us relearn the software needlessly. A good upgrade would let me toggle the sidebar windows on and off as needed. I don't need an extra fader and plugin list there- I use the entire mixer window on a different screen.
It appears they did get rid of the 'total whiteout' highlight on selected clips. It's still hard to see the transport locator line on some colors, but its better than in v6. But can we also go back to the black clip outlines? The thick white clip outlines make it impossible to edit accurately.
We don't need a generic channel overview, equally ugly and devoid of function as the (nearly identical) track editor. And if you're going to do that, make it so I can tell which plugin is which, because with dozens of plugins on a session squinting at generic gray boxes to see the tiny print around the *knobs* is a literal headache. And why is it that the same symbol on the channel that evokes the track editor is used to denote the link to the actual plugin from the channel overview?
While you're at it, please tell whomever is in charge of the ridiculous cosmetic changes to stop stealing screen real estate for no reason- They're taking nearly 10% of the vertical space on the screen for an empty black header and much thicker 3D function bar?? Oh yeah, the header at the bottom of the screen is thicker too- and 3D because why?? And why the hell did they rearrange the layout??? Do you think anyone on earth is going to use that tiny "master volume" control? We need a "transpose" displayed on the main transport bar?? And why do I need bigger transport controls? I have a DAW controller for that- and if I needed to click on the stop button it was fine before. Stop making backwards "improvements" to the layout. Gotta be honest folks, the appearance of v7 was elegant by comparison. This is clunky and dark and wastes valuable screen real estate that makes me spend more time moving things around while I'm working.
Seriously, I feel like they've got people creating features and making changes that never worked a moment with real audio- which is what Studio One was always great for doing. If I wanted FL STudio with a bunch of amp sims, I could've bought it from them. And does Fender actually expect me to believe they suddenly modeled 47 different guitar amps?? Don't insult my intelligence. I'd be happy with ONE that actually sounds and feels like a Super Reverb. EDIT: Yeah, sorry. Having now tried the "'57 Super Reverb" that has neither reverb nor vibrato, but does have a gain knob?
PS. Super tacky renaming it "Fender." I have a '71 Strat. That's Fender. This monstrosity of a business empire they're bloating into is not Fender and I sure don't want their branding on everything they buy.
Some design enhancement that we need:
1) More group functionality like ProTools. It would be great to edit the settings on all my vocals tracks when editing with Pro Q. The group links options are very limited.
2) 3D matrix you can assign to busses on the output? You can't set up a proper 3D sound field in stereo without 3D routing you can control. Again go see ProTools.
3) Legacy colors option for the edit window without thick while clip borders and total whiteout clip highlight. And the transport marker needs to be high contrast over ALL clips. The old narrow black clip outlines and color schemes were much more useful.
4) freeze mixer order option. Every time I drag a bus over by the channel to write automation, the entire mixer rearranges itself, scattering busses throughout the channels for no reason whatsoever. Alternately it would be nice if only the channel or bus I'm moving decided to grow legs.
5) Eliminate the black dead space at the bottom of the plugin browser with the Presonus logo. A taller plugin browser window would be much better.
6) Shift-precision option while adjusting levels throughout the DAW so you don't have to fight to get the exact value you want? Half the time I end up expanding windows to get more resolution or having to right click, then move the mouse to the pop-up window precisely on the value to type it in. No really, what IF you could actually set it at -.4dB instead of choosing between -.3dB and -.6dB in the clip itself? That's a workflow NEEDING improvement.
7) Is there a reason the order of commands in the channel right-click menu change order all the time? Do I really need to search for the Show/Hide Automation option every time I open it? Top or bottom you choose, just fix the way it changes all the time.
8) In the main view, lots of wasted space on the automation track headers controlling plugin automation. I would be great if they said which plugins they're controlling.
9) Finally, how about making *new features* user options rather than just changing everything for no reason?
Being one to give a fair review, I'll add these pros to my list of cons:
1) The new software installed flawlessly in a flash and works perfectly.
2) The startup sequence and plugin scan are blindingly fast. Sessions load faster too.
3) They did apparently remove the 'whiteout' on clip selection, but the thick white borders still make it hard to edit accurately.
3) I made myself go use the DAW for a couple hours to find more Pros. It only ended up revealing more complaints.
Bottom line? At some point please start working on updates for the people who already own the product rather than changing it hoping to find new subscribers. We've ALREADY invested in your product, so how about making us a bit more of a priority?
Signed a long time Studio One Pro user that's been searching for a relevant upgrade since v5.5.2 and wondering when the cosmetic BS is going to stop making my job harder.
Last edited:
John B
