PreSonus StudioLive 16 Series III Digital Mixer - 16-Channel Digital Console/Recorder

Description

The PreSonus StudioLive 16 Series III Digital Mixer is designed for live sound reinforcement, live recording, and studio recording applications. In its third released version, the mixer features an integrated hardware and software system with 17 touch-sensitive, motorized faders and 17 recallable XMAX preamps. The redesigned digital Fat Channel was re-engineered from the ground up and features vintage-style EQs and compressors on every channel, recallable scene presets, virtual sound check, remote control using a Windows computer, Mac, or iPad, remote monitor mixing using an iPhone or iPod Touch, and all the software you need for live mixing, recording, and distributing your music online.

The unit features 24 total inputs with eight +48V phantom powered XLR XMAX microphone preamplifiers and 8 mic/line inputs via XLR-1/4" combo jacks. Additional inputs include four 1/4" aux inputs and a dedicated XLR talkback mic input with phantom power. The mixer includes a balanced XLR mono output, a left and right pair of balanced stereo XLR main outputs, 6 XLR mix outputs, four 1/4" mix outputs, and a pair of 1/4" monitor outputs. A digital output of the main mix is available via XLR AES/EBU. Additionally, unbalanced stereo RCA tape inputs and outputs are provided.

For effects, the mixer features 32-bit, floating-point processing with 4-band parametric EQs on inputs, 6-band parametric EQ on outputs, eight 31-band graphic EQs, high-pass filters, limiters, compressors, expander/gates with key listen and key filter, reverbs, and delays.

For mixing, each channel features a touch-sensitive, motorized fader. Users can choose a 1-to-1 workflow, which assigns all channels to the top layer (with one fader per input channel), or a split-layer workflow, which splits the faders between inputs and outputs, including DCAs and aux outputs. The RGB select buttons offer user-assignable colors, while user-assignable buttons are provided for mute groups, scenes, and more. The new Fat Channel control offers 8 scribble strips, encoders, multicolor buttons with a customizable user layer, and a 7" color touchscreen.

The mixer comes with an actively integrated software library. UC Surface allows for touch-control via an iPad, Mac, or Windows computer, while QMix-UC is a free, downloadable app that enables wireless aux-mix control via iPhone or iPod touch. Capture is a multitrack recording software that allows for virtual soundchecks and recording without a computer, and Studio One Artist is a professional digital audio workstation well suited for music recording, mixing, mastering, sharing, and collaboration.

Inputs and Outputs

• 16 locking XLR inputs, each with:
• Recallable XMAX Class A mic preamps
• +48V phantom power
• Stereo tape input (RCA jacks)
• 8 XLR line-level Mix outputs
• Four 300 ms alignment delays on the last four Mix outputs
• 2 DB25 jacks mirror 8 line-level Mix outputs
• 3 XLR main outputs (left, right, mono/center) with analog trim pots
• S/PDIF digital output on removable option card
• Headphone output with volume knob and selectable source
• 1x1 MIDI I/O (for future implementation)

Channels and Buses

• 32 internal channels
• 25 mix buses
• 16 aux mix buses
• 3 main mix buses (left, right, mono/center)
• Stereo solo bus
• 4 internal FX buses (2 reverb, 2 delay)
• Fully integrated, continuously bidirectional, 52-in/34-out, FireWire 800 direct recording interface (24-bit, 44.1/48/88.2/96 kHz)

UC Surface Live Mixing and Control Software

• Designed specifically for live sound mixing
• Multiplatform support for Mac, Windows, and iPad
• Windows 8 multi-touch-compatible for large touchscreen mixing
• Flexible and expandable computing options: Use a laptop with or without a touchscreen, an iPad, or any combination
• Contextual-based navigation for quick, intuitive access to all mixing functions
• 8 Mute Groups with All On and All Off
• Scene Store and Recall
• Global Scene Storage: all current StudioLive RM settings
• Up to 99 at a time
• 8 Quick Scenes for instant scene save/recall?like "speed dial" for scenes
• Automatic Global AutoStore
• Customizable naming (for example, "Saturday Gig" or "Main Worship Service")
• Individual channel-strip setting storage
• 50 factory channel-strip presets included for drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, and vocals
• 50 user channel presets for storing your own settings
• Copy and paste among channels and buses
• Can be saved as user presets
• Can be browsed by category (Drums, Vocals, Horns, Guitar, Bass, and more)
• Security features to monitor and restrict access to the mixer's controls

Other Actively Integrated Software

• Capture one-click recording software with true virtual soundcheck (Mac/Windows)
• Studio One Artist full-featured digital audio workstation software (Mac/Windows)
• QMix-AI wireless monitor-mix control from an iPhone/iPod touch
• Nimbit online "direct to fan" marketing, sales, and distribution service

Networking Connections

• USB jack and included Wi-Fi LAN adapter provides direct wireless control (using a router)
• Option card slot for future expansion
• 2 FireWire S800 ports and 1 Ethernet control port on removable option card
• Thunderbolt, Dante, and AVB cards coming soon

Signal Processing

• Dual Fat Channel signal processing on all channels and buses with:
• Variable highpass filter -6 dB/oct., sweepable from Off to 1 kHz (main channels and aux's only)
• Variable lowpass filter on the mono/center bus
• 4-band fully parametric EQ
• Low EQ: sweepable from 36 Hz to 465 Hz, ?15 dB, switchable shelf or peaking
• Low Mid EQ: sweepable from 90 Hz to 1.2 kHz, ?15 dB, variable Q 0.1 to 4.0
• High Mid EQ: sweepable from 380 Hz to 5 kHz, ?15 dB, variable Q 0.1 to 4.0
• High EQ: sweepable from 1.4 kHz to 18 kHz, ?15 dB, switchable shelf or peaking
• Master EQ On/Off
• Compressor: Threshold -56 to 0 dB; Ratio 1:1 to 14:1, LIM=8:1; Attack 0.2 to 150 ms; Release 2.5 to 900 ms; Makeup Gain 0 to 28 dB; Soft Knee switch; Auto Mode with 10 ms Attack and 150 ms Release
• Gate with sidechain: Threshold: 0 to -84 dB; Attack: 0.02 to 500 ms; Release: 0.05 to 2 sec;
• Bandpass Key Filter: 40 Hz to 16 kHz; second-order resonant bandpass filter Q (0.7) with Key Listen function
• Limiter: Variable Threshold -28 dBFS to 0, 8:1 Ratio Pan
• Stereo link for input channels and aux buses
• Polarity reverse (input channels only)
• Quick A/B comparisons of two complete sets of Fat Channel settings for each channel and bus
• 15 graphic EQs (for the first 12 aux buses plus the Main left, right, and mono/center buses)
• 4 32-bit floating point effects processors (2 reverb, 2 delay) on dedicated buses

Hardware Controls

• 16 LED meter grid
• Front-panel Mute All button temporarily mutes all inputs and outputs
• +48V Meters button to display phantom power assignment on the meter grid
• Headphone source selection between Main and Cue

Digital

• High-definition Burr-Brown analog-to-digital converters (118 dB dynamic range)
• Unlimited-headroom, 32-bit floating point, digital mixing and effects processing
• Internal sample frequency 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 kHz

Physical

• 3U rack-mount steel chassis