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Ohm Studio F.A.Q.
Ohm Studio crashed or stopped responding.
First of all, "force quit" both Ohm Studio processes (the main process as well as the "guest" process) in your Task Manager (Windows) / Activity Monitor (MacOS) if they are still running in the background. Please do not re-launch Ohm Studio just yet, as it would overwrite the log files.
Beta Reporter Application
Locate the application named Ohm Studio Beta Reporter and use it to send a crash report, possibly explaining what you were doing before Ohm Studio crashed.
Please note that these crash reports are very helpful to our developer team but we cannot reply to them.
Path to Beta Reporter on Windows
- C:\Program Files\Ohm Force\Ohm Studio\ohm_studio_reporter.exe [32-bit]
- C:\Program Files (x86)\Ohm Force\Ohm Studio\ohm_studio_reporter.exe [64-bit]
Path to Beta Reporter on Mac
- /Applications/Ohm Studio Beta Reporter.app
In order to get an answer from our support team, you should write an e-mail to support@ohmstudio.com explaining how/when the application crashed. Please attach Ohm Studio's log files to your e-mail.
Log Files
Path to log files on Windows
-
Windows 7 / Vista
C:\Users\[your username]\AppData\Roaming\Ohm Force\Ohm Studio\logs -
Windows XP
C:\Documents and Settings\[your username]\Application Data\Ohm Force\Ohm Studio\logs
Path to log files on Mac
- /Users/[your username]/Library/Logs/OhmForce/
Also read this message on the forum to learn how to reset the application.
Installation always fails.
If you're trying to update Ohm Studio, please make sure to "force quit" both Ohm Studio processes (the main process as well as the "guest" process) in your Task Manager (Windows) / Activity Monitor (MacOS) if they are still running in the background.
Then try updating Ohm Studio again.
If the problem persists, please read this message on the forum to learn how to reset the application.
If you're trying to install Ohm Studio for the first time and get an installation error, please write us at contact@ohmstudio.com with the following information:
1. Your OS (Windows, Mac) with additional details (Seven, XP, 10.7.4, etc.)
2. The installer log file (attach it to your email)
Path to installer log on Windows
- C:\Users\[your username]\AppData\Roaming\Ohm Force\Ohm Studio\logs\ (Windows 7 / Vista)
- C:\Documents and Settings\[your username]\Application Data\Ohm Force\Ohm Studio\logs\ (Windows XP)
Path to installer log on Mac
- /Users/[your username]/Library/Logs/OhmForce/
Note that your logs may reveal an outdated graphic card -like Matrox Dual G450- below the minimum requirements for Ohm Studio. We recommend that you buy a new, modern one. It will cost you about 30 euros and will neatly improve performance in other applications too.
I cannot log in ("Server not reachable" error)
Ohm Studio uses the following ports to communicate with the Ohm Studio Server:
- 80
- 5222
- 9090
- 9595
Please make sure that your firewall / router doesn't block these ports. Same goes if your computer is behind a proxy server (e.g. at school or at work).
I think I've found a bug. What should I do?
Please report it on the Ohm Studio forum, or use the Ohm Studio Beta Reporter from Ohm Studio's help menu (Help > Send Feedback) or from your file browser.
Path to Beta Reporter on Windows
C:\Program Files\Ohm Force\Ohm Studio\ohm_studio_reporter.exe [32-bit]
C:\Program Files (x86)\Ohm Force\Ohm Studio\ohm_studio_reporter.exe [64-bit]
Path to Beta Reporter on Mac
/Applications/Ohm Studio Beta Reporter.app
What are minimal requirements to use Ohm Studio?
Mac
Intel Processor
OS: 10.5.8 or later
RAM (Gb): 2 or more
Hard Disk Space (Gb): 1 or more depending on usage
Fast Internet connection recommended but not necessary
Windows
Minimum Pentium 4 or Athlon 64 (SSE2)
OS: Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later
RAM (Gb): 2 or more
Hard Disk Space (Gb): 1 or more depending on usage
Fast Internet connection recommended but not necessary
Plugin scan is too long. What I should I do?
Plugin scan analyzes your VST folder, checking each plugin’s compatibility.
If you find the process too long, please consider the following question: does it succeed at last?
If it never ends or crashes in the middle of the scan, that’s a problem and you should report it.
Otherwise, it’s probably because you have many plugins. The more plugins you have, the longer the scan. A solution is to keep the ones you really use and move the others to another folder, so that they don’t go through the scan. In all cases, this step will be much shorter the next time you launch the application.
Project loading time is too long. What I should do?
When you open a project, it may take long before you are able to play it. Usually, it happens when you open a project with a lot of tracks and plugins, especially if it’s the first time you are opening it.
The reason is twofold: on the one hand, the audio engine takes time to analyze and load all plugins; on the other, Ohm Studio starts downloading lossless audio samples from the server. However, you can still listen to lower-quality version of these quite soon before download is complete. Good news is, these samples are stored as disk cache in your computer so that opening this project next time will be much faster.
Also please remember that Ohm Studio is still in beta and that performance related problems are progressively fixed.
Is it possible to download a copy of my project on my computer?
Currently it’s not possible, but such feature may be available in the future.
Is there a storage and/or bandwidth limit per account?
Currently there is no limit, but we reserve the right to set some in the future.
Where are the built-in plugins stored in my computer?
You won’t find them in your VST folder because they are not standard VST plugins and can only be used in Ohm Studio.
Can I use plugins other than VST?
Unfortunately, no. Please keep in mind that Ohm Studio is both for Windows and Mac and allows for real-time cross-platform collaboration. This implies a lot of constraints and issues, which makes the most widespread plugin format a sound choice in our opinion.
