How Much Does It Cost To Get A Presonus 1602 Repaired

The StudioLive range of mixer interfaces now includes a compact 16-channel model.We find out how well it performs on the road.

The choice between an analogue and a digital mixer for live sound employ is an interesting one, peculiarly where pocket-sized-format desks are concerned, because they'll tend to be used for a wider variety of possibly more modest events. They'll oftentimes exist used by 'volunteer' operators too, who don't spend all that much time behind the console, and will need something that's easy to understand and operate.

That's where the Presonus StudioLive sixteen.0.2 comes in. A dual-purpose desk-bound that aims to offering 'digital facility with analogue simplicity', the xvi.0.2 is a compact, portable 16:ii blueprint with 12 mono microphone inputs plus boosted stereo input options on the highest four channels. Information technology has plenty of built-in DSP and effects, as well every bit four auxiliary (aux) sends. There's also a ii-manner, xvi-channel Firewire interface for recording and playback, a MIDI command interface, and a dedicated talkback facility. Although it's designed to be suitable for studio recording too, I'grand going to focus here on using the sixteen.0.ii as a stand up-lonely mixer for alive employ.

Each channel has a dedicated rotary input-trim control and everything else, including the meters, is shared with other mixer channels or functions. The stereo output has its own dedicated fader, equally practise the four analogue aux sends.

Subsequently reading the bits at the forepart of the Quick Start Guide to make certain I didn't miss anything really obvious, I unpacked the 16.0.two and started playing about straight away, to see if I could observe my way effectually it without whatever instruction.

The start and most obvious matter I noticed nigh the desk in use was that it doesn't take motorised faders or any fader bank or layer organisation. The 16 channel faders control the corresponding channel output levels and that'southward all they do: there'southward no possibility of confusion or of adjusting the incorrect 'layer' past mistake.

A strong betoken of digital mixers in general is the ability to store, copy and paste data settings, so that all effects parameters and settings can be copied and applied to another channel with a couple of button presses. They can also exist stored as favourite settings for future use. The StudioLive sixteen.0.2 provides 80 scene memories that volition capture comprehensive mixer snapshots for subsequently recall. Various settings can be included or excluded from this procedure as well. There are as well some skillful 'first base' presets included for the more than mutual aqueduct assignments, such as kick drum, jazz piano then on, which might be helpful while you lot're getting used to the StudioLive 16.0.2.

A Guided Tour

The best way to describe a mixer's basic functions is to follow the signal route roughly from input to output. Channels i to eight are mono strips that can take either mic or line signals via balanced XLR or separate TRS connectors. The remaining iv channels accept mono inputs but are also configured equally stereo channels, taking the total count to 16 inputs. The channels all have solo-in-place buttons that perform a second duty as channel mute buttons, lighting yellow for solo or red for mute.

After passing through the trim command, the signal is processed past what Presonus phone call the 'Fat Channel', which provides non-effects processing such as dynamics and EQ. This is controlled and monitored past all the knobs, buttons and indicators on the primary panel area above the faders.

This area also hosts the 12 LED strip meters that display about of the adaptable parameters. A bank of buttons over to the left of channel one determines the function of 12 rotary encoders. These can be used to ready the channel-send levels to the iv aux mixes and the two internal effects buses, and are as well used for EQ adjustment.

Whichever function is selected, the LED meters will follow the activeness, and motorcar-range accordingly. Using the 'Fat Aqueduct' is very straightforward: you printing the appropriate channel select button and the 'Fat Channel' will control the selected channel until you switch its attending elsewhere.

Channels & Dynamics

The rear console of the StudioLive 16.0.two squeezes in plenty of connections, with the XLR inputs conveniently positioned at the pinnacle. Sticking with the signal flow, every input channel includes phase opposite, followed past a high-pass filter with a fixed 6dB-per-octave gradient and a range of 24Hz to 1kHz — a range that's printed alongside the accompanying LED meter. I like this simple visual indication, as it makes setting this all-important function as easy as it tin exist.

I'd really have liked to see an 'all channels' view, as high-pass filtering is an piece of cake setting to overlook when you're rigging up a live prove in a hurry. Having said that, the xvi.0.2 is a digital desk with comprehensive scene recall, so I expect that filter settings are something I'd save into a 'bare' memory and use as a starting indicate for every new setup.

