PRESONUS S1 Artist 3.0 [209/307] Studio one reference manual

Master Device Rack

Inserts in the Master Device Rack affect every Track in the mastering Project. Peak limiting, multiband dynamics

processing, and other similar processes are commonly used in the Master Device Rack to finely adjust the overall sound of

the Project. Generally, a certain amount of balance and equalization between all Tracks in the mastering Project should be

achieved before applying Master Device Rack processing. Effects and FXChains can be dragged to and from the Master

Device Rack, just as with other types of Device Racks.

Pre- and post-fader Insert Racks are provided, each with Activate All buttons, for ultimate flexibility in adding and

auditioning any processing. If you plan to use a third-party plug-in to provide dithering, place the Insert post-fader and be

sure to disable the Use Dithering for Playback and File Export option in the Studio One/Options/Advanced/Audio pane

(Mac OS X:Preferences/Advanced/Audio). Note that by default, Studio One only dithers when necessary (e.g., for

reducing bit depth within a device or during file export) and always uses triangular-type dither with no noise-shaping.

A Master Channel output fader is available to dial in the master output level of your Project, and you can select the output

for your audio device (audio interface). Note that this directly affects the output level of your Project for all export mediums.

All of the output pairs provided on your audio interface can be accessed by clicking on the currently displayed audio output.

Metering

High-quality metering is critical during the mastering process. The Project page offers three types of meters, each visible

at all times, to help you make creative and technical decisions while processing your material.

Spectrum Meter

The Spectrum Meter is a flexible audio-spectrum meter that offers octave, 1/3-octave, and FFT, Waterfall (WF), and

Sonogram (Sono) display modes. The Spectrum Meter displays standard peak levels and can be adjusted to display Peak

Hold levels for Short, Medium, and Long time intervals, as well as average (RMS) levels within Fast, Medium, and Slow

time intervals. As you move the cursor around the frequency display, the note value of the current frequency is displayed.

When using the FFT display, a -3 dB/octave line is displayed in addition to the frequency and level crosshair. This line

represents compensation for the shrinking frequency-width of the FFT bands towards the higher end of the spectrum,

which leads to a lower energy content. A well-balanced mix should somewhat approximate the slope of this line.

Level Meter

The Level Meter is located directly beneath the Spectrum Display and is capable of displaying high-resolution peak/RMS

levels, as well as the three K-System scales described in the K-System Metering section of the Mixing chapter.

Nowhere is it more important to accurately meter levels than at the mastering stage of production. It is critical to be sure

that the levels across all Tracks are as consistent as desired and that the signals are never clipped. When any amount of

clipping occurs in your Project, a red clip indicator illuminates at the top of the Spectrum Meter display, which can only be

cleared by clicking on the indicator.

When Peak/RMS mode is selected, you can [Right]/[Ctrl]-click on the meter display to show additional metering options,

such as RMS Length, VU Hold, and Hold Length.

Phase Meter

The Phase Meter, located to the right of the Level Meter, is helpful when checking stereo playback issues and mono

compatibility. There are two components to this meter: a Goniometer at the center of the plug-in window and a Correlation

Meter at the very bottom.

The Goniometer displays left- versus right-channel amplitude on an X/Y oscilloscope. A vertical line in the Goniometer

represents a mono signal. The horizontal Correlation Meter compares the amount of in-phase and out-of-phase audio

signal in the left and right channels. The parameters of the Correlation Meter range from +1 (mono signal) to -1

(reversed-phase mono signal), with 0 indicating the presence of totally independent signals (true stereo).

202│Studio One Reference Manual