[This just in from Charlie Bauerfeind, producer for genre-defining power metal pioneers, Helloween! In his search for the perfect DAW Controller for his ultra-compact-but-complex, MacBook Pro-based, live-broadcast setup for Helloween’s Rock in Rio Show on October 4th, he turned to Presonus’s Faderport 16.]

I was blown away by the ease of use in the FaderPort 16’s setup, and the incredible versatility in this most compact DAW controller. It was truly a plug-and-play experience, and made my job in Rio go perfectly smooth… My Pro Tools-based setup is comprised of several session-based pre-programmed automation parts… but the much bigger dynamic automation part needs to be handled flawlessly during the live performance. I’ve owned a FaderPort Classic for a long time, but the FaderPort 16 allowed me to deliver a great broadcast result for one of the biggest Rock festivals on this planet.

A big THANK YOU to the guys at PreSonus!

• For more on the FaderPort 16, click here.

This just in from Glenn Rosenstein, a three-time Grammy-winning mix engineer whose credits include U2, Madonna, Talking Heads, The Ramones, James Brown, Miles Davis and many others. His work in film and television has landed him both an Oscar and a Golden Globe while working on projects including The Sopranos, Celebrity Circus, The Last Emperor, Blown Away, Married To The Mob, Charmed, Beverly Hills 90210, All My Children and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. We recently got in touch with him to get his perspective on all things PreSonus.

Hey Glenn. Tell us about yourself!

I’ve had a fun career that’s led me to many musical adventures. I started early on at Power Station in NYC, then as a staff engineer at Sigma Sound Studio. I became an independent mixer, then producer, eventually winning some Grammys and selling a bunch of records, back when that was a possibility. I’m still producing both for my Sony labels, as well as independently. I partner in a number of project studios in Nashville, Muscle Shoals, and New York, as well as having a room at historic Fame Studios. 

What PreSonus products have you used and which do you currently use?

I’ve always been a PreSonus user. As time goes on, PreSonus continues to release products that almost anticipate my needs. I started out with the ADL 600, a very tasty stereo mic pre from a few years back. I’ve put together a pretty cool room in my Muscle Shoals facility that’s centered around the StudioLive 64S, along with some great AVB powered PreSonus peripherals: The StudioLive 32R, the EarMix 16M, and the SW5E among them. Also to be found are the PreSonus R80 monitors and, of course, Studio One. And I always travel with my Faderport 16. Always.

For what applications are you using the products?

My PreSonus facility is very much a writing/production room that is easily convertible to a full-blown production studio. I like the creative ease and intuitive design that is integrated into all of the PreSonus cosmos of products. It’s simple to start off small—just creating some beats or a few phrases on guitar or a vocal idea—and easily push that to a bigger, more robust production without having to shift rigs.

What led you to choose these particular PreSonus products?

I had a pretty solid awareness of the PreSonus offerings for many years and was fortunate enough to meet and spend some time with Jim Odom. His backstory is steeped in music production and performance, and, ultimately, creating solutions that he wanted for himself. I liked that a lot. I still do. I totally get the narrative of PreSonus products, their evolution over the past few years, and their remarkable value. Jim and his team are always pushing the boundaries—they’re taking insane amounts of features and options and putting them in boxes that should cost five times what they’re asking. I have no idea how they get it done, but they do. And all that filters down into very usable tools that sound great and are fun to work with.

Having used the gear, what do you like most about the specific PreSonus products you use?

Let’s talk about the Faderport 16: A 16-channel control surface that fits under your arm—brilliant design and execution. Regardless of my preferred DAW, I always feel right at home. I’m in a hotel, it’s there. I’m in a rehearsal room, it’s there. Perfect combination of small footprint and functionality.

Glenn’s website

This just in from Craftmaster Productions—a good look at the PreSonus ATOM workflow using SampleOne XT in Studio One.

CMP has been producing excellent Studio One content for years. Head on over to YouTube and give him a Subscribe for more!

Want to use your FaderPort 8 or FaderPort 16 with Pro Tools? Check out this new series from Richard Gaspard!

The new Studio 192 has been enjoying rave reviews of late, but we’ve found a way to make it even better—by adding free stuff! If you’re looking to upgrade your recording interface to a Studio 192, you’ll be upgrading your workflow as well, as we’re offering a free FaderPort with purchases of the Studio 192 for a limited time.

The FaderPort is a mainstay of the PreSonus line, and has remained one of our best-selling items since we introduced it. You get intuitive, motorized fader control of Studio One of your DAW of choice in a tiny desktop footprint that doesn’t eat up your valuable, ever-decreasing desktop space. Once you’ve tried a FaderPort, there’s NO going back to mix-by-mouse. A FaderPort will usually set you back around $129 USD, but with this deal you get the following for FREE:

• Motorized fader for controlling track levels and writing automation tracks
• Transport control and Mark functionality
• Mute, Solo, and Record control
• Channel selection and navigation
• Customizable key mappings

Interested? Find a dealer in your area and take home a Studio 192 and FaderPort. This combo can’t disappoint.

Click here to get the required rebate form.

• Click here to find a dealer in the USA
• Click here to find a dealer outside the USA

Note that the Studio 192 Mobile is not eligible for this offer.

Wow, there’s a lot going on today. This is a long post, so let’s jump right in!

