PreSonus Blog

Monthly Archives: June 2017


It’s Ray Tantzen for #PreSonusFAMFriday

Every Friday we introduce you all to a PreSonus employee that’s not just here for the paycheck, but also here because they love and use PreSonus products outside of the office. Today’s feature currently holds the title of “Greatest Beard of All Time.” He knows everything there is to know about growing, grooming and maintaining a beard–it’s a lifestyle, not a choice for him. He also knows basically everything about the StudioLive Series III because he helped engineer them. Here’s Ray Tantzen!IMG_2849
How long have you worked for PreSonus?

Four years and six months.

What’s your official job title?
Senior Product Manager
What’s your favorite thing about your job?

Knowing products that I’ve worked on help wonderful artists create and perform.

What was the first 8 track, cassette, CD, digital download you purchased?

8 track was the Village People.
Cassette was Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill.
CD was Micheal Jackson, Bad.
Digital Download was Pearl Jam, Man of the Hour.

Who’s your go to band or artist when you can’t decide on something to listen to?
Anything Chris Thile.

Everyone has a side gig, what’s yours?

Dad, Husband, Church sound mixer, Beard mastering.

What do you love about the StudioLive Series III?
What’s NOT to love 😉 The workflow is awesome. It’s super easy to just jump on and use. I also love having the different EQ and compressor models available. It adds a whole new layer to the sound. And of course there’s the multitrack SD Card recording! There’s no need to mess with a computer to record. They’re all available now and shipping worldwide!

What other products do you have?

I also have an RML 16AI, CS18AI, Studio One, Notion, AudioBox iOne, ADL600, HP4, and just got a Quantum Thunderbolt interface. I’m hoping to get some Sceptre monitors and ULT PA speakers soon.IMG_1931


Why did you choose the Series III as your favorite?

I love having a mixer as the centerpiece of my home studio and the StudioLive 24 is a perfect fit. It has a smaller footprint than the 32 but still has the split-layer fader workflow and is still a full 32-channels under the hood. I have it connected to my Mac Mini via AVB to also use as an interface for recording. Plus is sounds incredible and I can take it out for live gigs when needed. I’m also really looking forward to the stage boxes and DAW control coming later. That will be the cherry on top!

AND it’s shipping as of this week!

Tell us about the coolest thing you’ve done with PreSonus.

The most exciting event I’ve been involved with hands down has to be Deadmau5. He had a StudioLive 32.4.2AI for his touring system and on the most recent tour with the Cube 2.1 he had so much bass on stage that the FireWire cable in the computer would start to shake loose. When he found out the new Series III mixers had AVB he wanted to upgrade immediately. Since the Series III had just started shipping and he was in the middle of the tour we wanted to make sure things transitions to the new mixer smoothly. So I got on a plane and meet up with his crew in Seattle to help set up the new mixer and show him how to use it. The first night I sat behind the Cube so I was nearby in case something went wrong. The show went great and there were comments about the sound being even better with the Series III. The second night I got to enjoy the show from the audience and it was amazing! He has put together a great show and the sound and live mixing/performing he does was top notch.

What are you currently working on? What’s next for you?

I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you 😉 What I can talk about is the upcoming stage box solutions and DAW control for the Series III mixers. After that, you’ll just have to wait and see!

Got any tips for working with the mixer?
Spend a little extra time before your show to setup custom layouts on the fader User layer and Fat Channel User layer. This will really help to put what you care about most right where you ant them for faster and easier mixing.

Anything else you want to share?
The beard is real, I’ve had it for 10 years, there are actually some competing beards here at the office.

Connect with Ray on Social here:

Snapchat and Instagram: @stingray_1122
Twitter and Facebook: @stingray1122


It’s Micah Blouin for #PreSonusFAMFriday

Hopefully today’s #PreSonusFAMFriday feature will teach you a little something…

It’s our Education Market Manager, Micah Blouin. You may have met him at a trade show, workshop, or most recently at InfoComm 2017, where you may have had a good laugh and then walked away a little smarter. He knows a lot about a lot of things and today we learn a little about him and his favorite PreSonus product, Notion.

