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Presonus Studiolive 24.4.2 Review
David Oh:
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
Evan Kirkendall:
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
Dick Rees:
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.
Jeff Wheeler:
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.
Don McMeckan:
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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