Studio One 3.2

Studio One 3.2 is available now! This is a FREE update to existing owners of Studio One 3, including Artist and Professional editions. Click “Check for updates” in Studio One to get it for yourself. Click here to visit the newly-updated Studio One site for even more details.

Read the full change log by clicking here, but here’s the short version of what’s new:

• Mix Engine FX with new Console Shaper plugin: Apply effects to a bus that have an effect on all channels routed to the bus. Our first Mix Engine effect is Console Shaper, allowing you to impart analog-style artifacts like crosstalk and drive, evocative of classic analog consoles of yore.
• VCA Faders: Control groups of channels with a single fader. Link your VCA to a Folder Track for added convenience.
• Enhancements to the Arrow tool: Highlight the top half of an event in the Edit window to contextually convert the Move tool into the Range tool.
• Other updates include: extended comping, improved Tab-to-Transients, New Transport Options, Automation Editing Improvements, improved Appearance Controls, and DSP Fat Channel and preamp control for RM mixers—as well as Preamp control for RM mixers and Fat Channel control and integration for both RM mixers and AI Consoles—straight from Studio One!

StudioLive AI firmware updates

New firmware is available for the entire StudioLive AI line from your my.presonus.com account, allowing for control from UC Surface 1.5.

• 32.4.2AI
• 24.4.2AI
• 16.4.2AI
• RM32AI
• RM16AI
• CS18AI

The new firmware for RM Mixers brings hotly-anticipated cascading to the RM series StudioLive Rackmount Mixers. Any two RM mixers can be cascaded via AVB to combine their channel counts. This update also adds a new Stage Box mode, in addition to the existing Remote I/O + Monitor-mixer mode.
This mega-release also brings a number of other new features and refinements, including a whole slew of bug fixes. To see the full rundown of new features and fixes, check out the UC Surface 1.5 Release Notes and the UC Surface 1.5 Release Addendum, available on your my.presonus.com account as well as on the Dowloads section of the Product page for each mixer at PreSonus.com.

UC Surface 1.5

This update adds support for cascaded RM mixers and Capture control—if you’ve installed the above-mentioned firmware and Capture 2.2. This update also adds support for USB 3.0 on Mac OS X 10.11.2 or higher. Get UC Surface 1.5 here.

Capture 2.2

Capture can now be remotely controlled by a StudioLive CS18AI and UC Surface. You can now control virtual soundcheck, transport, and Record arm; drop markers; and keep an eye on record times from anywhere in the venue—among other improvements and some bug squashing. Get it here.

Studio One Remote

Studio One Remote has been updated for Studio One 3.2 compatibility, and is also now available for Windows tablets! Studio One Professional owners can get the Windows version from their my.presonus.com accounts; Apple users can get it via this link to The App Store.

Here’s a great seven-part video series from Ray on using your StudioLive CS18AI.

Hey folks—the time has come to add cascading to the StudioLive RM mixers, and we’ve decided to run a public beta to stomp out any bugs before the update goes into wide release. We expect to have the beta concluded after around 30 days.

With cascading added to the RM series, users will be able to combine two RM32AI mixers for a 64-channel mix system to be controlled via the StudioLive CS18AI or UC Surface. You’ll also be able to cascade any two RM mixers, allowing for an RM32AI and RM16AI to work in tandem.

This update will also add:

• A new Stage Box mode for using RM mixers as a simple I/O device with Studiolive AI console mixers
• New network configuration interfaces and networking features for AI Consoles, RM mixers, and the CS18AI, including the ability to manually assign static IP addresses.
• Remote control of Capture 2 from both the CS18AI and UC Surface.
• AI Console, RM mixer, UC Surface and Capture 2 performance improvements and bug fixes.

Sound fun? You’re welcome and encouraged to join in! All you need to do is register your

StudioLive AI Console, RM mixer, or CS18AI to your user account at my.presonus.com, and you’ll then have access to the StudioLive AI Public Beta section of the PreSonus forums. Note that only users who have registered a qualifying product will have access to the beta section of the forum.

Please know that with beta firmware and software, there is always a risk of encountering a bug, so we don’t recommend using the public beta firmware and software for mission-critical gigs without first testing it out in a non-production scenario. Also, we ask that all questions and bug reports for public beta issues be directed to the public beta forum, and not via technical support tickets or calls. Tech Support will not be able to assist with beta software and firmware.

Click to pre-order “Vitals” on iTunes!

MuteMath is a Grammy-nominated American alternative rock band from New Orleans that formed in 2002. Their dynamic sound combines moments of stillness with dance, hip-hop and pop beats. Paul Meany’s vocals make it a point to invade your personal space—his lyrics that continue to resonate with listeners for days after a listen.

Stubbornly refusing boredom or stagnation, MuteMath consistently lives on the cutting-edge of their craft, thanks to a creative work ethic—it’s safe to say that all of their work is their best work. After a short hiatus since their last studio album in 2011, MuteMath is excited to debut their fourth album Vitals, releasing November 13.

PreSonus recently partnered with MuteMath to take two newly Dante-enabled StudioLive RM32AI mixers and a StudioLive CS18AI on the road for their entire US Tour. In true MuteMath tradition—this was something of a rock’n’roll first.

Check out the video below to see what Paul had to say about taking an all-PreSonus mix solution on the road.

Click the image to the right to see how they’ve got everything hooked up. Dante makes it easy—imagine the difference between setting this up with a lightweight CAT5 cable as opposed to traditional, heavy, analog cables!

Hookup Diagram [PDF]