MBB1

How long have you worked for PreSonus?
Five years. I started off in Product Management and then moved into Marketing Dept and then Sales and then Education…. Next thing you know, they’ll be asking me to mop the floors.

What’s your official job title?
Currently, Education Market Manager.
What’s your favorite thing about your job?
Teaching teachers about music technology. Training workshops, direct one on one and through our Music Education site.
What do you love about Notion?
I love a lot of things about Notion. First, I love how great it sounds… It’s quick to learn and use. Notion is flexible, meaning I can work with it on my computer, iPad or iPhone, and share over iCloud. It’s really easy to integrate into my workflow.

What was the first 8 track, cassette, CD, digital download you purchased?

The first thing I remember purchasing was MC Hammer’s Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em on cassette.

What’s your side hustle?
I play drums in a band called Minos the Saint. Maybe you have heard of us…  I also am the orchestra director at Istrouma Baptist Church, where I do some drumming, conducting, and arranging (using Notion). I also do a lot of work with soloists and groups in the area, whether it be side-man drumming, engineering, mixing, or producing.

What other products do you have?

All of them…. haha. I use ADL700, ADL600, Studio One, RML32, Studio One remote, Central Station Plus, Temblor 10, Eris 5, Eris 8, Sceptre 8, FaderPort, Air 12.

Why did you choose Notion as your favorite?

As an educator, Notion is the easiest and most fun product to teach others. You can do so much with it and it helps your workflow—more on that later. I like sharing that with others.

Tell us about a successful event you worked.

I attend education conferences year-round and work one-on-one with teachers to find the best solution for their instructional, rehearsal and performance spaces.

What are you currently working on–What’s next for you?

In the summer, music educators and students are involved in many music camps, marching band activities, and Drum & Bugle Corps tours. PreSonus provides the on-the-field reinforcement for The Blue Devils, The Phantom Regiment, Spirit of Atlanta, and many other successful competitive programs. Marching groups these days have significantly more audio technology requirements, whether it be scenes, routing, or remote control. I’m working with them to ensure groups have an easy-to-use, powerful, and flexible solution that fits their needs.

Got some tips?

The power of Notion is in the simplicity of the workflow and the flexibility to use it across multiple devices. The graphic display appears very sleek, but it’s a very powerful notation program, with some surprisingly quick engraving tools. My first tip is to learn the keyboard shortcuts on a computer, which are super intuitive (q=quarter note, d=dot, <=crescendo, #=sharp). On a computer/laptop or iPad, I suggest the handwriting feature, which enables you to write directly on the score with a mouse, finger, stylus or the Apple Pencil.

Anything else you want to share?

Notion is tightly integrated with Studio One. Sometimes, the classical musician in me wants to compose in Notion, then send the score to Studio One (I simply click “Send to Studio One”), where I can then use Studio One to produce tracks around my score. Other times, I’d prefer to write a song on guitar and vocals, and then “Send to Notion” so I can write scoring around my song.

Notion is available at a discounted price for Studio One owners: $49 for Studio One Professional users and $99 for Studio One Artist users.Micah Blouin

Click here for more info and to purchase Notion!

Butcher Babies and the StudioLive CS18AI and RM32AI at Ozzfest Meets Knotfest in 2016!

BBabiesWatch!

Jason Klein, bassist of the Butcher Babies, tells us about how the band is using the PreSonus CS18AI & RM32AI systems for both their in-ear monitoring system as well as multi-track recording of their live shows via Capture and Studio One—all happening at Ozzfest Meets Knotfest 2016.

Learn more about the StudioLive Mix Systems here!

 

 

 

 

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It’s Josh Nee for #PreSonusFAMFriday

It’s #PreSonusFAMFriday!