Why are some MIDI Patterns greyed out?
If you see grey Patterns that don’t play, it’s because they command a Plugin you don’t have: a frequent collaborative case, actually. Yet, a solution exists and it’s called collaborative freeze. This will let you listen to how it’s supposed to sound like.
Will there be any new Ohm Force plugin in the future?
If we manage to find time, why not? It would be probably bundled with Ohm Studio.
I haven’t found any built-in drum machine and/or sampler in Ohm Studio. Are such things likely to come any soon?
Yes, these would be a great addition to Ohm Studio. We can’t tell how soon, though.
Is it possible to jam online?
No (not yet?). By real-time collaboration, we mean a bit of audio recording or MIDI notes being uploaded immediately onto the server and being available to other members for playback as soon as they are created, which is not absolutely equal to while they are being done. As of today, we don’t know of any technology that allows for real-time jamming with satisfactory latency, neither is it our immediate purpose to offer such service.
Is it possible to communicate via a Skype-like tool from inside Ohm Studio?
No (not yet?), but this is quite a requested feature, and we think it would be a great one indeed. Like every other feature implementation, it’s a matter of time and... demand. So let us know if you tried Ohm Studio and think this would truly improve the experience of music collaboration.
I have an idea for improving the software. Whom should I contact?
We are of course open to ideas and suggestions, although we can’t implement all of them. You can write us at contact@ohmstudio.com or share your ideas on the forum.
I applied to beta test but have never got any reply.
Back in April 2010, our idea was to establish a list of people interested in testing Ohm Studio and select a few of them on the basis of gear specs to send invitations. That was a *closed* beta, access to which was not granted to everyone. Actually we wanted to increase software quality before opening up. We didn’t want a massive flood of people invade something we didn’t master and see the whole thing get out of control. Yet, we always invited people who contacted us privately.
Why did it take SO long to make this open beta happen?
Well... it took time, we acknowledge! We encountered unexpected difficulties and our limited resources slowed us down.
You may not know that we also develop VST plug-ins in paralell to our main project Ohm Studio. And you may not know that Ohm Force is a really small team of 6 people (2 developers working on the software).
Since the very beginning in 2000, Ohm Force has been an independent company, founded and run by people with passion and strong sense of value. Obviously, we did a lot of mistakes and the making of Ohm Studio was no exception. Despite all this, we still dare think Ohm Studio is a unique product that has something to bring to the world of music production and accurately serve the 21st century musician’s needs.
I can’t really figure out why collaboration as offered by Ohm Studio is so special. Can you give me some use cases?
There have been many attempts to create a collaborative DAW, although none of them was successful. Far from a foolish idea, it really serves tangible needs as well as offer new possibilities.
Who in the world can say he or she has all the musical and technical skills to write, arrange, play, record, mix and master the music he or she has in mind? Obviously, you can hardly do all that alone. But gathering people and doing something together is costly in money, time and energy. Ohm Studio offers a cheap and handy solution to meet your collaborative needs.
And even assuming you are a walking all-around music workstation, wouldn’t you take advantage of interactions with other musicians? Like-minded people, complementary skills... music is about human experience. Open up yourself to the world.
What makes Ohm Studio truly stand apart is that collaboration is real-time. Work together simultaneously within the same Project. If you used to work on Office documents with your partners using email and one day switched to some cloud-based sharing document system, you know what blessing it is in terms of workflow. Besides, internal chat and the web help you stay in touch with your friends and find other people and other songs. Beyond the application itself, Ohm Studio is also meant to be a community... err Cohmmunity, sorry.
Here are just a couple of cases you might correspond to. But these are just examples; Ohm Studio is made for any musician.
1° You are a bedroom producer and need some realistic acoustic guitar strumming or an authentic-sounding tabla solo or whatever for your latest track. Solution: browse the skills you need, find people interested in playing on your track, invite them into your project and let the music rule!
2° You are band members who cannot see one another very often and still need to record frequently ideas or complete tracks with a tight budget. Get an Ohm Studio account, enter a common project and enjoy cheap, remote, and effective collaboration!
3° You are a beginner in the world of music production. Entirely self-taught, you still feel the need to learn from other people. Just curious to see what others do, how they do. Or just willing to have fun. Hey! There are hundreds of guys like you out there waiting for making music differently than they used to. Participate, share, have fun together, and maybe start another success story.
I’m already using a DAW which I’m satisfied with. Why should I switch to Ohm Studio?
You can keep your DAW! There’s no rule dictating you must use only 1 DAW. Many people use more than 1 for various reasons: one excels at mixing, another one is best for quickly capturing ideas on the fly, etc. Ohm Studio, we think, has the most advanced collaborative solution out there and will change the way you work with other people in music production. Plus, the Ohm Team is working hard everyday to improve it feature-wise so as to meet the current standards.
When will Ohm Studio’s beta end?
End of October 2012.
How does copyright apply to songs created in Ohm Studio?
As indicated in the Terms of use, it is not (yet?) our business to manage copyright. We only provide tools. Use project rights wisely to protect your projects where copyright is at stake. The issue remains nothing but the same as in a physical studio environment when you think about it. Someone can “steal” your music: if your song is copyrighted, then you are in a strong position legally speaking. Otherwise...
I want to uninstall Ohm Studio. How should I do?
We apologize for not having implemented an automated uninstaller yet. You must therefore do it manually for the moment. Please follow the instructions below:
I want to delete my account. How should I do?
Please write us at contact@ohmstudio.com. We will meet your request as soon as possible.