In 2008 PreSonus, revered studio-orientated manufacturer, released the StudioLive 16.4.2, their first mixer, aimed at both the live and studio market (hence the name).
With more people mixing ‘in the box’ on affordable DAWs the idea of working with a desk has increasingly been left to live sound and big studios. Only recently have manufacturers incorporated an audio interface into a mixer for easier connectivity to computer. The StudioLive is part of this new generation of mixers, able to function as a FOH mixer while recording onto your laptop via Firewire. Easy to use and packed with features, it’s become very popular globally.
To list all its features would take up the whole magazine. What follows are some highlights.
Anatomy
The StudioLive 16.4.2 is a powerful 16-channel, 4-subgroup digital mixer and Firewire interface with onboard processing on each channel, six auxes and two digital effects busses.
A major feature is that each channel boasts the same revered, high headroom Class A XMAX mic preamps found on PreSonus’ FireStudio interfaces, each with a line-in and an insert point for outboard gear.+
The high-definition AD converters, with JetPLL anti-jitter clock syncing, have an impressive 118dB dynamic range.
The Fat Channel is a collection of digital processors on each channel/bus, including a gate, compressor, 4-band semi-parametric EQ and limiter, all with great presets and user presets.Each channel also has phase reversal and a HP filter. There are two effects busses with dozens of reverbs and delays, also with presets and user presets.
For live applications, a 31-band graphic EQ is found on the Master Section and I’m told there will be a free firmware update, adding six mono graphic EQs for the six aux buses.
The StudioLive’s ease of use is another big feature. Unlike most digital desks where functions are controlled through a paging system on an LED screen, the StudioLive provides easy access to most controls on the board itself while only a few system functions are controlled on screen. For a desk packed with features it has an ingeniously simple layout. Each channel/bus has its own Select button which calls up that channel or bus’s settings. This also allows the Fat Channel to take up more board real-estate, giving you quick access to processor parameters.
Apart from the Master Section meters, there are 16 meters in the Fat Channel section that can display processor settings, channel input, output and gain reduction levels, aux output levels, aux and effects send levels as well as a fader-position locater display – a cost-effective alternative to motorized faders.
Channel settings can be copied to one another and mix settings for the entire board can be saved and recalled as Scenes.
The StudioLive is 100% compatible with most DAWs, showing up as a multi I/O interface. 32 in/18 out Firewire recording and playback streams make it a versatile recorder well beyond its 16-channel designation. The StudioLive tracks at either 44.1 or 48 kHz sample rates. While higher sample rates would be more luxurious (and expensive), would your computer cope with 16 tracks at 96kHz coming at it simultaneously for an hour at a one-take live show? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
The desk ships with a special software bundle: Virtual StudioLive allows you to control the mixer from your computer and if you download the StudioLive Remote app you can control your StudioLive in VSL through a wireless network…wait for it… via your iPad!
This means that, should you, at a gig, need to move away from the desk to replace a faulty mic, you would still have control over the mix.
Also in the software bundle are Capture, a ‘set it and forget it’ live recorder designed specifically for the StudioLive, and Studio One Artist, PreSonus’ powerful yet ‘bloat-free’ DAW designed by two top ex-Steinberg designers. Also included are Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig 3 LE, Toontracks’ EZdrummer and a special Native Instruments Kore sample set.
Should you have another StudioLive on hand you can daisy-chain both together via the second Firewire port in a master/slave configuration, giving you 32×34 recording and playback streams and various linking options.
In Use
The XMAX preamps deliver on their promise of transparency, deeper low end, smoother highs and headroom! Oh, sweet headroom! Transients are well represented. The Fat Channel processors are all high quality tools that sound surprisingly musical.
The speed and ease of use cannot be overstated, with virtually no learning curve. Tracking in Capture was as simple as arming the appropriate tracks and hitting record. Tweaking is quick and easy, a two- or three-button affair – Select channel, select parameter, set parameter. Simple! I felt completely focused on the music I was mixing and not bogged down by the process, as if thought and execution were one.
Apart from providing great front end, the advantage of a mixer interface is its ability to mix down pre-recorded tracks too. Once mixed, desk parameters can be saved for full recall later.
Similarly, in a live context, Scenes of each act’s mix can be saved and recalled after sound check.
Working in Studio One is a joy.
Think Cubase meets Pro Tools without the bloated extras. It’s incredibly stable with a ‘drag and drop’ GUI and includes great sounding sample packs, soft synths, instruments, comprehensive plug-ins and third-party VST and AU compatibility. More than just a recorder, sequencer and mixing tool, the Pro version of Studio One allows you to master and sequence whole albums.
Conclusion
While similar mixers exist in the same price range, such as the Phonic Summit, some with more features, the StudioLive looks like the best mixer for band-orientated live mixing and recording.
The pre-amps alone, with their smooth transparency and generous headroom, set it apart from the competition but in conjunction with the Fat Channel’s wealth of processors, the tremendous (shall I repeat it?) tremendous ease of use, its recording capabilities and integrated software, the StudioLive 16.4.2 is a big winner.
Of course, if 16 channels aren’t enough for you, there is the StudioLive 24.4.2, adding, amongst other things, another eight channels to play with.
It would have been nice to be able to use the StudioLive as a control surface in Studio One or other DAWs. I’m told there are as yet no plans for this kind of upgrade but it is not entirely out of the question. Alternatively, do it the old fashioned way of automation in real time during final mix-down.
Personally, I’m blown away. It’s easy to see why the StudioLive is so popular. Anyone working with bands in South Africa’s small but thriving music scene should definitely sit up and take notice.
For more information, visit www.presonus.com.
SA Distributor: Tuerk Music
Tel : 011- 792 8402
Web : www.tuerkmusic.co.za
Suggested retail Price:
StudioLive 16.4.2 – R 25,995
StudioLive 24.4.2 – R 35,995
Written By : Nic Roos
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