PreSonus Blog

Category Archives: Preamps and Processors


Luis Hernandez on the ADL 700 in TV Production

Check out this great video from session drummer and recordist Luis Hernandez on using the ADL 700 and Studio One to record a jingle for HBO Latino. If you’re looking for some workhorse secrets from a guy who’s working in music full-time, don’t miss it! Luis shares some of the secrets of his signal chain, and some of his favorite EQ settings for using the ADL 700 on kick and snare—particularly as it pertains to filtering high-hat sounds from his snare mic.


Be sure to give Luis a subscription on YouTube by clicking here.

RC 500 Channel Strip Overview Video

It’s rare to find a truly outstanding solid-state channel strip that can deliver a vintage vibe reminiscent of classic high-end products, yet employs a thoroughly modern design. To find one that you can buy without heavily depleting your bank account is even more rare. But there is one channel strip that delivers the goods without the big tab: the PreSonus RC 500.

Every instrument in this video was recorded through the PreSonus RC 500 – even the voice over!

For more on the RC 500, click here.

SoundPure Studios on the PreSonus ADL 700 Tube-Driven Channel Strip [VIDEO]

Check out this great video from SoundPure Studios, they’ve produced an incredible overview and demonstration of the ADL 700. And as if that wasn’t enough, the video features an amazing performance. Win-win!

Compression 101 From Sonic Sense [video]

Compression is an oft-misunderstood and sometimes over-used effect that enjoys (?) a wealth of online forum punditry. Sonic Sense has done an exemplary job here in plainly illustrating the rudiments of compression while cutting the crap. This video begins by demonstrating exactly what the basic compressor controls do, and then follows up with audible examples of the compressor being applied during tacking AND in a full mix, so you can very clearly hear the effect applied in the context of a full song. Demos include vocals, snare, and bass.

Thanks to Sonic Sense for not only clearing up some of the mysteries of compression, but also for choosing the ADL 700 as the right tool for the job.

Pershing Wells on the RC-500

 

[This just in from Pershing Wells, who recently got the RC-500 and has been putting it through the paces at his studio, Digital Sac-a’-lait Productions. Pershing, thanks for the kind words!]

I’ve been eyeing this box since I first noticed it announced around the end of last year or so. I own some boutique gear made in the USA. I also own a PreSonus MP20 that I purchased about 12 years ago. I ALWAYS considered that mic pre a sleeper. It’s way more high-quality than it gets credit for! I bought the RC 500 from SoundPure about three weeks ago.
 
What I Like:
High-end clean! Clean! Clean! The EQ is very sweet! I’ve read that it’s not very “surgical,” but I’ve found I can change things pretty drastically. The
compressor is VERY good, but may take some getting used to because of the very small VU meter. Affordable!
  
In Use: So far I’ve used it on an acoustic guitar, direct from the guitar’s preamp, miked electric guitar cab, miked fiddle, and on vocals.
Acoustic guitar: This was my very first experience with the unit. I plugged in my Takamine TAN15 with a “cool tube” preamp into the instrument input.  I set the EQ on the guitar to flat. I was quickly able to dial in some very clean and musical EQ on the RC 500—I set a bit of boost at about 100hZ with the low band set to peak, some scooping at about 800hZ on the mid band and about 3dB of boost at 7 or 8K on the high EQ,switched to shelving.
When I engaged the compressor and began adjusting, I found myself getting a little too funky with the gain reduction. After looking more closely at the VU, I found I was in the ‘hood of 12dB of gain reduction! There was some pumping going on. After adjusting the threshold and getting the gain reduction to peak on the very loudest parts at 6dB of gain reduction, it started getting NICE! The guitar sat very nicely in the mix! I layered four parts and normally have to strap a software compressor on the buss to have it sit where I can hear it, but I haven’t had to do it with this thing. Impressed!
Electric guitar cab: I used a Les Paul>Marshall JVM205 with some nice crunch dialed in>a pair of Celestion V’30’s in a Mesa cab>Senneheiser e609>RC 500>Mytek A/D>Roland VS700 via AES>DAW (Sonar X3). This is where the EQ SHINED! Miking this rig has been a lot of hit and miss to get right. The combo of the guitar/amp/speakers seems to produce a bit too much brightness for my taste at around 4K, and not quite enough mids to cut through the mix. In this case, I left the bottom eq flat, boosted about 3 or 4dB at 1.6K and cut about 3dB at 4K using the high EQ set to peak.The guitar was near freakin’ perfect!  The mid’s help it cut through like I’ve not quite heard yet- very “Marshall-ish” sounding—the bomb, man!
 
