PreSonus Music Creation Suite User Manual

Music Creation Suite

Quick Start Guide

Music Creation and Production System

ARTIST

notion

by PreSonus

®

www.presonus.com

English

Table of Contents

5 Using Studio One Artist — 15

1 Overview — 1

1.1 Introduction — 1

1.2 About This Guide — 1

1.3 Technical Support — 2

1.4 Music Creation Suite Features — 2

1.4.1 AudioBox USB — 2

1.4.2 PS49 — 2

1.4.3 Studio One Artist — 3

1.4.4 Notion — 3

1.4.5 Nimbit — 3

1.5 What is in the Box — 4

2 Hookup — 5

2.1 Front-Panel Connections — 5

2.2 Rear-Panel Connections — 6

5.1 Configure Studio One Artist — 15

5.1.1 Selecting the AudioBox USB from the Start

Page — 15

5.1.2 Setting up your PS49 MIDI Keyboard

Controller — 16

5.2 Create a New Song in Studio One — 16

5.3 Record in Studio One Artist — 18

5.3.1 Recording Audio — 18

5.3.2 Recording with Virtual

Instruments — 19

5.4 Play Your Recording — 21

5.5 Using Your Studio One Recordings — 22

5.5.1 Level and Balance — 22

5.5.2 Adding Plug-in Effects — 22

5.5.3 Adding Audio and MIDI Files — 23

5.6 Exporting Audio — 23

3 Connecting to a Computer — 7

3.1 AudioBox USB Driver Installation — 7

3.1.1 Installation for Mac OS X — 7

3.1.2 Installation for Windows — 7

3.2 PS49 Installation — 7

3.3 Studio One: Installation and Authorization — 8

3.3.1 Running the Studio One Installer — 8

3.3.2 Activating Studio One Artist — 8

3.3.3 Installing Bundled Content for Studio One

Artist — 9

3.3.4 Installing Third-Party Content — 10

3.4 Notion Installation and Authorization — 10

3.4.1 Running the Notion Installer — 10

3.4.2 Activating Notion Online — 10

3.4.3 Installing London Symphony Orchestra

Sounds — 11

6 Using Notion — 26

6.1 Configure Notion — 26

6.1.1 Selecting the AudioBox USB Driver — 26

6.1.2 Setting up Your PS49 MIDI Keyboard

Controller — 27

6.2 Create a New Score in Notion — 28

6.3 Enter notes in Notion — 29

6.4 Edit in Notion — 31

6.5 Play and Perform Your Notion Scores — 32

6.6 Mixer — 33

6.7 Sharing your work — 34

6.7.1 Export Audio — 34

6.7.2 Export MIDI and MusicXML — 35

6.7.3 Notion for iPad — 36

4 Setting up and Recording — 12

4.1 Mounting Your Microphone — 12

4.2 Connect Your Music Creation Suite — 13

iv

1 Overview

1.1 Introduction

1 Overview

1.1 Introduction

Music Creation Suite

Quick Start Guide

ARTIST

Music Creation and Production System

Thank you for purchasing the PreSonus® Music Creation Suite. All you need is a
computer with a USB connection—and a little inspiration—and you’ll have all the
tools required to create professional-quality studio productions and music scores.

Your Music Creation Suite includes:

• AudioBox USB. A 2x2 USB recording interface with 2 Class A microphone
preamplifiers, zero-latency analog monitoring, and MIDI I/O

• M7 Microphone Kit. Large-diaphragm condenser microphone
with shockmount, XLR cable, and desktop stand

• HD3 Professional Headphones. Lightweight, ergonomic
design with a patented, semi-open sound chamber

• PS49 MIDI Controller. USB-powered, 49-key MIDI controller with real-
time controls, including pitch bend and modulation wheels

• Studio One® Artist. Complete recording and production
software for Windows® and Mac OS X®

• Notion™. Composition and notation software for Windows
and Mac OS X, with orchestral samples recorded by the
London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios

• Nimbit™. An online service to share, sell, and promote your creative content

We encourage you to contact us with questions or comments regarding
this product. PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc., is committed to constant
product improvement, and we value your suggestions highly. We believe
the best way to achieve our goal of constant product improvement is by
listening to the real experts: our valued customers. We appreciate the
support you have shown us through the purchase of this product.

notion

by PreSonus

1.2 About This Guide

This guide is written to help you get acquainted with your Music Creation Suite.
Complete information about the AudioBox USB interface, PS49 MIDI keyboard
controller, Notion, and Studio One Artist are available through your MyPreSonus
user account. Notion and Studio One Artist user manuals are also available through
the respective Help menus in each application. We suggest that you use this guide
to familiarize yourself with the features, applications, and correct connection
procedures for the Music Creation Suite before trying to connect your AudioBox and
PS49 to a computer. This will help you avoid problems during installation and setup.