Side by side nosotros reach the gate, which again is very elementary. It's a unmarried-knob, one-meter affair, so you but punch in the threshold y'all want. Just like the filter, the LED meter is directly above the encoder, this one calibrated in dB from 0dB at the top to -84dB at the bottom, in 6dB steps.

The StudioLive 16.0.2's compressor section assigns 4 encoders that are used to set the threshold, ratio, response time and brand-up gain. Each control'due south LED meter has an advisable calibration printed alongside, except for 'response', which but says 'polish' (for vocals) virtually i cease and 'tight' (for snare) virtually the other. That's probably as much as is needed here.

The pinch ratio tin be adapted from ane:one to 14:1, which should be enough for any alive situation. The response time can as well be set to 'auto', disabling the response encoder and applying broadly useful fixed values of 10ms attack and 150ms release.

A separate limiter tin can also be engaged if needed, recommended for 'danger channels' that might have to handle occasional very hot signals. This is something I regard as mandatory on any channel assigned to the homo on the disco.

Equalisation

The basic channel equaliser covers three swept bands with a useful corporeality of control. The low and loftier bands can exist used in either band-laissez passer or shelving mode, and each has an encoder and a display used for setting the centre or shelf frequency, as well equally another for the gain setting: a cut or boost of up to 15dB.

The mid-range ring tin be centred between 260Hz and 3500Hz, overlapping the low EQ by 100Hz and the high EQ by a useful 2kHz. This practical range means that a smooth response ought to exist easily achievable. In addition, the mid-range EQ section has a 'Hello Q' selection, which increases the mid-frequency Q curve from its default value of 0.55 to two.0, providing a much sharper tool for finding and dealing with problem frequencies.

The adjustable EQ is a useful feature: it's not quite a fully adjustable EQ circuit, but nice on a desk this small and simple, and I found the mid-range sweep to exist nice and responsive. I spent some time with the EQ on individual audio sources and I liked working with it, never having whatsoever difficulty obtaining the sound I wanted.

As with all the elements of the 'Fat Channel', I plant the EQ like shooting fish in a barrel to employ and, once I got used to the linear indications rather than a graphic screen display, I didn't find whatsoever difficulty in achieving basic working settings. The EQ isn't aggressive and there's no lag between adjusting the controls and the display responding, something I plant tended to brand me a lilliputian less heavy-handed and a little more precise when making gain changes.

The pan role has an encoder of its own, forth with a horizontal meter. Being a rotary encoder rather than an counterpart pot, the command doesn't have a centre notch, but the meter has a ruby segment in the center, which stays lit and makes the eye easy to observe. This command operates every bit a stereo pan on any paired channels, including paired aux buses.

Buses & Monitoring

As the StudioLive 16.0.2 is a straightforward sixteen:2 mixer with no in-line groups, routing options are bars to the aux and effects bus settings. Sends to the iv aux buses are controlled by the rotary encoders, depending on which of the auxes is selected. The aux buses tin can also be linked to create one or two stereo outputs.

The master stereo output is under the control of a single fader, and — like the aux buses — can exist selected on its own, then that all the effects within the Fatty Channel can be practical. Your chief mix is always where the faders are, then it's possible to look at a graphic representation of the total mix and one aux mix at the same time, which is very useful indeed.

The StudioLive 16.0.2's master section includes skillful talkback and monitoring facilities for a mixer of its size. There is a defended talkback mic input, situated on the back of the mixer with its own trim control, and the signal from that can be assigned to the aux buses in pairs. Talkback can't be routed to the primary stereo mix, which is perchance both a good and bad affair depending on how you piece of work.

The 'talk' push latches the talkback role, which is a pity, only presumably it would only take a chip of software tweaking in a future update to provide a 'push button and concur to talk' option. As for monitoring, there'south a solo bus that can selection up the content from any channel, including the aux buses, and tin can exist switched to be pre-fade or post-fade.

