PreSonus releases Studio One 3 Prime, its free DAW

It's Prime time.
It's Prime time.

PreSonus is attempting to woo beginners and students with Studio One 3 Prime, a free version of its cross-platform DAW.

Based on the full version of Studio One (version 3.0.2 of which is also being released), this is described as a "feature-rich digital audio workstation". It won't time out, and it lets you work with an unlimited number of tracks, plugin inserts and virtual instruments.

You also get some bundled content: the Presence XT sampler ships with a 1.5GB library, and you can call on the PreSonus Native Effects plugins. The big downside is that there's no third-party plugin support, though you can purchase additional sound and loop content from within the software.

A list of feature highlights is below, and you can download Studio One 3 Prime right now from the PreSonus website. There's also a comparison chart that shows the differences between Studio One versions.

Studio One Prime highlights

  • Studio One Prime does not time out, feature a nag screen, or limit the number of songs you can create.
  • Record and mix with no limit on the number of simultaneous tracks, plug-in inserts, or virtual instruments.
  • Create songs quickly with Studio One's fast drag and drop workflow, and newly enhanced browser for accessing backing tracks, plug-ins and more.
  • Get inspiring sounds with the new Presence XT sampler featuring a rich 1.5 GB sampler library.
  • Sweeten your mix with nine PreSonus Native Effects™ audio plug-ins that cover all the bases.
  • Access the power of a real DAW with real-time time stretching, resampling, and normalization; single and multitrack comping; multitrack track transform (advanced freezing), and Control Link controller mapping.
  • Expand Studio One Prime with more Presence XT libraries and professional loop content, purchasable directly from within the Studio One browser.
  • Experience the full power of Studio One by converting Studio One Prime into a 30-day demo of Studio One 3 Professional at any time.
Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.