PreSonus Studio One 2 Professional

Problem-free installation.
Rather intuitive setup. It's very similar to competing products (logic, Protools.....etc)
There are lots of tutorials for studio one V2.
No incompatibilities (as far as I can tell). You need to switch to mountain lion to avoid unexpected crashes. But now everything runs smoothly.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

I use it on two computers. 1 imac I5 12GB ram / OS Mountain lion.
and on a Mac book retina i7 with 8 gb Ram.
The software is pretty stable.
Good Midi management with an M audio 8X8 + RME fireface800 + 3 BCF 2000 + different hardware synths via usb....Everything works fine.

OVERALL OPINION

I've used it since it came out, since Presonus released the update.
I tested logic, Protools.... But Presonus seduced me. To get into a market where Pro Tools is the standard is not easy. So I made my choice to not follow the standard. And I don't regret it.
Good value for money, regular and free updates.
I recommend it highly!

Easy installation from the Presonus website via download. Afterwards you still have to download additional content (several GBs of samples for the sampler, presets, etc.) Do note that the Soundcloud and Nimbit modules can be added to export directly to these channels. The cherry on the cake from v2.1 is that you are entitled to the Saturation plug-in by Softube.
No incompatibility issues with my 2011 iMac quad core i5.
The manual is clear and there are several video tutorials on the website, as well as some mixing tutorials that can be accessed directly from the software.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

I use it on an iMac quad core i5 with 12 GB Ram and a Presonus Firestudio audio/midi interface. I've had no crashes, the latency is ridiculously low and it is compensated by the software.
I have never been able to overload the CPU despite using dozens of plug-ins during my mixing sessions.

OVERALL OPINION

I have used Studio One Artist v1 and 2, then Producer v2 and finally this Pro version, which has the advantage of integrating Melodyne. I have used Samplitude, Cubase, Ardour, Garage Band, and Logic Pro 9 before. And this one is the most simple and user-friendly. It has all indispensable features for professional song production, plus you have the Mastering section.
No score editor, but I have never had the need to use it with other DAWs.
In terms of plug-ins, the quality is evident. Their performance is cleaner and preciser than with their counterparts for Cubase Sx3. It's at a comparable level with Logic. The compression and EQ work finely and the reverbs are very good. Integrating Waves, Softube, Overtone, etc. plug-ins poses no problems.
Great usability everywhere and most features can be managed in a couple of clicks or via drag-and-drop.
Very easy operation with a physical control surface or iPad (Mackie DAW control). Management of MIDI devices is fully functional, too.
In short, I haven't found a defect so far, except maybe for a somewhat limited offer of virtual instruments.
It's a DAW conceived for musicians with a home studio. The approach is different to Pro Tools, which is especially aimed at sound engineers.

Problem-free installation. Everything is quickly and impeccably installed after downloading from the website.
The setup couldn't be simpler.
I haven't noticed any incompatibilities. Everything is recognized (except for the 32-bit plug-ins, which are obviously not recognized by the 64-bit version)
The manual can be downloaded and is well conceived.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

Core I5 Sandy Bridge with 8gb and 2 hard drives, including a 256gb SSD for the sound libraries (Omnisphere, Trilian, Stylus RMX, Kontakt 4) and a PCI ESI Juli@ soundcard. The performance is formidable, no latency, no bugs, no crashes, it's awesome!!!

OVERALL OPINION

I started out making computer music in the '90s with the Voyetra midi orchestrator. I then migrated to Magix Samplitude in 2005 (the $80 version) and the last two years I've been using Reaper. During this time I tested Cubase, Cakewalk, etc... But I have never wanted to invest so much money in such big sequencers, because, in my opinion, they all have too many defects (starting with usability and stability...)

One day I downloaded the Studio one demo and I immediately knew what I had to do: Finally a sequencer dedicated to musicians, super easy to use, optimized for songwriting, which doesn't neglect midi and offers a plethora of quality effects. The integration of Melodyne is a big plus. IT'S AMAZING!!!

It's been several months since I have it, but it's been only recently that I've been using for songwriting. It's easy, it's the best sequencer that I have used in my whole life as a songwriter! It's incredibly fast to work with, it goes to the point, it's comfortable, stable and the logic and usability of the different functions is something I had never seen before. Testing it is buying it. With Studio One you need to focus only on songwriting and nothing else.
I'm really fortunate to write songs with this sequencer. I have recovered the joy for songwriting with this formidable tool. I don't work at Presonus, I'm only saying what I think: For me, there is simply no competition!

Installation is rather simple. I bought it online, received the key via e-mail within a minute. The problem is that the pack was missing the Melodyne and EZ toontrack plug-in licenses!! I contacted the site and they told me to contact my local distributor. I did and haven't heard anything from them yet!!! It's not normal and that's the reason I gave it the mark I did.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

For me, being a Cubase user since version 1 on an Atari Stf, the change wasn't easy, but I must say that this software is awesome in terms of usability. It really kicks ass. It can do anything very good, it's fast and STABLE. The AUDIO engine is amazing, you get out what you put in (I have an RME multiface soundcard). The result seems better than with Cubase, the number of plug-ins included is pretty good, especially the convulsion reverbs, which have a very good quality. There are also tons of sounds, audio and midi loops.

OVERALL OPINION

I've used it for a week and already feel very comfortable with it. I invite you to test the demo. The only problem is the Melodyne and EZ toontrack licenses, which I still don't have. I suppose the issue affects only the online version. I'll keep you posted...