Miking a fiddle: I had a local and well-known Zydeco fiddler in for a session. I used a Neumann TLM103>RC 500>Mytek A/D>Roland VS700 via AES>DAW.  I engaged the 80hZ high pass filter and cut everything below 150hZ by 16 dB. I cut a bit of the mids, about 2dB at around 1.2K. I added some air at around 10K (set to shelving) with a boost of about 3dB. The compressor was engaged, and on the loudest parts, I adjusted to get no more than 6dB of gain reduction. We were both very impressed with this. We cut three songs and as I was backing up a song, the fiddler continued to play as if he were digging what he was hearing more than he had before! 
Vocals: I used an SM7b>RC 500>Mytek A/D>Roland VS700 via AES>DAW. This mic has a well-known reputation for requiring a LOT of gain. NO PROBLEM with this box! I did have the gain up substantially from the Neumann, but didn’t notice the noise floor rising at all. I adjusted the compressor to the sweet spot, which seems to be about 3 to 6dB of gain reduction on the loudest passages. I engaged the 80hZ high pass filter.  The EQ was set to a bit of cut below 300hZ on the low EQ, set to shelving.  The mids were cut about 3dB at 500hZ. I added a little top end at about 9K with the high EQ set to shelving. The vocal sits beautifully in the mix! 
Bottom line:
This box is the real deal. No corners were cut from the sonic perspective.  Ok, it’s made in China. I live and in work down here in south Louisiana near where PreSonus is located. Sure, I wish it were built here in the USA, but I can understand cutting costs to produce a box with this kind of quality! For the record, I’m comparing this unit to some boutique mic pres in my studio made out in California that cost almost twice as much. If you can get past the import issue, you can rest assured that it’s $800 WELL-SPENT!
The RC 500 is hanging easily and evenly with the more expensive gear in my studio. I’ve used it exclusively for a week now. While I can get the compressor to pump if overused, the same is very true about the LA610 that sits in the same rack. I can’t see how anyone could go wrong with investing in this box!

PreSonusLIVE 04/17/14: Taylor Nauta and the ADL 700 and ADL 600

Taylor Nauta consistently sounds great, and we felt that the ADL 700 and ADL 600 preamps would really do his tones justice. So, we invited him by the new HQ, brought him to the live room, and recorded a few tracks.

Taylor’s voice is running through the ADL 700, and his guitar is recorded through a direct input into the first channel of the ADL 600, as well as by a mic run into the second channel.

Bass Masters at NAMM 2014: Steve Bailey, Victor Wooten, and an ADL 700

Bass Extremists Victor Wooten and Steve Bailey bring the low end like no other, and when paired up, it’s a sonic maelstrom of intergalactic proportions. Both are running their basses directly into ADL 700s for this performance.

For more on the ADL 700, click here.

MAXIM Brings the StudioLive and ADL 700 on the Road

[This just in from Guido Craveiro, who is taking his StudioLive on the road with his band, Maxim!]

Hey PreSonus! 

I’ve been using  my StudioLive 24.4.2 for monitoring, and we just got another for front of house.  We did the entire October Maxim  tour with both consoles!
I recorded this performance using all 24 tracks, which I mixed later at home in-studio. The main vocal and bass are both run through the ADL 700. Wishing you all the best and a good entrance to 2014!

 

5aint on recording Steve Dodds with the ADL 700, ADL 600, StudioLive, and Studio One

Recording a guitarist with as signature a technique as Steve Dodds introduces some unusual recording quandaries. Fortunately for 5aint, his PreSonus AL 700, ADL 600, StudioLive digital mixer, and Studio One DAW provided everything he needed for the task at hand.

Dodds’ signature “guitabla” stylings are in high demand, as he has been a prolific session player and frequent collaborator with the likes of Steven Stills, Sarah McLachlan, Karen Eden, and more, having worked on projects with notable producers like David Kershenbaum, Jill Joes, Alan Moulder, and Martin Page. His more recent focus has been on his dynamic, genre-blending solo material.

 

2013 ASCAP Songwriting Retreat

PreSonus was proud to be a part of the 2013 ASCAP Songwriters Retreat, held September 25th to October 4th at the 14th-century Château Marouatte in the Dordogne region of France—an inspiring place for the lyrically inclined.

And that’s the point. ASCAP has designed this retreat to bring out the best in talented writers. This year’s 30+ participants were divided into different groups, every day, to write and record, keeping collaborative spirits fresh and healthy. At the end of the session, attendees return home with renewed artistic vigor, their hearts and hard drives full of song.

In fact, a dozen of the songs written at the camp this year are already on hold for major label artists, including The Temper Trap, Kelly Clarkson, Melanie Fiona, Nylo, Jessie Malakouti, and Jon Bellion.

PreSonus was happy to provide a metric heap of equipment to foster the creative process, including:

Photos from the event follow, as well as a kind thank-you video from the songwriters themselves. You’re welcome, folks, and we hope you wrote enough hits to fill a 14th-century dining hall. Read more about it here.