Throughout this guide you will find Power User Tips. These tips
provide useful hints on how to best use the Music Creation Suite and
take advantage of unique workflow functions and features.

1

1 Overview

1.3 Technical Support

1.3 Technical Support

Many technical issues can arise when using a standard computer as a digital
audio workstation (DAW). PreSonus can only provide support for issues that
directly relate to the Music Creation Suite. PreSonus does not provide support
for computer hardware and non-PreSonus hardware and software, and it may be
necessary to contact the manufacturer of these products for technical support.

Please check our Web site (www.presonus.com) regularly for
software information and updates, firmware updates, and
support documentation for frequently asked questions.

Online technical support is available at www.presonus.com/support/Contact­Technical-Support. PreSonus telephone technical support is available to customers
in the USA on Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time by calling
1-225-216-7887. Customers outside of the USA should contact their national
or regional distributor for telephone technical support. A list of international
distributors is provided at www.presonus.com/buy/international_distributors.

Advanced troubleshooting guides can be found at
http://support.presonus.com/forums.

Please note: you must register your product at My.PreSonus.com
to validate your warranty and receive technical support.

Music Creation Suite

Quick Start Guide

1.4 Music Creation Suite Features

1.4.1 AudioBox USB

• 24-bit/48 kHz sampling rate

• 2 Class A microphone preamplifiers

• 2 instrument inputs

• MIDI I/O

• 2x2 USB 1.1 audio interface

• Headphone output

• Analog monitor mixing with playback/input mix control

• Rugged steel chassis

• Mac OS X- and Windows-compatible

1.4.2 PS49

• 49-key, velocity-sensitive keyboard

• Pitch bend and modulation wheels (assignable)

• 1 assignable fader

• 4 assignable knobs for real time control

• 3-character red LED segment display

• 1 sustain footswitch input jack, type-sensing (footswitch not included)

• Real-time quick-toggle functions: Octave, Transpose,
Program Change, MIDI Channel

• Advanced MIDI functions

• USB class-compliant — no driver needed

2

1 Overview

1.4 Music Creation Suite Features

1.4.3 Studio One Artist

All PreSonus audio interfaces include PreSonus Studio One Artist recording
software, which comes with over 6 GB of plug-ins, loops, and samples, giving
you everything you need for music recording and production. This manual
will take you through the basics of recording and exporting audio; you
will find a complete user manual in the Studio One Artist Help menu.

• Unlimited track count, inserts, sends, and plug-in instantiations

• 21 high-quality PreSonus Native Effects™ plug-ins, in eight categories: amp
modeling (Ampire XT), delay (Analog Delay, Beat Delay), distortion (RedLight
Dist™), dynamics processing (Channel Strip, Compressor, Fat Channel, Gate,
Expander, Limiter, Tricomp™), equalizer (Channel Strip, Fat Channel, Pro EQ),
modulation (Autofilter, Chorus, Flange, Phaser, X-Trem), reverb (Mixverb™, Room
Reverb), and utility (Binaural Pan, Mixtool, Phase Meter, Spectrum Meter, Tuner)

• Four high-quality PreSonus virtual instruments, including: Presence™
sample player, Impact™ drum machine, SampleOne™ sampler,
and Mojito analog-modeled subtractive synthesizer

• Over 6 GB of loops, samples, and instruments

• Innovative and intuitive MIDI mapping

• Powerful drag-and-drop functionality for faster workflow

• Mac OS X- and Windows-compatible

Music Creation Suite

Quick Start Guide

1.4.4 Notion

1.4.5 Nimbit

• London Symphony Orchestra sample library

• Native 64-bit support (Mac and Windows)

• Interactive entry tools (Keyboard, Fretboard, Drum Pad, Chord Library)

