Hey StudioLive AI owners, thanks much for all of your feedback on the AI family of mixers. Your input is critical to the improvement of the gear you’ve come to rely on. We’ve heard you, and have been working hard to alleviate the issues some of you have been experiencing in the field. Effective immediately, you can download version 1.0.5124 of the new AI firmware, a maintenance release for AI-series mixer firmware to resolve known issues.

We highly recommend that StudioLive AI owners install this update.

To get the new firmware, please visit My.PreSonus.com and log in with your PreSonus username and password. Once logged in, choose your StudioLive AI mixer in the “My Hardware” section. From the subsequent page, choose “Firmware.” You will then be presented with an option to download the latest firmware, and you should do so. It pays to stay current!

For more detailed instructions in getting your firmware installed, kindly click here for a knowledgebase article on the subject, or check out the videos at the end of this post. Click here to download the full release notes in a .PDF.

Primary issues addressed:

Mac OSX AI firmware update instructions: 

Windows AI firmware update instructions:

Doug Gould of WorshipMD discusses how best to take advantage of the gain knob on your mixer during your services, and why it’s such a critical setting.

For info on the StudioLive AI digital mixers, click here.

For more from Doug Gould and Worship MD, click here.

Check it out! The incomparable Doug Gould came by the PreSonus office and knocked out an incredible THIRY VIDEO SERIES on quick tips for the worship audio crowd. In this inaugural episode, he discusses the value of simplicity and consistency in your House of Worship productions. Stay tuned to the blog here for the entire 30-video series—one per day in May!

For info on the StudioLive AI digital mixers, click here.

For more from Doug Gould and Worship MD, click here.

[This just in from Kirk Farmer of the Dirty Rumors, who are living the PreSonus life to the fullest!]

Thanks for the invitation to be included in your blog. We are called Dirty Rumors. We’re a quasi rock band / jam band from Roanoke, VA comprised of Kirk Farmer, (Me) on lead vocal and guitar, Tim (Caesar) O’Sullivan on lead guitar, Scott Sutton on bass, Ben Hite on keys, and Thomas Wilson on drums. We’re more of a jam band than anything. Our live performances are heavy on the long instrumental jams with variety of influxes including rock, funk, blues and county. We actually have a large collection of live tracks that can be streamed from our website. Most of which were also recorded using the same equipment and software we used to record the EP. The EP is called Unity Gain and was released online through TuneCore.com in January.

I was originally introduced to PreSonus when I worked as a recording engineer in Raleigh, NC. I saw a demo of the StudioLive 16.4.2 at a show put on by one of your distributors in Greensboro. I was particularly impressed with it’s ease of use and by the transparency of the preamps.

I few years later, I relocated to Roanoke,VA and brought on a business partner named Nate Potter in order to expand my mastering studio, K-14 Studios service offerings to include mobile, multi-track recording. Nate was also a big fan of the Presonus gear and owned a 16.4.2, and also introduced me to Studio One.

Tim and I formed Dirty Rumors in September of 2012. When we made the decision to record our EP, it was only logical that Nate and I produce and engineer the project using the PreSonus gear that we had been using to record our clients with.

As mentioned before, we primarily use the 16.4.2 for tracking. One of the great things about this setup is its mobility. All we need is the board, the laptop, the snake and some mics and we’re in business—literally! We use Capture to track everything, including overdubs. Once we get the tracks back to the studio, we use a FirePod as a speaker/headphone interface, and mix the sessions on Studio One. We also use Studio One’s project page for mastering.

The things we like most about the PreSonus hardware are the quick setup time and the preamp quality. With other digital mixers, we can potentially spend a significant amount of time just getting the board settings where we want them. Using any outboard gear  just adds to the process. With the 16.4.2, we can be powered up and signal and level checked in less than 10 minutes.

