Fender Updates Studio Pro to 8.1 - Adds Studio Assistant, Moises Integration and Native Vocal Tune

Fender has released Fender Studio Pro 8.1, a feature update to its DAW that adds an in-application assistant, a built-in integration with Moises Studio, and a native pitch-correction plug-in. The release continues the Fender Studio line, the brand announced earlier this year that brings PreSonus recording software and hardware together with Fender.

The headline addition is Studio Assistant, a natural-language helper that runs inside the DAW and pulls documentation, tutorials and support into a single panel so users can get answers without leaving the session. It is available as a public beta for Fender Studio Pro+ subscribers.

The Moises Studio integration is the more substantial change for day-to-day work. It brings stem separation, vocal transformation and the ability to generate backing stems from existing recordings directly into the DAW, removing the round trip to a browser. Fender is including it for all 8.1 users at no extra cost, capped at 10 stem separations, 120 stem generations and five voice conversions per month.

For vocal work, the new Vocal Tune plug-in handles native pitch correction, from transparent tuning to harder tonal shaping with formant shifting. It is joined by Pitch Curves on Audio Events, which lets users draw pitch changes onto audio with automation-style control for bends and correction.

Composition and editing get attention too. Sound Variations now support articulation-based timing offsets and combined articulation conditions, with deeper Score Editor functionality. Audio-to-Note conversion adds better detection and expanded drum support, and native stem separation is faster with a smaller system footprint, keeping that processing local to the machine.

Several workflow items round out the update: reorderable browser tabs and a customizable browser layout, Dolby Atmos headphone personalization for more accurate Atmos monitoring on headphones, and Shared Virtual Instrument Sets that keep core instruments loaded across sessions to cut setup time and system load.

"At Fender, we view AI the same way we view any innovation. Its value isn't in the technology itself, but in how it helps musicians create, learn and express themselves," said Max Gutnik, Chief Product Officer of Fender Electronics. Fender notes that Moises takes a licensed approach to AI for music creation, data usage and artist rights, and has published its AI principles alongside the release.

The update positions Studio Pro against established DAWs by folding AI-assisted stem and vocal tools into the core application rather than leaving them to third-party plug-ins, with the in-DAW assistant aimed at lowering the learning curve for newer producers.

Features

• Studio Assistant: in-DAW natural-language help, public beta for Pro+ subscribers.
• Moises Studio integration: stem separation, vocal transformation and stem generation, included for all 8.1 users (10 separations, 120 generations, five voice conversions monthly).
• Vocal Tune plug-in: native pitch correction with formant shifting.
• Pitch Curves on Audio Events for automation-style pitch editing.
• Sound Variations with articulation timing offsets and combined articulation conditions, plus Score Editor improvements.
• Faster native stem separation with local processing and a reduced system footprint.
• Audio-to-Note improvements with expanded drum support.
• Reorderable browser tabs and customizable layout.
• Dolby Atmos headphone personalization.
• Shared Virtual Instrument Sets across sessions.

Pricing and Availability

The 8.1 update is free for existing Fender Studio Pro users, current Pro+ subscribers, perpetual license holders, and anyone who bought an upgrade in the past 12 months.

New pricing (MSRP):

• Perpetual License $199.99 / £169.99 / €199.99.
• Pro+ annual subscription plus perpetual $179.99 / £159.99 / €179.99.
• Perpetual license upgrade $99.99 / £89.99 / €99.99.
• Monthly subscription $19.99 / £19.99 / €19.99.

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