If you ask me, the real answer to the analog vs. digital debate is “let’s stop arguing and make some music,” and Alberto Schettino of FuseRoom Studio agrees. In fact, he’s got an audio workshop coming up on March 22 & 23, that focuses on exactly that—balancing fuzzy analog yin with precision analog yang.

He says, “This is a 2-day workshop at Fuseroom Studio in Tuscany, Italy, where I will transform a raw recording session in PreSonus Studio One to a final mix, integrating all of my high-end analog gear and digital plug-ins into the ultimate hybrid mixing experience!”

Sounds great! Why not use the best of both worlds? Click here to learn more and register for the event. 

Generally, at NAMM, we run around with cameras and try to interview artists and get them to say nice things about us. Ever the forward-thinking rabble-rousers, Hero’s Last Mission brought their own camera to catch Rachel and Phil at the PreSonus booth and talk about what’s new with us. Turnabout is fair play.

Thanks to HLM for giving us the opportunity to pitch the new RC-500 solid state preamp, the Sceptre monitors, as well as Notion notation software.

Hey! It’s cold outside. We’re experiencing one of the most brutal winters here in Baton Rouge that we’ve ever seen. So, why not stay indoors, get your producing on, and warm up your studio with some hot PreSonus gear? For a limited time, we’re offering the following killer deals. You can take advantage of these offers at a local PreSonus dealer or at your online store of choice. To find a dealer, click on one of the following links:

• Dealers in the USA
• Dealers outside of the USA

Buy Sceptre Monitors, get Monitor Station FREE!

Two great products that play well together. The Sceptre monitors are enjoying a lot of critical (and user) praise right now, and must be heard to be believed. Don’t throw out your old monitors, however, as with the Monitor Station, you’ll be able to hear your mixes on both pairs – a critical tool for knowing how your mixes will translate to various listening environments.  Click here to get further details on this world-wide offer, as well as the required rebate form. But maybe before you do that, you should check out these killer reviews of the Sceptres.

Buy Eris E5 or E8 monitors, get Studio One Artist Free!

Click here for more info on this deal, but the long and short of it is pretty well summed up by the above. No rebate forms, just savings. Get your Eris, register them at my.presonus.com, and your Studio One Artist activiation code will be available there auto-magically. Currently the Eris speakers are enjoying a five-out-of-five AVERAGE user scores at Guitar Center AND Sweetwater, and we just can’t help but feel like celebrating. History has shown that the best way to share that celebratory spirit is to give away free kick-ass stuff. In this case, it’s Studio One Artist. Don’t forget to grab the free 2.6 update when you install it!

Save $30 on the AudioBox USB until April 30, 2014!

The trusty, sturdy AudioBox USB is aimed squarely at the back-to-basics recording mindset. You get two 1/4″ XLR combo jacks, ideal for recording guitar and vocals simultaneously, MIDI in and Out, Main Outs for your monitor speakers, and a headphone out. Keeping things simple also means keeping them small, and the AudioBox USB will slip right into most any laptop case for recording on the go. Furthermore, it’s USB bus-powered, which means you don’t have to worry about pesky dead batteries or AC power cables mucking up your session. Also, it’s now $30 cheaper, for a limited time. No rebate paperwork, no fuss. Click here for more info.

International Sales Director of Mystery Mark Williams recently made an unusually local expedition into the Louisiana bayous, searching for the storied crystal cog that has been missing from the Antikythera mechanism since its discovery near a Greek island in 1900. Exhaustive research has led Williams to believe that the fabled gear may have wound up at the bottom of Hackberry Bayou, as a plane carrying the precious cargo was last seen flying over the area in 1936—never to be heard from again; feared crashed.

It’s suspected that this arcane mechanism was an early attempt by the Greeks to solve latency issues in their early audio recording endeavors—a work of mysterious genius that PreSonus feels may hold the secret to unlocking divine audio quality in future products.

While this mission was sadly thwarted by a pack of rabid alligators (don’t get between them and their young), it has only re-doubled Agent Williams’ efforts to find the missing crystal cog. But for now, the location of this ancient power remains lost to history…

Beginning at 10:00 am PST, we’re bringing you LIVE coverage of our NAMM presentations—and a whole lot more—from our NAMM booth in Anaheim, California!

Tune in at http://www.presonus.com/videos/presonuslive to see the show(s)!

Thursday 01-23-14:

10:00 – 11:00
StudioLive Active Integration
with the PreSonus All-Stars

11:30-12:30
KATFYR: Producing EDM in Studio One

1:00-2:00
Studio One Production
with Naomi Mercer

2:30-3:30
StudioLive Active Integration
with “Special Guests”

4:00-5:00
Bass Masters: STEVE BAILEY AND VICTOR WOOTEN, and an ADL 700

5:30-6:00
Jam with Randy Emata
& the PreSonus All-Stars

Friday:

10:00 – 11:00
StudioLive Active Integration
with the PreSonus All-Stars

11:30-12:30
KATFYR: Producing EDM in Studio One

1:00-2:00
Sak Pase: Using Studio One toFree Your Mind

2:30-3:30
StudioLive Active Integration with “Special Guests”

4:00-5:00
KHALIQ GLOVER: Controlling the Mix in Studio One

5:30-6:00
Jam with Randy Emata & the PreSonus All-Stars

Saturday: 

10:00 – 11:00
StudioLive Active Integration
with the PreSonus All-Stars

11:30-12:30
KATFYR: Producing EDM in Studio One

1:00-2:00
Studio One Production with Naomi Mercer

2:30-3:30
StudioLive Active Integration with “Special Guests”

4:00-5:00
Khaliq Glover: Controlling the Mix in Studio One

5:30-6:00
Jam with Randy Emata & the PreSonus All-Stars

How many of these reviews are we up to now, ten? In this one, AskAudio Magazine test drives the new Eris E8s, and in doing so compares them favorably to his long-time standbys from Genelec, which he claims to have been using for 15 years.  By the way, the Eris E8s cost a lot less than comparable Genelec options.

Enthusiastic thanks and raised glasses to G.W. Childs IV of AskAudio for his kind words, which include:

Read their full review here.

PreSonus Education Market Manager John Mlynczak shows you how you can use the AudioBox Stereo package to enhance your classroom rehearsals.

The AudioBox Stereo package includes everything you need to record your entire ensemble in gorgeous stereo sound. It includes the AudioBox USB, Studio One Artist recording software, HD7 monitoring headphones, two small-diaphragm studio condenser microphones with XY stereo microphone mounting bar, and two 15-foot XLR microphone cables.

We lost a good one. Robert Levin passed away on November 25. Robert was literally raised in his dad’s music store, Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center, and grew to eventually run the family business along with his siblings. In doing so, they maintained dad’s well-deserved twin legacies of impeccable customer service and good ol’ hard work. Before Robert’s passing, the torch was passed to his son, Adam, who share responsibilities with his siblings;  Alan and Abbe. This brings Chuck Levin’s Washington Music Center into its third generation as a family business.

Rick Naqvi recalls, “Robert was one of PreSonus’ earliest dealers, when we introduced our first product, the DCP-8. From that point forward he always offered us words of advice and encouragement in his most recognizable style as we went forward to become great business partners. Robert was one of the unique personalities in our industry, and we cherished his many contributions and of course his friendship.”

We’ll miss you, Robert. Please take a moment here with Rick to raise a glass to our departed friend.

In lieu of flowers, the Levin family has requested that donations be made to the Lung Cancer Research Foundation. If you have fond memories of Robert, as many of us do, you are welcome and encouraged to post them here.