• Compatibility with Notion and Progression iPad apps

• ReWire (64-bit) host and slave

• Sequencer overlay

• MIDI overdub

• Built-in guitar amp

• Real-time MIDI record

• Step-time MIDI input

• Save as PDF (Mac and Windows)

• Built-in integration with Vienna Symphonic Library Special Edition
Plus, Vols. 1, 2, 3, and 4; Miroslav Philharmonik; and others

• Save directly to SoundCloud™

• Improved compatibility with MusicXML, MIDI, and
Guitar Pro files (versions 3 through 5)

What You Can Do With Nimbit:

• Sell music, merchandise, and event tickets through beautiful
stores for Facebook, your web site, and Nimbit.com

• Marketing tools that help you organize and publish upcoming
events, manage your fan list and email supporters.

• Drive fans to your stores and grow your fanbase with sharable,
interactive promotions for Facebook, Twitter and email that feature
music and video players, personal messages, and free downloads.

3

1 Overview

M7

1.5 What is in the Box

• Get additional funding with an in-cart “tip-jar” for purchases & free

• Understand your fans and build your career and business

Visit www.nimbit.com to get started!

1.5 What is in the Box

In addition to this manual, your Music Creation Suite package contains the following:

PreSonus AudioBox™ USB recording interface

2 6-foot (1.8m) USB cables

M7 large-diaphragm condenser microphone with shockmount and desktop stand

Music Creation Suite

Quick Start Guide

downloads. 1-in-20 transactions on Nimbit receive tips averaging $7.80.

thanks to detailed analytics and sales reporting.

9-foot XLR cable

HD3 headphones with 1/8” to 1/4” adapter

Powered USB hub with power supply

Registration card

Note: Studio One Artist and Notion are available as downloads from your
MyPreSonus user account. Follow the instructions on the Registration card to
register your Music Creation Suite and download your software bundle.

4

2 Hookup

2.1 Front-Panel Connections

2 Hookup

2.1 Front-Panel Connections

48V Phantom Power. This
button activates phantom power
for both microphone preamps.

Power User Tip: Condenser
microphones, like the M7 microphone
included in your Music Creation Suite
require +48V phantom power to
operate. When using microphones
other than the one included in this
bundle, review the manufacturer’s
documentation to verify that
phantom power is required and will
not damage the microphone.

Phones Level. This knob controls
the output level for the headphone
connection on the back of the unit.

Input Gain/Trim Control.

These knobs adjust the input gain
level for their respective inputs.

Music Creation Suite

Quick Start Guide

Power LED. This LED indicates
bus power. It will illuminate red
when the AudioBox USB is being
properly powered by the USB
connection on your computer.

Main Level. This knob controls
the output level for the Main
Outs on the back of the unit.

Microphone / Instrument
Inputs. Each input channel has both

a microphone and an instrument
preamplifier. The combo connectors
allow you to use either a ¼” TS
or the included XLR cables. Use
the ¼” connection for guitars and
other unamplified instruments.
Use the XLR connections to
connect your M7 microphone.

Power User Tip: The complete instruction guide for your AudioBox USB

can be downloaded in PDF form from your MyPreSonus account.

Clip Indicator. Both channels feature
a clip LED next to each trim control.
This light will illuminate red when the
channel’s input signal reaches 0 dBFS.

Power User Tip: Never run your input
levels higher than the channel inputs can
handle. If you overdrive the analog-to­digital converters, it will cause digital
distortion, which sounds terrible and will
ruin an otherwise wonderful recording.
Always set your input levels so that the
clip light rarely, if ever, comes on. It’s
important to remember that you can
usually increase the level of a recording
that is too quiet, but once a recording
is clipped, there is no way to undo it.

Mixer. The knob blends the analog
input signals with the playback
signal from your computer. This
allows you to monitor your input
signal with zero latency. If the knob
is positioned at 12 o’clock, the input
signal and the playback stream will
be equally balanced. Turning the
knob to the left will increase the
level of the input signal relative to
the playback stream; turning it right
will increase the level of the playback
stream relative to the input signal.

Power User Tip: In most instances
you will set the Mixer knob to
Inputs while you are recording and
Playback when you are listening to
your recordings in Studio One.

