PreSonus 64S
Editor's note: This article was revised on September 3, 2019. The original article stated a user would need add two NSB 16.8 stage boxes to access the full 64-channel capability of the StudioLive 64S Digital Mixer. This was inaccurate. Two NSB 16.8 stage boxes are required if a user wants analog inputs for channels 33-64. See other updates in paragraph two.
Though it seems PreSonus is releasing new products into the live sound and recording markets at a rapid rate these days, one product line remains near the center of the PreSonus universe: the StudioLive digital mixer. Offering generous input counts and processing, tight integration with their Studio One software and low price points, StudioLive mixers are becoming a common sight with bands, churches and other live sound venues.
PreSonus deserves credit for effectively blurring the lines between hardware mixers, networked audio devices, computers and software.
The new flagship mixer in the StudioLive line is the 64S, which boasts an impressive 64 inputs. The big news here is that PreSonus has reached this 64-input mark at a previously unheard of price point of around $4,000. As with StudioLive 32S, the StudioLive 64S mixer surface has 32 analog inputs, 16 analog outputs and 33 touch-sensitive, motorized faders. You can route as many digital streams to the mixer as you want (up to all 64 channels) from anywhere on the AVB network, however. That enables you to add remote analog inputs for any or all channels using any combination of PreSonus NSB-series AVB networked stage boxes (about $800 each for the 16-input NSB 16.8), StudioLive Series III rack mixers, and additional StudioLive Series III consoles.
At the heart of the new Series III mixers is PreSonus' new FLEX DSP engine, which results in a bump in quantity (and supposedly quality) of effects. As for quantity, the StudioLive 64S DSP churns out 526 simultaneous effects across the mixer's 64 inputs and 43 busses. This includes eight stereo effects busses (i.e. for reverb) and FatChannel processing on every input and mix bus.
Regarding quality, StudioLive 64S now goes beyond PreSonus' "stock" FatChannel processing to add modeled effects. Like plug-ins for your DAW, the PreSonus modeled plug-ins currently include 15 emulations of vintage and modern compressors and EQs. For now, all these processors are included free with StudioLive 64S (a $500 value). We're eager to test out the new DSP, especially the modeled plug-ins.
In addition to stage boxes, StudioLive 64S' AVB networking capabilities allow it to connect to the PreSonus EarMix 16M for personalized monitor mixes. Building on the AVB network, StudioLive 64S offers improved flexibility for patching mixer inputs and outputs. You can connect any analog input or digital stream to any channel and its corresponding processing. This flexibility reportedly extends to the 64x64 recording matrix as well, which flows through both USB and SD card interfaces. Flexible I/O routing is an area where small-format digital mixers have traditionally stumbled, so we'll take a close look at this in our hands-on test.
Recording is more than an afterthought with StudioLive 64S, with new features available for capturing live performances and doing in-the-box virtual soundchecks. Even without a computer, StudioLive 64S will capture all 64 channels to an SD card for playback through the same inputs. Yet more capabilities we look forward to testing.
PreSonus' familiar XMAX preamps appear again in the StudioLive 64S, complete with digital control for instant recall of trim settings. The word control comes up a lot with the new StudioLive 64S. The mixer offers impressive support for tablets and other remote control devices, with PreSonus' UC Surface software available for macOS, Windows, iPad and Android.
Turn it around, and StudioLive 64S can control the DAW by acting as a large fader bank for mixing or tracking.
On the technology side, PreSonus deserves credit for effectively blurring the lines between hardware mixers, networked audio devices, computers and software. On the process side, they've also chipped away at the walls between rehearsal/sound check, live performance and recording. That's a lofty vision, but all these convergences increase the complexity of the system tremendously. Can PreSonus keep all the components working together effectively with StudioLive 64S at the center? We'll let you know when we test out StudioLive 64S in a future issue of Church Production Magazine.
