Performing with virtual instruments, plug-in racks, and backing tracks has become an integral part of contemporary live shows. Some DAWs make it easy to use virtual instruments, while other applications make it easy to incorporate plug-in effects racks. Just about any DAW can be used for playback of backing tracks,…

Performing with virtual instruments, plug-in racks, and backing tracks has become an integral part of contemporary live shows. Some DAWs make it easy to use virtual instruments, while other applications make it easy to incorporate plug-in effects racks. Just about any DAW can be used for playback of backing tracks, but no single application has provided a solution for all three—until now.

Studio One®’s new Show Page lets you add backing tracks, virtual instruments, and plug-in racks for live musicians all from a single, intuitive interface that can easily receive content directly from any track on the Studio One Song Page. So, by the time you’ve finished up your studio session in Studio One, you’re already more than halfway done with your stage production.

Step 1: Add Your Players

With the Show Page, Studio One is now part of the band. Use the Players section to add Backing Track, Virtual Instrument, and Real Instrument Players. The Backing Track Player has your pre-recorded material covered. The Virtual Instrument Player lets you create a virtual master keyboard from your favorite instrument plug-ins, and the Real Instrument Player opens up all your effects plug-ins to be used as an insert rack to process any live audio signal, letting you perfectly re-create your studio sound on stage.

Step 2: Make Your Setlist

A show is only as strong as its setlist. The Show Page allows you to organize and customize your setlist for any performance, regardless of how long you’re expected to perform. You can name songs, change their color, reorder them, and set the Playback mode for each to continue to the next song, stop at the end, or loop. You can also add pauses between songs to make room for your witty audience banter. Add or cut entire songs easily for those inevitable last-minute changes. When the opening band’s van breaks down just past that right turn at Albuquerque, you can extend your set without breaking a sweat.

Step 3: Create Your Patches

Once you have your virtual band and setlist structured, you have to give your Studio One bandmates something to play, and that’s where Patches come in. If you’re adding backing tracks, open the Studio One song you want to use and select Add to Show from the Song menu. Stereo mixes are instantly added to your new show. With Patches, you have full control of your backing track mix, including plug-in effects, without having to touch a single knob.

Want to use that killer synth lead from your studio production on stage? Open it up in your Studio One Song file and send the complete instrument and effects, or even a complete instrument rack, to your Show. Each song and player in your Show Setlist can use a different virtual instrument and patch. You can even create Multi Instruments with splits and layers to play several parts at the same time.

And when you’re ready to set up your virtual effects rack for live instruments, the Show page provides you with a familiar workflow that any Studio One user will recognize: just drag-and-drop your favorite plug-in presets from the Browser to a Player and Setlist item. Want to use Ampire for your live guitar sound? Just drag-and-drop it in and use your favorite MIDI foot controller to make changes on the fly while you’re on stage. Presets are converted to Patches that can be fine-tuned, updated, and even reassigned as you dial in your live sound.

Step 4: Setting Up Real-Time Controls

Most performances are not “set and forget.” The Studio One Show Page gives you an easy-to-use control set for instant access to up to 24 parameters using knobs, buttons, or faders. Map each parameter to your favorite hardware controller, including PreSonus® ATOM- and FaderPort®-series controllers so you can control only the functions you know you’ll need while you’re performing your gig—and keep the rest out of the way.

Step 5: Perform Without Fear

When you’re on stage, you have a lot of input taking your attention away from playing. That's why you rehearse until it’s second nature. That’s also why the Show Page provides Perform mode, a streamlined, minimal interface that removes the features you only need during the rehearsal and configuration phase of your performance. In Perform mode, you’ll focus on just the functions you need to pull off an amazing gig—and, consequently, get booked again.

Only Studio One lets you record, produce, mix, master, and perform from the same easy-to-use interface. Create without boundaries, produce without limits, and perform without fear.