Recording - November 2011 - 15

In use The simplified Fat Channel functions and missing buses aside, the 16.0.2 sounds and functions very much like its larger siblings. In my studio tests, sound quality was impeccable from input to output. Even with some features missing, the Fat Channel effects sound fantastic (and if you’re doing live sound for a band, the fact that you can preset all your eq and dynamics is huge!), and there is enough I/O for a small tracking room or live FOH setup for a decent-sized band. Some users will balk at only having 12 mic preamps available, but that should be enough to get many average-sized bands in rock or country, etc., off and running. (If you want virtually all of the power of the 24.4.2 but don’t need more than 16 inputs, remember the third StudioLive console, the 16.4.2, which was first on the market and is still a strong seller.) FireWire integration was seamless and instantly usable on my test systems, and having a laptop sitting next to the StudioLive for DAW, audio capture, and remote control purposes was a breeze. I didn’t do a lot of MIDI testing, but it’s worth noting that the 16.0.2 can have Scene changes, FX A and B control, and Main output level control done remotely via MIDI, and that unlike its older siblings, the 16.0.2 can act as both an audio and MIDI interface to your computer. If you’re computer-centric in your approach to all of your recording needs, this level of integration with software just makes so much sense that it’s hard to think about cobbling together a piecemeal solution after you’ve been working with the PreSonus package for a while. And speaking of software... The software While there have been incremental updates along the way, the programs that ship with the 16.0.2 haven’t changed fundamentally from the versions I reviewed in January 2011. The console ships with Studio One Artist, the very capable “entry-level” version of the PreSonus Studio One Pro DAW (reviewed August 2010); Capture, a dedicated multitrack recorder taking audio directly from the StudioLive’s inputs; and Virtual StudioLive, a remote control program that comes inside the free Universal Control driver/control panel application and “opens up” the console’s front panel to allow easy graphic editing and storage/recall of mix scenes, Fat Channel presets, and so forth. The one new software offering worth a mention is not yet shipping for the 16.0.2 as of press time, but should be available for all StudioLive mixers by the time you read this. It’s an iPad-based control application called SL Remote, available for free from the App Store at Apple.
RECORDING NOVEMBER 2011

SL Remote “hooks up” via Wi-Fi to the computer running Universal Control/Virtual StudioLive, and controls the console from there; you can use an existing router or connect directly to the computer running Universal Control via an ad hoc network (this is all explained in the manual). Once the iPad sees the StudioLive through the computer attached to the console via FireWire, it provides full access to the mixer’s functions from many feet away, allowing the engineer to mess with levels, speaker delay settings, eq, and so forth, while out in the tracking room or live venue. I wasn’t able to test it with the 16.0.2, but I had a brief chance to play with SL Remote and a StudioLive 24.4.2 and was very impressed with its elegant look and intuitive multitouch response.

Conclusions If you liked what the larger StudioLive consoles had to offer but were hoping for something smaller, more portable, more affordable, and only a little bit simpler in terms of features... and compromising nothing in terms of sound quality... you need to take a closer look at the StudioLive 16.0.2. For the recording musician dreaming of a seamlessly integrated hardware/software platform for tracking, playback, and mixdown, it could well be a perfect fit. Price: $1599.95 ($1299.95 street) More from: PreSonus, www.presonus.com.

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Recording - November 2011

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