Question

I was sent a Studio One 3.2 Artist project, but my version is 2.6 so I cannot open it. What to do?

Is it possible for the Studio One 3.2 to export the project file to a previous compatible version?

Is there a way to transfer projects and compilations from a newr version to an older one, even if it means loosing PlugIn, MIDI, Automation or  other track specificdata? All we need is correct a track / recording (tempo based) project layout, no FXs, VSTs plugins or automation data is needed.

How can I upgrade to the newer version?

Both Studio Ones are Windows installed, 7 and 10 (I think).

Thanks for the help

Tiago Oliveira

Answer 1

Tiago it's possible to open a Studio One 3 file with Studio One 2 fairly easy.

Here's how: Copy the song file, rename it to [yoursongname].zip  and open the compressed folder. Copy out the metainfo.xml and open it with a text editor.

Now look for the following line:

<Attribute id="Document:FormatVersion" value="3"/>

Change the value “3” to “2” like:

<Attribute id="Document:FormatVersion" value="2"/>

Save the XML file, copy it back to the compressed song file. Save and close the modified zip and rename the extension back to [your songname].song.

Now you can open the song again with Studio One version 2.

_{Take note: Songs can behave strange or unexpected when Studio One 3 features are used in it (like e.g. Scratch Pad, Arrangertrack, Multi Instruments, Channel Editor, NoteFX, Mix FX etc.). Those obviously don’t work in Studio One 2 and most likely are the reason the Studio One developers disabled backward compatibility from version 3. Use at your own risk it's not a supported method!}

Answer 2

Studio One 3 Project files are not backwards compatible into Studio One 2. You can export all of your stems and then import those into a session in Studio One 2. If you'd like to upgrade your version of Studio One, you can purchase upgrades at the following link: https://shop.presonus.com/products/software/studio-one-prods/Studio-One-3-Digital-Downloads/studio-one-upgradescrossgrade

Answer 3

Hello

Thank you all for your kindness regarding this little situation. Niles, your answer was/is spot on, it solved everything, thank you very much.

The file in question only has recordings, no VSTs nor FXs, nor anything else there, so now I can understand the structure of those recordings and import them into my own file. Thank you once again!.

Answer 4

I have tried this fix with no success. I have a song that I opened with the demo of Studio 3 which now does not open in  Studio 2.

On a Mac, I can change the extension from song to zip and back again and the song still opens in Studio 3. So that is fine.

If I unarchive it and recompress without doing any changes at all, I get the "file is broken" message from S3 and now the file is unusable by either version. So the corruption occurs at the compression level. That doesn't seem right to me.

Has anyone got a workaround for this?........and while I am at it.......How can Presonus expect us to collaborate efficiently without having a way to save in an earlier version if needed? This is a dealbreaker for me. At minimum S3 needs to make a backup copy as part of opening a file from an earlier version. Yes, I know I can do it myself and I do have backups, but it is an obvious feature for a program that is focusing on creative workflow and reduced technical runarounds.

Answer 5

Windows 10 user here.

Niles's solution is valid also for opening a project from version 5 to version 4 following his guide, instead of 

<Attribute id="Document:FormatVersion" value="6"/>

Change the value “6” to “4”.

I just did it and it works like a charm! 

Thanks a lot Niles!