PreSonus Blog

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, July 2012...

Nimbit®, a PreSonus™ company, announced the availability of the new NimbitPlus™premium subscription plan, which offers extended sales, customization, and promotion capabilities. In addition, the company has also announced a major update to the Nimbit Promotion Tool and the ability for NimbitFree and NimbitPlus users to sell on Jango Internet Radio.

Since the introduction of NimbitFree in 2011, Nimbit users have demanded a more powerful solution that takes advantage of the streamlined user interface and ease of use found in the new platform. To address these needs, NimbitPlus is now available, for a low monthly subscription fee of only $9.95 U.S.

NimbitPlus includes all the features of NimbitFree and:

• The ability to sell CDs and physical merchandise
• Nimbit warehouses, picks, packs, and ships physical products for you
• Additional customization options to make your stores truly your own
• Run more simultaneous promotions with the Promotion Tool
• Enhanced analytics and reporting to better understand your fans and business
• Increase your reach with free submission of your music to iTunes and Spotify

For a detailed comparison of NimbitFree and NimbitPlus, click here.

Promo Tool Enhanced

Earlier in 2012, Nimbit streamlined the process of driving fans to artist storefronts with sharable, interactive promotions on the Facebook Timeline, Ticker, and Wall that featured “in-post” music and video players, messages to fans, and direct links to rewards such as free downloads.

The Nimbit Promo Tool has been expanded to allow promotional campaigns to fans on Twitter, via email, and through short text promo codes that can be used in advertisements, print, and live appearances. When fans click the promotional links or enter the promo code on the Nimbit store, the artist’s store loads with a welcome screen that includes a link to a free download, a player to preview the song, a video of the song or a personal message, and the option to shop more.

The Nimbit Promo Tool is available in both NimbitFree and NimbitPlus. NimbitFree customers are limited to only one active promotion at a time.

Nimbit Offers Sales on Jango Internet Radio

Artists can now capitalize on the exposure they get through airplay to the millions of fans on Jango Internet radio with the new Nimbit Store for Jango. When a fan discovers you on Jango and clicks through to your profile page, a Nimbit store will load that allows you to sell music, merchandise, and e-tickets; capture fans with free downloads; and gain additional support with an in-cart Tip Jar.

The Nimbit Store for Jango is free, and Jango artists can sign up for Nimbit right from their Jango dashboard. In addition, Nimbit artists can sign up for free Jango airplay and activate their Jango store from their Nimbit dashboard.

Nimbit is a subsidiary of PreSonus™ Audio Electronics, Inc.

For more information, please visit www.nimbit.com.

He was sweaty, confused, and hungry when we opened the crate, but Ryan survived being shipping to Nashville for Summer NAMM A-OK!

“At least it’s not as bad as my experience with the Behringer travel policy,” Ryan said.

 

 

John Taylor is a new-ish PreSonus Artist and is the Guinness-recognized Fastest Guitar Player in The World.

He wanted to let the PreSonus community know that he’s got a new e-book out. it’s called “Be the Fastest Guitar Player in the World,” and you can view a preview and (ideally) purchase the book at DrHotLicks.Com on the “online lessons” page.
Taylor’s shrednum opus weighs in at a hefty 101 pages,  is rife with high-quality up-close photos of fleet fingers, and is backed up by a solid fifty megs of performance MP3s!

It’s a serious endeavor that the man has been focusing on for a while now… shredders take note!

So my boss adds me as a CC to some e-mail thread that’s a mile long and is all “Hey Coko, tell Ryan about Strange Arrange,” and I’m like “What’s a Kocoo and where is Strangeranged?” Is it a Skrillex collaboration?  I hadn’t had my coffee and Adderall cocktail at that point, so I was a little left of hazy.

“So what’s Strange Arrange?” I asked Coko electronically.

“Strange Arrange is a live arrangement battle where urban bands will perform a live remix of some of today’s hottest hits,” Coko pasted into the mail field. “They play right in front of a celebrity judges panel and audience.  An event like this has never been done before so we are looking forward to one epic night! The Strange Arrange is taking place at Limelight which is just a little ways down from NAMM. All NAMM attendees get in for a discounted price!” she typed.

“The winning band will receive cash, gear, magazine features and a recording session and video shoot with Grammy Award Winning R&B artist Musiq Soulchild. Thanks Ryan!” Coko replied and clicked “Send.”

Coko is very kind, and a good speller. Check out Strange Arrange if you’re going to Summer NAMM, or even if you’re just sweltering in Nashville. More deets below.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, July 2012...

PreSonus is proud to announce the ADL 700 channel strip, which combines a high-end Class A tube preamplifier with a fully variable, FET-based compressor and a four-band semi-parametric equalizer. The new channel strip provides separate balanced XLR mic, balanced XLR line, and ¼” TS instrument inputs and a single balanced XLR output.