The monitor autobus is used for feeding a command-room output on the rear panel, and also for supplying the headphone mix, which has an independent level control. This omnibus takes its input from the solo bus, the primary bus and the Firewire return, and these inputs are summed so that you tin can select all three at one time, if required. The headphone output is sensibly positioned on the front border.

This is a pretty comprehensive monitoring section, and wouldn't be out of identify on a larger and more expensive mixer. The control-room outputs could, in a live awarding, exist used to make an analogue recording or as an extra output for feeding a backstage relay.

Organization Control

There are many areas of the StudioLive 16.0.2 that I haven't space to describe in swell detail here, notably the Firewire recording capability and MIDI control, but those autumn outside my basic remit of reviewing this desk-bound as a candidate for live sound mixing. Of relevance to all applications, however, is the 'System' menu, which gives access to diverse global and housekeeping settings. Information technology'southward here that 'pre' and 'postal service' aux-send choices are made, the LCD backlight level is set, and security lockout levels tin be changed in order to prevent inquisitive fingers from ruining your painstakingly crafted mix.

For the more adventurous, equally well every bit where the application requires more than simply the easily-on straight control available from the 16.0.2 as a stand-alone desk-bound, the StudioLive can exist controlled from a computer, using the Virtual StudioLive software. It can also be remotely controlled from a laptop, iPad or iPhone using StudioLive Remote.

When the desk is hooked up to a PC or Mac, the communication is ii-way, and all parameters can be controlled and monitored. In this way, the StudioLive xvi.0.ii tin can be idea of as having 'virtual' automated faders, as scenes recalled using Virtual StudioLive with fader positions enabled will really change the channel and aux or main fader settings within the desk-bound, overriding the concrete fader settings. There'due south a lot that can be achieved with this system, and having now described all this functionality and boosted adequacy it'due south difficult to remember only what a compact, piece of cake-to-operate little mixer this is, especially at its price bespeak.

Good impressions

The StudioLive 16.0.2 boots upwards quickly (around six seconds) and during the fourth dimension I spent with information technology was always stable and well-behaved, with no crashes or unexpected behaviour. I also like the way Presonus have designed the primary console, aside from the lack of dedicated output meters, with everything clearly labelled, despite the number of multi-mode controls and meters.

The rubber buttons are positive in operation and are illuminated then well that I thought they might exist a flake bright in a dark venue, merely actually they're just correct for me. The rotary encoders, meanwhile, are smooth and have a consequent mechanical resistance through their travel. The faders aren't the smoothest I've come up across, though: I plant them to be a flake gummy when pushed on either border of the plastic cap, but they were fine when shunted along the centre line.

I decided to allow a couple of friends endeavor the mixer: people who had recently expressed an interest in purchasing a new mixer for their respective organisations. I had to help out a chip at kickoff, mainly with the EQ indications, but they both 'got it' fairly speedily without reading the manual, and ane would take given me cash for the review model in that location and so!

They were both very taken with the style that settings could be stored and recalled, and they were impressed with the size, look and feel of the StudioLive 16.0.2 too. They were too both convinced that it would exist easy to use for others in their organisations, who would just need to operate the mix faders and a couple of aux sends at nigh. They saw it equally a good step upwardly from analogue, maintaining simplicity but adding all the digital bells and whistles they desired.

I, too, see the Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 as an first-class first digital mixer, as it retains an analogue experience with its defended faders, elementary routing and ease of utilize, but is packed with all the essential 'outboard' processing needed to practice a great live-sound chore. It as well has significant actress capability on tap for direct recording, remote software control and MIDI interfacing in the studio. In summary, it's a small and like shooting fish in a barrel-to-operate mixer with plenty of features.

To appreciate all that the StudioLive xvi.0.two can do, you actually need to become your hands on one, just if you tin't do so right away, a expert kickoff step would be to observe the full user manual online, and take a skilful read. I am also very tempted to buy one myself, every bit I can recall of so many jobs for which this desk would exist the perfect tool.

Meter Maid

The StudioLive 16.0.2'due south metering is comprehensive and clear, and the merely function I constitute confusing at kickoff was the main EQ section, mainly because I was looking at it as a graphic rather than a parametric layout. The twelve LED meters are at the middle of most operations on the 16.0.2, and are certainly large and bright enough to be read easily in brightly-lit venues and, I suspect, fifty-fifty in bright sunlight.

