PreSonus Blog

Category Archives: FamFriday


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!

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!

Throwback Thursday: Associate Creative Director Cave Daughdrill

Here’s PreSonus Associate Creative Director Cave Daughdrill circa 452 AD. Since these humble beginnings, Caveman has evolved to wield a vorpal telecaster and the biggest, most ridiculous pedalboards (plural) I have ever seen. Cave’s myriad contributions to PreSonus marketing endeavors include photography, web, and a whole lotta pixel-pushin’.  He also has  advanced nonweapon proficiencies in Wacom Tablets and good times. Nowadays, Cave’s musical home is in your heart. Or, more specifically, in The Lazerus Heart.

Dominic “@Tic2DaToc” Bazile Interviewed by The Frontliner

The Frontliner recently scored an interview with PreSonus Quality Assurance Tester and all-around Studio One Answer Man Dominic Bazile. In their thorough Q&A session, Dominic’s brains are picked about not only how he got involved with PreSonus, but also about some of the inner workings that make Studio One tick. If you want an inside look at Studio One from a man who knows better than most, look no further!

Click here to read the interview in its entirety.