If you follow the Lilac Writer YouTube channel, you know that I have been evaluating PreSonus Studio One. I think Studio One is developing as good option for Singer/Songwriters recording guitar/vocals demos or full band home studio demos. Many of Lilac Writer users use GarageBand but have been frustrated with stepping up to complexity of Logic and Pro Tools. Studio One is not as full features as those programs but it is much easier to use. It also allows you to work from recording all the way creating a CD master or digital release without needing to use other software. 

Two weeks ago PreSonus released version 1.5 with many enhancements. In this three part YouTube screencast, I cover many of the significant updates to Studio One. This is the first blog covering this series of First Looks videos. Even with no blog coverage, these videos have become some of the most popular ever released on the Lilac Writer channel!

-Bill

Studio One is the new DAW from PreSonus. In this episode, I go over how to set up a full multitrack mix, organize groups of faders, track colors and sub mixes. It turns out to be quick and easy. The main limitation is no ability to hide or collapse tracks. But this is a small inconvenience. Setting up subgroups is super fast and almost a trivial compared to other popular programs.

The Apogee One has become a pretty popular device with Garage Band but as people outgrow Garage Band, Logic 9 is a pretty large leap in complexity. I think Studio One might be a great alternative. Support for the One is built-in in Garage Band but with S1 there are a couple of steps to get it setup. This video covers the setup, recording with the built in mic, then recording with a direct connected guitar.

Apogee One is a convenient all-in-one portable USB interface for Mac. Normally it's used with Garage Band or Logic, but it will also work well for as part of a compact Studio One songwriting setup. In this screencast, I go over how to set up both "Ones" to work together.

For songwriters, using drum loops in your demos can give you home recordings a solid professional sound. Stereo loops are a great way to work because you can just arrange the parts on a single track in your recording software. 

There is a point where you might want to use multitrack drum loops to be able to tailor your sound to the genre or just better match the song. This flexibilty is great but the complexity of your project increases. You will need more setup and a few more tricks when using multitrack drums verses stereo drum loops. If you are in the early stage of songwriting, I would suggest staying with stereo loops.

But if you really want the control or perhaps you plan to send your project off to an professional mixer, then it might make sense to learn how it's done. Here are the first two Pro Tools tips videos using multitrack drum loops. Much of this would apply any drum project recorded with live multitrack drums.

When I say multitrack drums, I am talking about drums recorded by a live drummer with a several microphones. Drums are often recorded with a dozen or more mics to 10 or more recorded channels. Because of this, drums offer a unique challenge in any recording project. 

We couldn't wait to get our hands on an iPad to try out Lilac Writer. After spending the first weekend with the iPad, we think this device will be very popular with songwriters and musicians. Since Lilac Writer is a web app, it is perfectly suit to the built in Safari browser.

In this video, Bill gives you a first look at using Lilac Writer on the iPad including sending new song ideas to your Lilac Account from email.