On a scale from one to Beyonce, Josh Nee ranks at about a Solange which, let’s be honest, that’s pretty high up there. Today we sat down with him for a quick get to know you session and interview about his work here at PreSonus and what he loves about his StudioLive AR16 USB.

dork

How long have you worked for PreSonus?

It will be 4 years in October.

What’s your official job title?

Art Director / Marketing Department Lunchtime Chauffeur

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

The people. I love my coworkers, I love our mission here. I’m excited to come to work everyday.

What was the first 8 track, cassette, CD, digital download you purchased?

First CD I bought was No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom. First cassette was Bone Thugs ‘N Harmony Crossroads single. I had that thing in my Walkmen forever. 


Everyone has a side job, what’s yours?

I do freelance design (mostly show posters) and play drums in a few bands, I guess mostly notably Thou.  

What do you love about  The StudioLive AR16?

Its ease-of-use and durability. We use it to demo new songs out at practice each week (literally one click in Capture), and then pack it up and bring it to the gig. A 16-channel mixer that doubles as a USB interface is one of the most practically brilliant pieces of equipment I’ve ever owned.

What other products do you have?

A Studio 192 and a pair of Eris E66, which I have set up in my incredibly modest home “studio.”

Why did you choose this?

One time in high school our band department sent kids to work a concession stand at an LSU football game. I made nachos. I don’t know if we made any money but we were in high spirits and it felt successful.

What are you currently working on?

Being more punctual, making more time for reading, and looking at my phone less.

What’s next for you?

I have a recording session Monday with a band called Jetlagger and then leave for tour with Thou on Saturday, and I’ll be gone about 4 weeks. 

Got some tips?

This is probably old news to most, but the FX-chain presets in Studio One are very cool.

Anything else you want to share?

I just bought a IDJ Mavic Pro. Hit me up if you have any tips or hot takes on drone videography.

Keep up with Josh and Thou on tour on his Instagram HERE!

Hay Bale Studio Relies on StudioLive 32 and Studio One at Bonnaroo

LIG1

Photos by Anthony Matula

Most of time, you can find Elijah “Lij” Shaw at his Toy Box Studios in Nashville,

where the Grammy Award winner engineers and produces projects in a wide variety of musical genres. But every year, when the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival rolls around, Shaw and his team decamp for Manchester, home of the festival. There, behind the main stage, they soundproof their double-wide mobile recording trailer with 500 hay bales.

In this once-a-year Hay Bale Studio at Brigadoon—er, Bonnaroo—Shaw and his team record dozens of bands that will appear at the festival. The performances are fed to more than 40 radio markets around the USA.

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Photos by Anthony Matula

For the 2017 Bonnaroo, Hay Bale Studio offered more capabilities than ever before, as Shaw mixed on the new PreSonus StudioLive 32 Series III digital console/recorder, while his team captured the tracks and main mix in PreSonus’ popular Studio One 3 Professional DAW.

“The StudioLive 32 allowed us to bring in all 24 inputs from the recording floor, so we could record a full band. We’re recording in multitrack to Studio One using the console’s AVB audio interface, which can send and return up to 55 streams over one CAT5 Ethernet cable,” says Shaw.

Shaw mixes live while the band is performing, a job made much easier by the StudioLive 32 Fat Channel signal-processing section’s customizable user interface. “I’ve got compressors and EQ on every channel,” Shaw specifies, “and the customizable Fat Channel lets me create my own layout so I can quickly access the processing I want when mixing. I can bring in four onboard effects processors for reverb and delay, and I also patch in my outboard spring reverb. I use Tap Tempo on the mixer to ensure the timing of the delay effects works with what the band is playing.”

BonBon3

Photos by Anthony Matula

PreSonus’ FlexMix feature also has proven useful. “I choose a FlexMix, and the entire mixer configuration changes and shows me what’s going on with that FlexMix,” instructs Shaw. Using the StudioLive 32’s aux sends, Shaw and team send four custom headphone cue mixes. “We send the cue mixes to the PreSonus HP4, which is a great, simple 4-channel headphone box that is really loud,” he avers. “We have two people with iPads running UC Surface software to control the monitor mixes.”

