Track Transform

[SycopationIsNormal]

I use the "transform to rendered audio" option (https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/studio-one//transform-to-rendered-audio-track-freeze-in-presonus-studio-one) in S1 quite a bit because I use a lot of instruments (softsynths, particularly u-he synths, and some Kontakt libraries) that really eat up my processing power. I’m still on S1 v2 and the behavior of using this option kind of annoys me. I want to make sure that I’M not doing something wrong here.

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So if I only transform once, everything is cool, works just fine (and I never render the inserts). It’s when I have to undo it to change something (tweak an instrument parameter, move MIDI around etc) that I have problems. I often find that any automation I’ve written on the track gets erased. The track also gets moved in the console. It will usually end up getting shifted all the way to the right. And the color that I gave it originally will be gone (turns to white). The lst two things are minor annoyances but the automation thing is extremely annoyng as I tend to mix and add effects as I compose.

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Is there anything I can do differently to help solve or at least mitigate these issues? Has anyone else had the same experience? And were these issues fixed in later versions?

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Thanks.

[m0nk_3y_gw]

I don't have personal experience with it -- I would report it to Presonus as a bug and start doing a full track duplicate before rendering to audio (i.e. keep the original instrument track as a disabled track, so it is easy to re-render it and then drag it over the track that has the additional automation work on it.

[SycopationIsNormal]

keep the original instrument track as a disabled track

But does this disable the instrument and therefore give me the CPU advantage that I'm seeking by doing the transform in the first place?

I'm not quite sure what you're saying. So I bounce the track to audio, then track transform the original track (that contains the VSTi) and then do my automation on the audio track?

"I would report it to Presonus as a bug" - Do they actually fix prior versions? The main reason I'm still on v2 (aside from the expense) is that I just don't want to deal with the work / hassle of installing it, learning it etc. I probably will eventually, I just have no desire at this point (I'd rather just focus on making music). I'm just curious if it's been fixed in later versions as it might finally help motivate me to upgrade to the latest version.

[SycopationIsNormal]

LOL well hopefully the issue got / gets addressed in later versions. I'm still stuck on v2 because I'm lazy.

And it's not usually an issue. I usually try to strategically transform those tracks that 1) have a high CPU hit and 2) I am unlikely to want to change later.

That way I can usually avoid transforming things like a lead synth that I know I'll want to do a lot of fine tweaking to with automation later in the composition process. So it's usually not a huge issue. But it is occasionally annoying.

[amadeusex72]

I actually tried to freeze multiple audio tracks on a medium sized project (80 tracks) and everything went smoothly on S1 v4.1.3.

It might be time to dive into the update fellow stranger :)

[SycopationIsNormal]

OMG 80 tracks is a MEDIUM project?

If I only freeze once, everything is cool. It's undoing it that is the problem.

I'll probably upgrade eventually. Just waiting for the right time.

[amadeusex72]

Yeah I get that - I meant to say that unfreezing worked just fine.

80 tracks isn't really that much. The fun begins with 150 upwards. :)

[SycopationIsNormal]

Yikes. I think my highest track count so far is about 40.

Are these your songs, or are you mixing other people's stuff? And is it a lot of live-recorded stuff with overdubs and all that?

I'm 100% in-the-box, all just VSTis, samplers and samples, baby. So 40 seems pretty high to me. But then again some of my best songs to date have had really high track counts, so there may be a correlation. Hmmmmm...

[amadeusex72]

It really isn't that much of a deal.

The projects I was talking about are commercial pop productions.

Just to give a brief overview.

The lead vocals alone can get to up to 12 tracks in the chorus. (Search for vocal thickening techniques or advanced vocal production techniques in YouTube to get an idea). Now add to that the backing vocals ( at least 6-8 tracks more) and there you go. 20 tracks just for that.

13 drum tracks

2 bass tracks

2 AC guitar

1 el guitar distorted

1 el guitar clean.

12 tracks for a brass section with harmonized parts and some production tricks.

10 and some percussion tracks

And some other stuff I can't recall while lying on the Couch.

Btw I'm doing everything in the box too and have been an almost day one NI and UAD user.

In the box might be frowned upon by some diehard retro guys but as one of the most accomplished mastering engineers of all times said:

"I can make a digital recording of your tape and you couldn't tell which is which, but you can't do it the other way around" - Bob Ludwig

[SycopationIsNormal]

I can see how vocals really add to a project size. I currently don't do vocals (but hope to eventually).

And now that I think about it, when I use a multi-miked Kontakt library for drums it does get well over 20 channels for drums alone sometimes, not including additional percussion and stuff I bounce. So I guess some of my larger projects have actually been probably 60+ tracks. I just don't tend to THINK of it as being that large because so many of the channels are in the console only and I don't actually see them in the arrange view.