To the left of the faders there'due south a petty console with meter options, and the meters can brandish the aqueduct input levels (mail-trim, pre-fader), proceeds reduction currently being practical to all sixteen inputs, or the output levels for the aux and main stereo buses. The one affair I actually missed on the 16.0.ii was a pair of dedicated output meters, plus I couldn't find a way of viewing the primary mix level at the same time every bit the input levels.

Because the StudioLive xvi.0.2 doesn't have motorised faders but does have scene memory and recall, the meters tin can exist used to recall stored fader positions. With the meters in 'locate' style, all of them illuminate their centre segment just and any fader motility will be tracked on the corresponding meter as it's moved. When only 1 segment is lit, the fader is in its original or stored scene position.

It sounds clunky when described, but information technology is actually very piece of cake to use in practice. Although it requires manual intervention to recall fader settings, it does get you to where you need to be. This plain isn't useful for automatic plot changes during a theatre show, but for less demanding live concert piece of work it's just fine. I tended to use information technology as a safe internet, letting me know without a doubt that 'this was where we finished the sound check' .

The meter modes answer automatically to whichever control y'all're currently adjusting. For instance, in the 'locate' mode it will show the twelve input strip faders, merely if you impact ane of the aux or chief faders they instantly flip to show those instead — using meters 7 to 12 — and will flip back again the moment y'all move a channel fader: a pretty neat characteristic.

I thing to notation is this: if you're monitoring input levels, for example, and you brand an aligning in the Fat Channel, the meters volition quickly flip to brandish the things you're tweaking, and and so flip dorsum virtually one 2d after y'all stop making changes. Only what caught me out here a couple of times was the channel selection: the aqueduct that'southward actively selected will be the one that the Fat Aqueduct controls utilize to, non the channel whose fader y'all last moved. The StudioLive sixteen.0.2's meters, like everything else on the console, are very bright and clear.

Getting Graphic

In addition to the iii-band EQ available within the Fat Channel, there is a congenital-in, 31-ring 'GEQ', which can be applied to the main passenger vehicle. This function makes employ of all 12 of the meters, the encoders and the LCD brandish, and provides much more authentic control over the mix than is possible with the iii-band system. With merely 12 meters, y'all can't see all of the 31 bands from 20Hz to 20kHz at one time, so they're divided into three groups that are displayed according to which individual ring you select on the LCD screen. It sounds similar a fiddly arrangement, but in practice it's quite like shooting fish in a barrel to use, and the setting can exist stored in a 'scene' memory along with everything else.

Extra Effects

The StudioLive 16.0.2 has two internal effects buses, which are accessed in exactly the same way every bit the aux buses. The amount of signal fed to the effects processors is controlled by advisable encoders, and an overview of the send levels is shown on the meters when the EffectsA or EffectsB button is pressed.

The processor itself contains 100 presets that can exist recalled by either of the 2 processors. Presets 1-50 are factory patches, of which y'all to change the various setting and relieve in identify or to a different location between 51 and 100, all of which are reserved for user-built presets.

The effects comprise a range of reverbs and delays, and I liked the most natural-sounding of the room and hall reverbs, which were very usable in their manufactory default states. Effects, particularly 'straight' reverbs, are, of course, a matter of personal choice, but I liked what the StudioLive 16.0.ii has on offering, especially the power to tune parameters. I was thinking that the local Gilbert & Sullivan Club's concert might do good from an application of 'Ping-Pong Purple Pelting' filibuster but, sadly, the right moment never quite arrived.

Pros

• Easy to use.
• Well idea-out layout and design.
• Very small-scale and low-cal.
• Remote control capability.

Cons

• Slightly sticky fader action.
• Lack of dedicated output meters.

Summary

The Presonus StudioLive sixteen.0.ii looks and feels similar a simple niggling mixer, but has capabilities and performance approaching that of something a lot bigger. It likewise acts equally a swell introduction to digital mixers, combining the simplicity of an analogue mixer with the versatility of a modernistic digital desk. A compact and versatile piece of equipment.

information

Source: https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/presonus-studiolive-1602

Posted by: stegmanthoning.blogspot.com

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