Guides / DAW conversion

How to open a .song file without Studio One

Updated October 2026

A .song is a Studio One project — the DAW PreSonus made and Fender renamed Fender Studio Pro in version 8. Only Studio One opens one. If a collaborator sent you a song and you work in Logic, Ableton, FL Studio, Pro Tools or REAPER, you can’t open it directly — but you can convert it to your DAW’s native format online.

What's inside a .song

A .song is a zip of XML: the arrangement with its tempo and time-signature maps, the track list and every event, the mixer console with its inserts and sends, each plug-in’s saved state, and the notes of every instrument part. The audio isn’t inside — it lives in the song folder’s Media/, next to the .song, which is why the whole folder matters. (More in what is a .song file.)

The realistic options

Convert it (keeps it editable): zip the song folder, upload it to Doseedo, and download a native Logic .logicx, Ableton .als, FL Studio .flp, Pro Tools session or REAPER .rpp — tracks, MIDI, audio and the mix arrive as an editable project in your DAW.

Ask for a DAWproject export (if your DAW reads it): Studio One 6.5 and later exports a .dawproject, which Bitwig Studio and Cubase 14+ import — but Logic, Ableton, FL Studio and Pro Tools don’t (who reads DAWproject).

Ask for stems (loses the project): bounced stems play anywhere but stop being a project. Use them when you only need the audio.

Convert it on your own machine (keeps it editable, nothing leaves the computer): Dø Desktop runs the same conversion locally on macOS or Windows 10/11, so the project is never uploaded — and there is no monthly count. $39.99 once. Use the browser route above for a one-off; use this when the project is a client’s, or too big to send.

What carries over — and what doesn't

Converting a Studio One song with Doseedo, what arrives editable: tracks with their names, volume, pan and mute, audio events with their files traveling in the song folder, MIDI notes, the full tempo and time-signature maps, and markers; going to Logic, Ableton or Pro Tools, sends arrive too. Third-party plug-ins come across with their saved state where they’re installed — effects and instruments into Ableton and FL Studio, effects into Logic and Pro Tools.

Studio One’s own built-in effects and instruments arrive by name only — except Pro EQ, which becomes Ableton’s EQ Eight with its settings — and the report lists each one. Automation isn’t promised yet, and REAPER takes no plug-in state. Nothing is silently dropped — every conversion comes with a report of what changed.

Related guides

• Convert Studio One to Logic Pro
• Convert Studio One to Ableton Live
• Convert Studio One to FL Studio
• Convert Studio One to Pro Tools
• What is a .song file?
• What is a .dawproject file?
• Open a .ptx without Pro Tools

FAQ

How do I open a .song file without Studio One?

Convert it: zip the song folder, upload it to Doseedo and download a native Logic Pro, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Pro Tools or REAPER project — tracks, MIDI, audio and the mixer arrive editable in the DAW you already have.

Can Logic or Ableton open a .song directly?

No — no other DAW reads Studio One’s .song. Studio One can export a .dawproject, but Logic and Ableton don’t read DAWproject either. Converting the song to the destination DAW’s native format is the way to open its contents there.

Why should I zip the whole song folder?

A .song holds the arrangement, notes and mixer — the recordings live in the Media folder next to it. Zip the whole song folder so the audio travels with it; a bare .song converts without its audio.

Is the .song file from Fender Studio Pro the same?

Yes. Fender Studio Pro 8 is Studio One renamed, and it saves the same .song format; songs from Studio One 3 through Studio Pro 8 convert the same way.