PreSonus Audio Electronics ADL 700

The ADL 700 incorporates a single-channel version of the award-winning PreSonus ADL 600 two-channel tube preamplifier, which was designed by famed tube-circuit designer Anthony DeMaria. PreSonus and DeMaria teamed up to create a distinctive Class A, discrete design.  It incorporates one 12AT7 and two 6922 vacuum tubes per channel, operating with ±300V power rails for maximum headroom and superb tone. The dual-transformer design ensures low-noise operation, with maximum common-mode rejection. This results in an ultra-low-noise tube preamp with a big, warm, smooth, clear, distinctive sound.

Among the hallmark features of ADL-series preamps is an Input Source Select switch with variable mic-input impedance. This switch enables you to choose among signal sources and patches the selected input through the signal chain, completely bypassing the other two inputs. It also provides a choice of four mic-input impedances: 1500Ω, 900Ω, 300Ω, and 150Ω. Lowering or raising the ADL 700 mic-input impedance can create subtle coloring and filtering effects, enabling you to get a wider variety of tonalities without using the EQ.

The ADL 700’s FET-based compressor and semi-parametric EQ were custom-designed by Robert Creel, the mastermind behind many of PreSonus’ most beloved analog circuits, including the XMAX™ preamp.FET (Field-Effect Transistor) compressors use transistors to emulate a triode-tube sound. This type of compressor generally provides a faster attack time and better repeatability than the optical compressors that are more commonly found in channel strips in this price class.

The ADL 700 compressor features include fully variable attack, release, threshold, ratio, makeup gain, and bypass. When Threshold is turned fully counterclockwise to the ST position, the onboard compressor controls are bypassed, and compression is controlled externally via a Stereo Link connection to a second ADL 700.

Of course, the preamp offers 48V phantom power, polarity reverse, and a -20 dB pad. In addition, it provides variable mic-input gain, employing an 8-position rotary switch that provides 35 dB of gain in 5 dB increments. A Trim potentiometer (±30 dB) allows you to make fine adjustments to the final preamp stage of the ADL 700 input.

You also get a -12 dB/octave high-pass filter whose frequency threshold can be set at 20 Hz, 40 Hz, 80 Hz, or 200 Hz, or it can be turned off completely.

The 4-band semi-parametric EQ was designed with musicality in mind, combining isolated filters and optimized, per-band Q to provide subtler signal shaping without harsh artifacts. All bands have Gain (±16 dB) and Frequency controls, with overlapping frequency ranges and fixed Q (0.6). The low and high bands are switchable between shelving and peak.

Dual-mode analog VU metering enables monitoring of output and gain-reduction levels. A -6 dB switch offsets the meter for use with hot source signals. A master level control adjusts the overall output from -80 to +6 dB.

With its extensive feature set, ultra-low noise (-100 dB S/N ratio), >73 dB gain, extended frequency response of 10 Hz to 45 kHz, and top-of-the-line sound, the ADL 700 is a superb creative tool for serious recording engineers and musicians. It is expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 2012 with an expected MAP/street price of $1,999.

The iOS Music Meet will be held on Thursday July 12 in Berlin, and thanks to PreSonus European Product Marketing Manager and Digital Media Swashbuckler Rodney Orpheus, PreSonus will be there as well! The iOS Music Meet will celebrate all things which lay at the convergence of the Apple  iOS platform and, well, music. It will feature hands-on learning opportunities, musical performances, workflow production seminars, and the rubbing of elbows between artists, app developers, and hardware manufacturers. So, if you’re into mobile guitar amp emulation, touch-screen MIDI controllers, the color white, and brushed aluminum, have I got an event for you.

It’s nice that I can always count on Rodney to keep me informed of the latest and greatest. It’s like the guy has a prototype 12 GHz bluetooth receiver implanted in his cereberal cortex that receives a constant feed of stuff that’s #NowAndRadical. Fortunately for me—and subsequently, you—Rodney likes to share.

So, Rodney, what’s iOS Music Meet all about, and what’s it got to do with PreSonus?

“It’s the first time it will happen, and we think it’s an awesome idea. A real live show based around iOS is perfect for us to be part of, since there are tens of thousands of PreSonus StudioLive mixers in venues today, all of which are capable of being controlled by iOS devices such as iPads and iPhones. A show like this gives people the chance to show that this stuff isn’t just theoretical pie-in-the-sky, it’s already a fully working and road-tested mature product that we’ve been shipping for the past year. Also, with the new Smaart integration, we can set up the PA and have it sounding perfect using iPad control—faster and easier than anyone could have thought possible.”