5

2 Hookup

2.2 Rear-Panel Connections

2.2 Rear-Panel Connections

Music Creation Suite

Quick Start Guide

USB Connection. This
is where you connect
the USB cable from your
AudioBox USB to your
computer. The AudioBox is
completely bus-powered
from this connection.

MIDI In and Out. The
MIDI connections are for
use with external MIDI
equipment for sequencing
and other MIDI functions.

Main Outputs. This is
where you connect your
studio monitors. The Main
knob on the front of the unit
controls the output level.

Headphone Output.

This is where you connect
your HD3 headphones.
The Phones volume knob
on the front of the unit
controls the output level.

6

3 Connecting to a Computer

3.1 AudioBox USB Driver Installation

3 Connecting to a Computer

All Music Creation Suite software, including the AudioBox USB drivers for Windows
and the content packages and application installers for Studio One Artist and Notion,
are available for download from your MyPreSonus account on the PreSonus Web site.

Included with your Music Creation Suite is a registration card. Go to: my.presonus.
com/getstarted/MCS and follow the onscreen instructions. The PreSonus online
registration wizard will guide you through the entire process of downloading the
drivers, software, and content for your Music Creation Suite and will create a
MyPreSonus account for you.

3.1 AudioBox USB Driver Installation

3.1.1 Installation for Mac OS X

The AudioBox USB is a class-compliant Core Audio device. No driver
installation is necessary with Mac OS X. Simply connect the USB cable
from your AudioBox USB to your Mac to begin using the interface.

3.1.2 Installation for Windows

Music Creation Suite

Quick Start Guide

The AudioBox installer requires that your AudioBox USB be connected
to your computer. Connect your AudioBox USB to an available USB port
and run the AudioBox USB driver installer. It will guide you through
each step of the process. Please read each message carefully.

We recommend that you quit all applications before you start the installation.

After you have followed the onscreen instructions, you will be alerted
that the installation was successful and asked to reboot your computer.
Clicking “Finish” will automatically restart your computer.

3.2 PS49 Installation

No driver installation is required for your PS49 MIDI controller. Simply connect
it to a free USB port on your computer. If you do not have enough free USB
connections for both your AudioBox USB and your PS49 MIDI controller,
connect them to your computer using the included powered USB hub.

Complete connection diagrams can be found in Section 4.2.

Power User Tip: The complete instruction guide for your PS49 can be
downloaded in PDF form from your MyPreSonus account.

7

3 Connecting to a Computer

3.3 Studio One: Installation and Authorization

3.3 Studio One: Installation and Authorization

Once you have installed the AudioBox drivers and connected the AudioBox
USB to your computer, you can use the included PreSonus Studio One Artist
music-production software to begin recording, mixing, and producing music.

Once you have downloaded the Studio One Artist from your MyPresonus
account, run the installer and follow the onscreen instructions.

3.3.1 Running the Studio One Installer

Windows: Launch the Studio One Artist installer
and follow the onscreen instructions.

Mac OS X: Double-click on the “PreSonus Studio One.dmg” and drag the Studio
One Artist application into the Applications folder on your hard drive.

3.3.2 Activating Studio One Artist

1. After installing Studio One Artist, launch the program, and the Activate Studio One
menu will appear.

Music Creation Suite

Quick Start Guide

2. Click on the Activate Online link.

3. Enter your MyPreSonus account username and password and the Studio
One product key provided by the PreSonus Registration Wizard.

4. Click on the Activate button to finish the activation process.

8

3 Connecting to a Computer

3.3 Studio One: Installation and Authorization

3.3.3 Installing Bundled Content for Studio One Artist

The Studio One Artist bundle provides all that you need to
begin producing music. This includes an array of demo material,
instruments, loops, samples, and other third-party content.

Upon completing the Studio One Artist installation and activation
process, the Studio One Content Installer will appear.

1. Click on “Install content from PreSonus user account.”

Music Creation Suite

Quick Start Guide

2. Click on the Install Packets button at the bottom of the window
to install the selected content. Content installation will take up to
three hours, based on the speed of your Internet connection.

3. If you would like to install the third-party content at this time, see the next
section. If you are finished, click on the Done button to exit the menu.

Power User Tip: Studio One Artist content can be installed at any time by
accessing the Studio One 2>Studio One Installation... menu. If you choose
not to install any portion of the content, you can install it at a later time.

9