Recording - June 2014 - 25

an excellent "jumping off point" by way of EQ and compression settings that correspond to your selected source. You can also save your
own custom presets. The Fat Channels on the Auxes and Subgroups
let you dial in some great-sounding monitor and headphone mixes.
Four onboard stereo effects processors (two Reverbs, two
Delays) offer an excellent variety of ambience options for channels and subgroups alike, most of them optimized for live applications. This is twice as many processors and FX buses as in the
original StudioLive consoles. I'm actually quite fond of the sound
from a couple of the presets; I wish I could use them in Studio
One, but there is no software version of the Reverbs or Delays
in the DAW. However, the Fat Channel is available in software
and hardware alike, making those settings easy to transfer.
Once all of the settings have been tweaked to your satisfaction, the entire mix setup can be saved to a preset. When your
band plays the same place again, you can simply load in that
same preset and be almost ready to go!
Software and AI
At $2000, this digital mixer would be great if the preceding was
all it offered-everything the original 16.4.2 had, plus better sound
quality and two more stereo effects processors and buses. But the AI
"package" is supercharged with several free apps
and programs that ease use while deepening the
feature set even more.
The new AI mixers have been redesigned from
the ground up with new chips and new code.
Despite their different front panels and number of
channels, they are all the same "under the hood",
and all offer enormously more processing power
than the previous StudioLive mixers.
Further, their internal "computers" are now running
much of the same code as the add-on software, so
almost all communication (whether via Ethernet or via
wireless connectivity) is seamless and bidirectional,
whether to or from the mixer, a laptop, or an iOS device. Change a
setting, update a scene, save or load, and it happens all over the network, seamlessly, and without the need for a laptop computer as a
go-between for the mixer and your control devices. You still have to
attach a computer directly via FireWire to actually record audio, but
all remote control, scene updating, etc., can happen over the LAN.
Here's an example of how AI benefits the user. Unlike the previous 16.4.2, whose Fat Channel lacked some of the features
on the 24.4.2, the 16.4.2AI shares the same Fat Channel as its
larger siblings, the 24.4.2AI and 32.4.2AI. Thanks to AI, the
extra features, like full parametric EQ control, are all accessible
from software even if they're not visible/accessible from the
front panel, and all tweaks can be saved and recalled instantly.
Virtual StudioLive-AI (VSL-AI) is an editor/librarian and control panel
that allows for a drag-and-drop workflow that makes quick work of
loading mixer scenes and channel presets, with comprehensive
overviews of the mixer, its Fat Channel settings and aux mixes. It also
includes Rational Acoustics' Smaart Measurement Technology™, helping users to tame troublesome rooms with its Room Analysis Wizard,
Real-Time Analyzer, Time-Frequency Spectrographs, System Delay
Wizard, and even a StudioLive output checker.
StudioLive Remote-AI (SL Remote-AI) provides direct wireless
control from your iPad, enabling you to roam freely about the
venue and make adjustments to the sound based upon what
you're hearing, without having to run back and forth to tweak
the mixing board. You can address multiple mixers from one
iPad, or one mixer from many iPads.
QMix-AI for iPhone and iPod touch brings the performers into the
action by giving them wireless mixer or aux control, or a simple
"more me"-styled wheel mix control for that vocalist or instrumentalist
who can never get enough of themselves in the monitor mix, all without affecting anyone else's settings or what the main mix is doing.
Capture 2 works very much like a multitrack tape recorder. It
doesn't provide much in the way of editing tools or processing, it

just simply catches whatever is on an active channel and places it
on a corresponding track. These files can be subsequently
uploaded to your computer and imported into your DAW of
choice. New features added to this program include a Marker List
and locator, Prerecord Mode of up to 1 minute, and a Virtual
Soundcheck Mode that allows you to use previously recorded
material if the band hasn't yet arrived. Mixer scenes can also be
stored in Capture 2, so you have the option of easily recreating
your on-site mix in the studio. When you open a Capture session
in Studio One, you can edit the included mixer scene and return
it to the mixer or to VSL-AI. All the 16.4.2AI's settings are present
in the Studio One mixer except those of the four FX processors.
Studio One Artist may be a scaled-down version of the company's flagship DAW software, but this should in no way imply
that it lacks power. Unlimited track counts, 20 professional quality native effects, 4 virtual instruments, 6 GB of loops and samples and the program's tempo-based, 'drag and drop' style environment allow you to bring your recordings back into the studio
environment for additional tracking, editing and sweetening.
And it's easy and inexpensive to upgrade to a fancier version of
Studio One if you want to add features like third-party plug-ins,
a full set of mastering tools, etc..

Caveats
There's not much room for complaint with a product that provides
so many features and so much control, especially at this price point,
but there are always some things that could be improved upon.
As I mentioned above, not having the Reverbs and Delays in
Studio One along with the Fat Channel means my mix presets
don't carry over perfectly to working in the DAW. Input trims are
not digitally controlled, so they can't be saved with scenes.
On the connectivity side, we're still waiting for Option Cards with
Thunderbolt, AVB, and Dante networking; until then, actual recording
to a laptop can't be done over Ethernet (and wireless will never be fast
enough, PreSonus says), but requires a physical FireWire connection
to a computer. Macs can use a Thunderbolt-to-FireWire adapter for
now, but FireWire-capable PC laptops are virtually extinct. And finally: I know it's needed, but does the internal fan have to be that loud?
Summary
The power and unprecedented control provided by the
StudioLive 16.4.2AI digital mixer, its bundled software and the
future enhancements promised through its Advanced Integration
functionality, are truly staggering. Once the initial learning curve
is surmounted, it should become abundantly clear that the
worlds of live sound and studio recording have coalesced into
one unstoppable audio juggernaut!
Price: $1999.95
More from: PreSonus, www.presonus.com
Sven-Erik Seaholm (seaholm@recordingmag.com) is an
award-winning independent record producer, singer and songwriter. His latest release is Seaholm Mackintosh's Monarchs.
Check out his website at www.kaspro.com.
RECORDING June 2014

http://www.presonus.com http://www.kaspro.com

Recording - June 2014

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