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Author Topic: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review  (Read 40754 times)

David Oh

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Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« on: November 03, 2010, 02:38:57 AM »

Hi,

I just mixed with my new Studiolive 24.4.2 for the first time this past weekend and I'm very happy with the purchase.

Application:
Live mixing for band (vocals, keys, acoustic/electric guitars, bass and acoustic drums) and spoken word for mobile church. Audience of about 450.

Other mixers considered:
Considered the Yamaha 01V96VCM digital mixer, but it didn't have enough channels. Also considered the Soundcraft GB424. The GB424 is $700 less than the Studiolive, but I would still need to lug around my rack of effects/compressor/eq/sonic maximizer (which was going to be handed down to a new satellite service.) Also, I would have to eventually buy additional sound modules which in the long run, would actually be about $1,000 more than buying the Studiolive in the first place (if I had purchased the GB424 with the same modules that I had.) Would have really liked to buy a Soundcraft Si Compact 24, but it's not out yet and it would probably be around $10,000, which would be way out of my budget.

This mixer is replacing my Mackie 1604 VLZ3, which has been having some problems recently (1 dead channel, 1 insert channel not working.)

What I like:
We setup/breakdown every weekend, so mobility and speed are key. For me the biggest benefit is no longer having to drag a large, heavy rack with a bunch of modules. Now, all I carry is a Furman power conditioner, a DBX Driverack 260 and a Tascam CD recorder in a 4 unit rack. (Will get rid of that CD recorder eventually...) The Studiolive has a "FAT" channel, which has a high pass filter, gate, limiter, compressor, parametric EQ and effects available for all channels.

I've mixed on analog boards for 6 years, so I was unsure what it would be like to go digital. The transition to digital was smoother than expected. The board layout is pretty similar to analog boards but it has the added benefits of digital processing.

Another handy feature is the preset programs for different instruments/vocals. At first, I was a bit skeptical of the preset programs, but they're pretty good. When you load a program into a channel, it sets the high pass filter, gate, limiter, compressor, parametric EQ for a particular instrument/vocal (e.g. acoustic guitar, male vocal, etc.) I have very little time for sound check (have to setup, soundcheck and rehearse in 90 min, usually only have 10 - 15 min for a soundcheck.) The board allows me to load channel programs and tweak from there. I was most impressed with the acoustic guitar strumming (key instrument in our band) and the speech programs. The acoustic guitar sounded clear and crisp. Our earset condenser mic (Audio Technica ATW 3000 Series,) which I don't like that much, actually sounded much better with the speech program.

During the sermon, I tweaked the parametric EQ, compressor and limiter and saved the channel settings for that particular pastor in a channel program (we have 3 pastors who rotate preaching.) After the service ended, I saved the settings for all the channels for the band that played into a "scene" program (we have 3 different bands that play on Sundays.)

What I dislike:
Getting the gain structure right for the board is a bit tricky. If you follow the manual instructions (adjusting the gain until you see a bit more than 1/2 the green lights) I ended up clipping on the subgroups when the band played full blast. I backed off a bit on the gain for all channels, turned on the limiter and turned up the gain on my amp to correct. Will probably need a couple of weeks to get this right.

Effects are alright. I like the effects of my Lexicon MX200 better, but this is a minor complaint. The effects in the Studiolive get the job done. Also, it would have been nice to have more subgroups, say 6 or 8, but 4 is alright. (More busses would have increased the price.)

Overall, I'm very happy with the mixer. It suits our mobile church very well.

- David
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Evan Kirkendall

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2010, 02:01:33 PM »

David Oh wrote on Wed, 03 November 2010 02:38


Considered the Yamaha 01V96VCM digital mixer, but it didn't have enough channels.


32 channels(28 XLR) isn't enough?



Evan
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Not all change is good change.

Dick Rees

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2010, 03:05:59 PM »

David Oh wrote on Wed, 03 November 2010 01:38

Hi,

we have 3 pastors who rotate preaching.....

- David


This is why wireless mics work so well.  When they rotate, they won't wrap the cord around themselves. Rolling Eyes
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Jeff Wheeler

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2010, 07:11:15 PM »

Evan Kirkendall wrote on Wed, 03 November 2010 13:01

32 channels(28 XLR) isn't enough?

