PreSonus has announced Studio One 5.4, which includes a host of new features but also includes full native support for Apple Silicon powered Mac computers. We’ve had a preview copy for some time and in this article we outline the new features and what difference Apple Silicon makes to a DAW previously coded for Intel.

New Features At A Glance

• Native support for Apple Silicon (M1) processors

• Plug-in Nap – CPU-performance optimization

• Performance optimizations for Mix Engine FX

• Improved Autosave behavior

• Export Song to multiple audio file formats in one pass

• New command “Insert Instrument Parts from Chord Track”

• Realtime chord display in Editor

• New Chord Display floating window

• Improved chord detection

• Note Controller support for Audio Unit instruments

• Additional HD video frame rate support

• New “Set Time Offset to Cursor” option

• Updated Plug-in Manager with statistics

• Manual blocklisting of plug-ins

• User-definable diagnostics report and profiling options

• “Copy external files” option for Songs, Projects, and Shows

• “Remove all” option for sends

• Time Display and Remaining Record Time window now resizable

• FaderPort 8 + 16: On/Off for individual send slots

• FaderPort 8 + 16: Display send or cue mix slot numbers on display

• Switch Mono/Stereo for multiple selected tracks

• Mixdown settings also stored when dialog is canceled

• Improved file naming for mixdown between markers

• ​​Long track names now abbreviated in plug-in window header

Native support for Apple Silicon (M1) processors

The first big news is that Studio One is now fully compatible with Apple Silicon processors, this also includes all the plugins that ship with Studio One.

What this means is that we’ve been able for the first time to compare a session running on an Intel MacBook Pro with one running on a Apple Silicon MacBook Pro. Until now, any comparisons have been with apps using Rosetta 2, now we can make an apples with apples comparison. We talk in detail about the impact Silicon may have on future Mac prices in our article Apple Silicon May Cut The Cost Of Studio Computers

The session was one of the demo sessions created by PreSonus. We decided to run all sessions at the lowest possible sample rate and use Plugin Nap (see below)

We expected gains, but these gains are off the chart, you can see the numbers in the chart below. The Intel is a 16-inch MacBook Pro 2.4GHz 8-core Intel Core i9 with 32gb of RAM. The Silicon is a first generation 13” MacBook Pro M1 with 16gb of RAM. The Intel costs £3500, the M1 £1500.

As you can see, with much lower CPU usage, the operating temperature is down as is noise as the fan rarely runs. When we say rarely we should really say never as we’ve never heard it working.

The team at PreSonus has worked hard to also deliver all the factory plugins in native Silicon format, so if you wish, you can run an entire session without the need for Rosetta 2.

For those not aware, if any plugins used in a session are not native Silicon compatible then the entire session runs in Rosetta 2. It’s worth noting that at the time of writing Celemony does not have a Silicon version of Melodyne. So if you want to use Melodyne in sessions then you’ll need to run them in Rosetta mode.

What about other PreSonus software and hardware you ask? More good news…

“Together with the release of Studio One 5.4, all current PreSonus software, plug-ins and hardware drivers will be updated for native Apple Silicon support, including Universal Control (version 3.6 or later). Exceptions are legacy Firewire products. Make sure to download and install the latest version of all PreSonus software.”

Suffice to say, had PreSonus done nothing else in Studio One 5.4 than made it fully Apple Silicon native then that would have been enough for Apple users.

However, any user of Studio One will know when it comes to updates PreSonus never skimp. Remember this is an unpaid point upgrade, so as well as the Silicon compatibility update Studio One 5.4 includes over 20 additional features.

Plug-in Nap – CPU-performance optimisation

If those not using the new Silicon powered Macs are wondering if they are missing out on power gains then there’s some good news. PreSonus has introduced a new Plug-in Nap feature to help with CPU optimisation on sessions. In a nutshell, when enabled Plug-in Nap puts compatible plug-ins to sleep when they are not being used in the session. There’s some clever technology going on behind the scenes to ensure plug-ins are wide awake when needed and no audio is clipped before or after an event.

Plug-in Nap is easy to set-up, just go to the new option (Preferences/Options>Audio Setup>Processing and enable it. One other thing to note is that this feature does not work on Virtual Instruments.

Depending on the session and the way plugins are used you can get some real power gains, on the session we tried it gave us an extra 5% CPU when engaged.

Performance Optimisation For Mix Engine FX

A further new feature to help with power usage in Songs Mix Engine effects have been further optimised to improve performance. There’s no check box to use to benefit from this feature.

Other New Features Worth Highlighting

Improved Autosave

Autosave has been improved to mitigate the possibility of file corruption. Now Autosave does not work when playback is in operation, in previous versions of Studio One this only applied to record. Autosave is now suspended in both record and playback.

Variable Time Offset

A new feature that will prove useful, especially for those working with timecode is the new Variable Time Offset. This feature means the zero seconds start point can occur anywhere on the timeline. This can be set either by right mouse clicking in the ruler (it must have timebase set to seconds) or by using the new feature in the Song Setup menu.

Export multiple formats in one pass

Another nice new feature in Studio One 5.4 is the inclusion of more comprehensive export options. In other words you can export your song in multiple formats, furthermore PreSonus claim it adds no additional time to the export process.

Each format offers and remembers its own export settings. With only a single format selected, switching formats is as easy as clicking on a different format. Checking additional formats adds them to the selection.

Realtime Chord Display In Editor

It is now possible to display chords in the editor in realtime. Select multiple notes and the chord will be displayed, it even works on arpeggios.

Large Chord Display

In addition to realtime chord display there’s now a new Large Chord Display feature. When we first saw this inclusion we wondered how useful it would be. Having played with it the Large Chord Display is one or those I wouldn’t have asked for it but love it now it’s here features. So why is it so useful?

How many times have you been sent a track that, if you are lucky, you might be told the key. You are expected to lay down some new parts on said track. With the already cool chord recognition features in Studio One and the new Large Chord Display life just got a lot simpler. Identify the chords in the track and extract them to the chord track. Turn on the Large Chord Display and it tells you the current chord, the next chord and best of all a ‘time until next chord change’ countdown.

The whole concept is so simple but so handy, it’s genius.

Additional video HD frame rates

For users working with high-quality HD video content, the following new frame rate options have been added:

• 50 fps

• 59.94 dfps and fps

• 60 dfps and fps

These frame rate options are available in the Song Setup window.

Summary

The headline of this update is native support for Apple Silicon, the performance gains are huge, effectively doubling the power of a comparable Intel based set-up. However, there are many other feature updates that will benefit both Intel and Windows users that add improved performance and workflow enhancements. As is always the case, this update is free to registered Studio One users and those with a current PreSonus Sphere subscription.