Main engineer Michael Hardesty also is equipped with UC Surface but he’s running it on a laptop. “Anything Lij can do on the mixer, I can do just as well in the software. My main goal is to set preamps and compressors and do the gain staging so I can get the multitrack feeds recorded properly in Studio One. I am also taking a print of the mix but generally I’m working with individual tracks. I also help with headphone mixes,” Hardesty observes.

With UC Surface, it’s possible to control the mixer from multiple devices at the same time. “That means you can give people different responsibilities,” Hardesty explains. “You also can lock out functions on particular devices; the iPad guys on the recording floor can only control the aux sends for the headphone mixes, while my laptop has complete control of the StudioLive 32.”

The live stereo mix goes straight to mastering engineer Joe Hutchinson. “Joe makes the radio mix sound fantastic,” enthuses Shaw. “He also uses Studio One to capture the performance in stereo. So we’re capturing bands through the StudioLive 32, mixing and mastering, and putting it out to more than 40 radio markets—all within an hour of each performance, with two or three songs for each band every hour.”

BonBon2

Thanks to the feature-packed, versatile StudioLive 32 and the power and speed of Studio One, Hay Bale Studio had entirely new capabilities at the 2017 Bonnaroo. “The customizable mixing surface, plenty of processing, wireless remote control, recording features, and ease of use let us do things we could never do at a dozen previous Bonnaroos,” confirms Shaw, “and it all sounded great. “We loved using the StudioLive 32, and we’re very happy with Studio One. Bonnaroo is a highlight of our year, and PreSonus helped make it extra special this year. We hope you’ll visit our site and check out some of the recordings!”

Watch Lij demo and show off their StudioLive 32 here:

 

For more information about Hay Bale Studio, please visit www.thetoyboxstudio.com/haybalestudio

Listen to their latest podcast from Bonnaroo HERE!

For more information about PreSonus, the StudioLive 32 console/recorder, Studio One 3 DAW, and the HD4 headphone amplifier, please visit www.presonus.com.

 

Photography provided by Anthony Matula with MA2LA Design.

Introducing Adam Brandon for #PreSonusFAMFriday

Fridays are awesome…

It’s the start of the weekend and everyone is in a good mood. Every other Friday is a payday, so there’s money in the bank… and it’s #PreSonusFAMFriday where we introduce you to an employee who’s also a PreSonus fan and user. Catch up on who you’ve missed so far on Instagram and check out today’s featured employee, Adam Brandon! He has two first names and loves audio stuff like his StudioLive RML32AI! Check out his quick interview below!

Adam_Brandon

  • How long have you worked for PreSonus?

I’ve worked 6 years in July.

  •  What’s your official job title?
Live Sound Division Contractors Support Representative.
  • What’s your favorite thing about your job?

There is nothing better than helping someone get a system up and running and learning that we both are addicted to the same things – mixing audio and making music.

  • What was the first 8 track, cassette, CD, digital download you purchased?

Metallica “Reloaded” (CD)

  • Everyone has a side job, what’s yours?

I own a sound/lighting company and do live sound, design/installation, and optimizations.

  • What do you love about the StudioLive RML?

It fits so well in so many situations, that all I do is get a router, a Firewire cable and my Mac/iPad.  Couldn’t be easier.

  • What other products do you have?

I have a StudioLive Series III 32 and 16 in my live sound inventory and love them.

  • Tell us about a successful event you worked.
Recently complete live sound for Peace Fest 2017, where I mixed 3-4 bands on a single console with a CS18AI side stage and an iPad for FOH.
  • What are you currently working on?
I will be setting up for an annual event called “The Big Chill” outside of Baton Rouge where I’ll be putting 12 XL1 Worx Audio Speakers (6 per side) and 4 subs on a stage for 1-2,000 people for July 4th celebrations.  Should be a fun time!
  • What’s next for you?

