The trend toward “virtual” mixers is coming full-circle as folks realize that a mixer controlled with a portable device isn't always the best solution—especially live. Users of the PreSonus StudioLive RM16AI and RM32AI rack-mount mixers who have longed for actual faders and knobs will be pleased to learn about the PreSonus CS18AI control surface.
Recently released at a price point just under $2,000, the StudioLive CS18AI offers hardware control over PreSonus mixers and their Studio One digital audio workstation software. Using the UCNET protocol, the CS18AI can use Ethernet or Wi-Fi to control mixers or computers hundreds of feet away.
Put a StudioLive RM mixer on the stage, for example, and all you have to run between CS18AI and the stage is one slender Ethernet cable. The flexibility of the UCNET system allows multiple controllers (i.e., a CS18AI, a tablet, a laptop, a phone) to share control duties over the same mixers at the same time. For example, one person at the CS18AI could control the main mix, a second engineer could wrangle special mixes and feeds, while musicians control their own mixes with PreSonus Qmix-AI software on their phones or tablets. Apparently, the day is dawning when good sound takes a whole village.
A Close-up Look
As its name implies, the CS18AI offers 18 100mm motorized faders plus bank switches to control up to 64 channels of audio. Above each fader sits mute, solo and select buttons. All Select buttons on the CS18AI have RGB color control, so a button can be almost any color. In the case of the Select button, its color will automatically follow the track color in the Studio One software. With RM-series mixers, you can color your buttons to show channel types or relationships.
Users of the PreSonus StudioLive RM16AI & RM32AI rack-mount mixers who have longed for actual faders and knobs will be pleased to learn about the PreSonus CS18AI control surface.
Above these three buttons is a display that feels like a real luxury at this price point: an LCD “scribble strip” for each channel. This display shows channel number, a short name and channel pan position. Again, this info flows in automatically from Studio One software or can be easily set for RM-series mixers. Though a few more characters for channel names would be nice, this is a wonderful feature.
Above the master faders is a four-button transport control area for Studio One and Capture. Further up is a small touch-screen LCD panel where detailed mixer (and effects) settings are controlled. At the top of the control surface is a row of knobs and bright meters that serve several purposes based on the selected mode. In default mode, the bank of 16 meters tracks channel levels and the knobs adjust the Fat Channel parameters.
In Fat Channel mode, meters show settings for the PreSonus Fat Channel high-pass filter, gate, limiter, compressor and EQ. The Fat Channel “input strip” has risen to prominence across many PreSonus products, so dedicating controls to this effect makes sense. These controls are of lesser value for other Studio One (or aftermarket) plug-ins. Other meter modes include input level, output level, gain reduction and mixes.
Although the CS18AI is designed to control external devices with dozens of inputs and outputs, PreSonus kindly included a bit of
analog I/O on the control surface itself. On the back panel sit two XLR line/mic inputs and two 1/4-inch line inputs, all of which can be routed into the AVB audio data stream. The first input is labeled “1/TB,” revealing its primary purposes as a talkback mic input. The 1/4-inch line inputs would be handy for two-track playback from the mixer position. Outputs on the CS18AI include a pair of line-level XLR jacks (for mix-position monitors) and a front-mounted 1/4-inch headphone output. Each output has its own level knob on the main control surface.
Almost There
In testing, the CS18AI was responsive and easy to use. Setup was simple, and the control surface automatically recognized both an RM-series mixer and Studio One software without a fuss. Most important aspects of the mixing experience are one button-push away, including bank switching, channel assignments, controlling mute groups, adjusting auxiliary mixes, recalling scenes and more.
What you can't access with a hardware button sends you to the LCD touchscreen display, and that's where the CS18AI still needs some work. The interface isn't always intuitive, and the depth of control isn't comprehensive. The touchscreen will adjust all Fat Channel parameters of the RM hardware mixer, for example, but not those in Studio One. You can enable a Studio One track's Fat Channel EQ from the CS18AI, but the individual bands are off by default and cannot be enabled without reaching for the computer.
In short, it's currently not possible to control every aspect of the RM-series mixers from the CS18AI. Certain things still require the UC Surface software. Comprehensive control must be a top priority for future CS18AI software updates. I found a bug that locks the CS18AI up tighter than a drum, with no response from any controls. It's reproducible (hence fixable), but a control surface that crashes is a big deal. PreSonus is taking the problem seriously, however, and should have a fix in firmware by the time you read this.
What the CS18AI reveals at this point is great potential in need of refinement. The hardware is ready, but the software is struggling to catch up. That's a familiar song in this high-tech world.