It will even accept an MY16-AT card, so you can have 32 full-featured channels, plus you can route four more mic pre-amps into the stereo channel strips if you really must.
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Don McMeckan

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #4 on: November 03, 2010, 10:30:27 PM »

Jeff Wheeler wrote on Wed, 03 November 2010 23:11

Evan Kirkendall wrote on Wed, 03 November 2010 13:01

32 channels(28 XLR) isn't enough?

It will even accept an MY16-AT card, so you can have 32 full-featured channels, plus you can route four more mic pre-amps into the stereo channel strips if you really must.



I bought 2 Behringer stereo "tube" mic pres, and with 2 ADA 8000 had a full 32 mic channels. Worked great! I think I paid about Can $125 each new for the 2 channel pres.

Thanks,     Don
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Andy Peters

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #5 on: November 03, 2010, 11:41:55 PM »

Dick Rees wrote on Wed, 03 November 2010 12:05

David Oh wrote on Wed, 03 November 2010 01:38

Hi,

we have 3 pastors who rotate preaching.....

- David


This is why wireless mics work so well.  When they rotate, they won't wrap the cord around themselves. Rolling Eyes


I bet they get really dizzy, too!

-a
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David Oh

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #6 on: November 04, 2010, 03:13:30 AM »

The 01V96VCM has 16 analog input channels.  Maybe you're thinking about a different mixer.;
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Dick Rees

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #7 on: November 04, 2010, 10:11:12 AM »

David Oh wrote on Thu, 04 November 2010 02:13

The 01V96VCM has 16 analog input channels. Maybe you're thinking about a different mixer.;



.....with the ability to add 16 more with the proper input card and outboard pre-amps.  You need to take a closer look at the board or the manual.  Added channels are accessed by simply selecting the second level of faders.  16 faders x 2 layers = 32 inputs.
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Stuart Pendleton

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #8 on: November 04, 2010, 10:29:59 AM »

They put a new spin on religion.
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George Friedman-Jimenez

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #9 on: November 05, 2010, 02:41:32 AM »

Dick Rees wrote on Wed, 03 November 2010 14:05

David Oh wrote on Wed, 03 November 2010 01:38

Hi,

we have 3 pastors who rotate preaching.....

- David


This is why wireless mics work so well.  When they rotate, they won't wrap the cord around themselves. Rolling Eyes


Dick, your concrete humor had me rolling on the floor! Next you are going to start with the whirling dervish jokes.
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Dick Rees

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #10 on: November 05, 2010, 03:49:18 PM »

George Friedman-Jimenez wrote on Fri, 05 November 2010 01:41

Dick Rees wrote on Wed, 03 November 2010 14:05

David Oh wrote on Wed, 03 November 2010 01:38

Hi,

we have 3 pastors who rotate preaching.....

- David


This is why wireless mics work so well.  When they rotate, they won't wrap the cord around themselves. Rolling Eyes


Dick, your concrete humor had me rolling on the floor! Next you are going to start with the whirling dervish jokes.


Very happy to be of service!!!
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Rick Byers

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #11 on: November 12, 2010, 10:02:56 AM »

Don McMeckan wrote on Thu, 04 November 2010 02:30


I bought 2 Behringer stereo "tube" mic pres, and with 2 ADA 8000 had a full 32 mic channels. Worked great! I think I paid about Can $125 each new for the 2 channel pres.



I just put toms through them via balanced jack adaptors, and there's plenty of gain to handle that with no extra mic pres required.
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Don McMeckan

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #12 on: November 13, 2010, 09:50:04 PM »

Rick Byers wrote on Fri, 12 November 2010 15:02

Don McMeckan wrote on Thu, 04 November 2010 02:30


I bought 2 Behringer stereo "tube" mic pres, and with 2 ADA 8000 had a full 32 mic channels. Worked great! I think I paid about Can $125 each new for the 2 channel pres.



I just put toms through them via balanced jack adaptors, and there's plenty of gain to handle that with no extra mic pres required.



Great tip Rick! Wireless mics, acoustic guitar direct ( mixing on stage ), and I've even used a 58 straight in for announcements in an emergency.