Planning to expand my business and continue to serve our PreSonus Customers as best I can.

  • Got some tips you wanna share?
Do not give up on spending the time/effort to do what you love.  The work you put forth will always return a reward you never thought possible.

Time to Get Reel—Softube Tape for Studio One now Available

Tape_InstagramTime to get reel! Tape is now available at shop.presonus.com

Softube’s Tape plug-in adds cohesion and weight to your mixes. But Tape goes far beyond your average tape machine emulation. It includes three distinctly different tape machine types, and it offers the ease of use and low CPU strain that today’s music creators rightfully expect.

Even in this day and age, it’s common practice for computer-based professional studios to run their mixes through at least one generation of analog tape. Why? Because even when used subtly, analog tape has a smoothing effect and adds cohesion and weight to a mix—it takes the recording from a collection of individual tracks into a song where everything is connected and works together. With Softube’s Tape plug-in, you can have all that and more.

Three Machines in One

Tape includes three different tape machine types in one plug-in. Type A is based on a classic Swiss high-end reel-to-reel machine, known and loved for its precision and linearity. Type B is much more colorful—it’s a transformer based machine which adds extra weight and cream to the low end. Lastly, Type C is based on a British tape machine with a distinct vintage vibe.

Ease of Use

Select your favorite tape machine Type, and adjust the Amount knob to taste. In most cases, that’s all you need to do to soak your tracks in analog tape sweetness. Easier still, load up one of the included presets, made by award winning engineers such as Joe Chiccarelli (Beck, U2, Strokes) and Howard Willing (Smashing Pumpkins, Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson).

But Wait, There’s More 

Feeling tweaky? Why not start by trying the different tape speed settings—you’ll find that the slower the tape speed, the more pronounced is the so-called tape head bump, which adds low end to the mix. Or open the Remote Control panel where you can control the selected tape machine’s speed stability, crosstalk amount and several other tape-a-licious features. 

Dense Sound, Light on CPU

Add a single instance of Tape on your master bus to emulate what most computer based studios do today—mix in the computer, then mix down to a stereo tape machine—or go vintage style by adding Tape to every single track in your mix. Yes, your computer will be able to handle it. As most Softube plug-ins, Tape is uniquely light on your computer’s processor.

Extras for Studio One Users

If you run PreSonus Studio One, you can not only use Tape as a standard plug-in—Adding Tape to your MixFX slot gives you Tape Multitrack. Tape Multitrack includes all the goodies of Tape, but in addition, you get selectable crosstalk between each individual track—and you can easily control the Tape Multitrack settings from a single interface. The Tape and Tape Multitrack license is one and the same. This means that if you’re not a Studio One user but at some future point decide to switch to it, you will already have Tape Multitrack installed, licensed and ready to go.

In Short

  • Realistic analog tape sound
  • Three tape machine types included
  • Easy to use
  • Low CPU usage
  • Includes Tape Multitrack which can be used in the MixFX slot of Presonus Studio One—adding individual channel crosstalk and single interface control of all tracks

Click here to get Tape from shop.presonus.com!

 

Notion iOS Update (2.0.183) Available NOW!

Notion iOS Update (2.0.183), June 2017.

AANotion11What’s New:

  • Slur control points – now when a slur is selected, you can drag its control points to adjust the start and end points, its placement, and even the curve itself.

Fixes:

  • Fix not being able to import files from email or other apps
  • Fix issue introduced by iOS10.3 that meant the cursor would occasionally jump on note entry
  • Fix an issue that was occasionally resulting in notes not sounding during note entry until pressing play
  • Update remaining old font selection dialogs
  • Fix not being able to edit score text on double tap
  • Fix occasional crash when selecting/resizing text boxes
  • Fix not being able to drag text boxes


To get this free update, go to ‘Updates’ in the App Store on your device and look for Notion.