As far as the preamps are concerned, the transparency and gain insures a good recording the first time, every time. This is paramount when recording a live show where we might not get a second take. They also allow for a great deal of flexibility during the mixdown process. We can make a lot more creative decisions about the overall sound of the project when we don’t have to contend with preamp coloration introduced by your hardware.

On the software side, Studio One is undoubtedly the most flexible and user-friendly DAW I’ve ever used. It’s intuitive, powerful, and very easy on my CPU. In the past, I’ve primarily used Pro Tools and Audition, both for their different strengths: Pro Tools for tracking and Audition for mastering. Studio One combines the best of both worlds in one very dynamic suite.

Nate and I are currently working on a video project for a band from Lynchburg, VA. Again, we used the PreSonus gear for the tracking, and continue to use Studio One for the post- production processing. Our last major project was the Unity Gain EP, which we created ourselves from start to finish. Dirty Rumors is rumored to be recording a concert video in May at the new amphitheater in downtown Roanoke. We plan to use the 16.4.2, tied in to the FOH board through a splitter snake to record the audio from the show.  We’re also talking about recording a full length album this summer, and PreSonus is along for the ride every step of the way!

Check out this incredibly comprehensive series of videos from the geniuses at Groove3. These guys have broken down the StudioLive AI workflow into easily-digestible bite-size pieces. First-time-buyers will find everything they need to get connected and running on the StudioLive AI, while seasoned audio vets can skip straight to the chapter on ringing out monitors.

The incredibly thorough Groove3 has left no stone unturned here, and have also taken on VSL, remote mixing, Smaart wizards, and the AI family’s integration with Studio One.

Click here to check out the StudioLive AI series from Groove3 with some free videos. Enjoy!

Mixer aficionados the world over could always stand to learn a new trick or two, and at the rate that technology changes, sometimes we all find ourselves with a little catching up to do. Good thing, then, that Alfred Music has recently released the StudioLive Mixer handbook, which has a little something for everyone. If you’re using one of the classic StudioLive mixers or the new AI mixers, you will find something of value as the book covers both! Furthermore, it’s broken down into a simple three-tier arrangement: a general overview, live sound, and studio recording—including a nice bonus chapter on mic placement.

You’ll also find info on getting the most out of using your StudioLive with external devices like your laptop and iPhone, feedback elimination, remote iPad control, and recording your shows.

Here’s a couple freebies to get ya hooked:

• Sample 1
• Sample 2

With the publication of this tome, renowned engineer/producer Bobby Owsinski has cemented his stature as a dyed-in-the-wires StudioLive expert. After all, he wrote the book on it, right?

Click on over to Alfred Music’s site to grab a copy today.

The kind folks at Tiny Frog Media posted this not-tiny overview of the StudioLive 32.4.2AI! This is a pretty thorough overview, right down to the coverage of our new fader dust guards. Thanks much for doing this guys—keep it up!

Cheggitout!

PreSonus Artists Royal Teeth brought their signature sounds to the big time last week, appearing on none other than American Idol, performing their hit, “Wild.” We can’t begin to express how proud we are of these good friends from just over in Layfayette.

Good work team, you’ve earned this.

Here’s Royal Teeth’s Idol appearance…

…and here’s the band delivering the details of their experience of taking the entire PreSonus solution on the road, including the StudioLive mixer, Nimbit, and more:

Click here for more on Royal Teeth.

Donovan Blake knows what he’s doing. He’s charged with running front of house for heavy rock stalwarts King’s X, and has chosen the StudioLive 32.4.2AI as the right tool for the job—and his other job. Blake’s also got a trusty StudioLive 32.4.2AI set up for running live sound at Austin’s Dirty Dog on—where else—6th street.

Here’s why, straight from the man himself.

For more on the StudioLive 32.4.2AI, click here.

Kevin Madigan, front of house mix engineer for a li’l band you may have heard of called Crosby, Stills, and Nash (!) speaks with Phil Garfinkel about his use of PreSonus interfaces and SMAART technologies at NAMM 2014!