Thanks,    Don
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brian maddox

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #13 on: December 23, 2010, 01:19:21 AM »

Dick Rees wrote on Thu, 04 November 2010 10:11

David Oh wrote on Thu, 04 November 2010 02:13

The 01V96VCM has 16 analog input channels. Maybe you're thinking about a different mixer.;



.....with the ability to add 16 more with the proper input card and outboard pre-amps.  You need to take a closer look at the board or the manual.  Added channels are accessed by simply selecting the second level of faders.  16 faders x 2 layers = 32 inputs.


actually [and i'm not disagreeing with you, i'm just adding info...  Smile] you can get more mic pre's going into that desk than you have inputs to run 'em.  i used 3 ada8000's and the 12 on board mic pre's to run 36 inputs on our church's monitor desk [4 went into 2 stereo inputs].  i ran 28 outputs as well feeding two aviom personal monitor systems and 3 remotely controlled wireless stereo iem's [using aux 1-6].  plus i still ran 2 of the onboard effects for reverbs.

the 01v/96 can be stretched far beyond what it's modest appearance might indicate.

brian maddox
'console stretcher'
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Adam Kane

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #14 on: December 23, 2010, 07:50:11 AM »

I don't think anyone is arguing the capabilities of the Yamaha, but what I think is attractive to some people about the Presonus is that it has 24 mic/line inputs right out of the box...without the need to carry around/hook up additional preamps. Sure you can get some sort of flight case to hold the Yamaha and a few ADA8000's, but now you have a larger and heavier case than what the Presonus would be in.

I've used this console a couple times. I miss having motorized faders and recallable head amps, but it wasn't enough to make me say, "What a piece of crap." It worked flawlessly thru the gigs, sounded good, and I was able to do just about everything it would do without cracking open the manual.
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Jerry Burns

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #15 on: February 16, 2011, 02:47:21 PM »

Hi Everyone, I just bought a Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 last week. I set it up in my pratice Room to get the feel for it. I'm not a digital guy at heart. So far I'm very happy with it. it's very user friendly and the lay out is great with the Fat channel. This board may not be for everyone but it looks like it will serve my needs well. I didn't buy it to use on every show. If it does not have any problems with the digital part I will use it a lot more than I planned, I really like it so far and the pre's sound great. The effects are fine and the comp's and gates all function well. I still have to figure out a lot of stuff but thats the fun of it. I have a regional sound company and do a lot of different types of work. I mix most of the shows myself and we don't get a lot of riders. So the name thing is not going to be a problem. My laptop took a dump, so I can't hook up the recording part yet. I still have a lot to learn and I take it slow but this looks pretty good for the money I spent. Well if someone has something to add jump on it. Thanks Jerry
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Jerry Burns

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #16 on: February 16, 2011, 02:51:02 PM »

I forgot one thing about the Presonus, I need a case for it. I'm not quite sure what I want. I would like ideas about what others are useing and cost and shipping to California. Any input would be very helpful. Thanks Jerry
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David Oh

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #17 on: February 17, 2011, 09:02:50 PM »

I got my hard case for my StudioLive 24 @ northernsound.net.  They use a company called LM Engineering.  It's a custom case for the PreSonus mixer.  Got it with casters.  Good, high quality, sturdy case.

-Quelegal
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #18 on: February 18, 2011, 12:57:40 PM »

L&M builds very good cases.  I appreciate one particular detail:  they de-burr all the extrusions and other bits that might lacerate your hands or fingers.

Not the cheapest by any means, but they pretty much build one grade of case: touring.
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danfowler

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #19 on: March 08, 2011, 10:13:37 PM »

You think those are cool, check mine out............

http://fatproduction.webs.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=1051 3684

Mine are shock/vibration damping. Something to consider when putting a 30#
computer in a case.

later,
Dan 0;)
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Phil LaDue

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Re: Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
« Reply #20 on: March 09, 2011, 01:43:43 AM »

danfowler wrote on Tue, 08 March 2011 22:13

You think those are cool, check mine out............

 http://fatproduction.webs.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=1051 3684

Mine are shock/vibration damping. Something to consider when putting a 30#
computer in a case.

later,
Dan 0;)

That is a very well thought out case Dan.
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