Interested in partaking? Details follow. Registration is free, but of course there’s a hoop or two to jump through.

The Nits and Grits:

JustMusic and CDR present:

Nashville, TN, July, 2012…  Once again, PreSonus is bringing the hubbub and buzz of the music industry’s most exclusive and exciting trade-only convention direct to your screen.

PreSonus will be webcasting live from the Summer NAMM convention in beautiful downtown Nashville, Tennessee. On Friday, July 13, 2012, we’ll be providing continuous, live, anything-goes coverage of all the events at our booth, including hot gear, cool presentations, surprise interviews with famous, infamous and near-famous artists, and other excitement.

What’s more, our ever-so-slightly eccentric roving camera crew will be wandering the show floor, accosting guests, seeking out the coolest, strangest, and just plain bizarre musical instruments and other fun stuff, and doing our very best to scam free gear, free food, and maybe the odd bear hug from anywhere we can find it.

As a special added bonus, we’ll be giving away a free copy of Studio One Professional 2 DAW software (a $399 value) once every hour to a lucky online viewer.

So join us online at www.presonus.com/videos/presonuslive to catch all the action as it happens,  to view it later, or to schedule an e-mail reminder.

If you’re reading this, you’re already here.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, July 2012... PreSonus has completely redesigned its Web site, offering greatly improved navigation, deeper product information, and easy access to press releases, user stories, technical information, videos, tech support, user accounts, and much more.

Notes PreSonus Associate Creative Director Cave Daughdrill, “Truth is, a lot of us hated the old site. Working on it was worse than being stuck in traffic during the flaming-hot Louisiana summer. And it was starting to look old and dense-like the Gulf after BP got through with it. We’ve always made the kind of gear we want to use ourselves, so we decided it was time to do that with our site. Now, it’s fast and easy to find things, and the site is much more visual. The video display is huge, and you can even search and filter for results while playing the video. And the site works great with mobile devices. We think people are really gonna dig it.”

“From a back-end standpoint, the old PreSonus site was the organizational equivalent of a dozen meth’ed-up gerbils playing soccer with a marble inside a grandfather clock,” says PreSonus Web Engineer Luciano Ziegler. “Our new site is so smooth that it may actually revolutionize String Theory.”

Please visit www.presonus.com and check it out!

United States, June, 2012…  Summer camp is a ritual for kids and teens all across the U.S., and LifeWay Christian Resources is a familiar name for many of them. LifeWay hosts a wide range of multi-day summer camps at colleges and retreat centers throughout the nation, from recreation and Bible study for younger kids to workshops and mission-based camps for teens and young adults. As Josh Webb, LifeWay’s resident engineer and tech guru, explains, live music is a big part of the experience.

“There’s a lot of activities during the day, from team building to community service,” says Webb. “Then, in the evenings, there’s music. It’s usually a four- to six-piece band: full drum kit, bass, guitars, keyboards, and of course, vocals.”

For Webb, who coordinates sound and lighting for most of the camps, that means an ongoing routine that keeps him busy through the summer. “We’ll typically rent a facility for a few weeks during the summer, set up audio, lighting, and all that stuff; then we’ll load up the truck and move to another location,” he says.

Needless to say, it’s a big job keeping track of so many locations and crews, and LifeWay recently streamlined the process with the purchase of more than 30 StudioLive™ 24.4.2 digital consoles.

“Previously we had a whole bunch of different analog consoles,” says Webb. “We’d truck in our analog consoles, racks of gear, and cabling, and put it all together. Replacing them all with StudioLive consoles has been great on so many levels.”

click for hi-res image

The StudioLive’s fully integrated effects have really changed the equation, Webb reports.

“The PreSonus console is pretty much the heart of the audio system for us. We’ve literally got three or four warehouse palettes of compressors, limiters, and other outboard gear that we just don’t need anymore because everything’s built into the desk. It’s really lightened the load for the travel teams and has made setup and teardown a breeze.”

The StudioLive’s ease of use is another major asset. “It’s basically set up like an analog console, even though everything’s digital under the hood,” says Webb. “So the learning curve is almost nonexistent. They don’t have to run through pages and pages of menus – everything is accessible via the Fat Channel.”

Webb says they’ve only just begun to tap into the potential of the StudioLive’s capabilities. “We’ve got MacBooks^® or iMacs^® with every console, so we can do live recording via Capture™,” he says. “We’re using some of the tracks for a virtual sound check, especially in places where we’ve got multiple performances in the same place. It’s great for training people as well: We can have our newer engineers play back a multitrack recording and experiment with different dynamics and effects without the pressure and risk of doing it during a live show.”

“Eventually we’ll be implementing iPad^® control and QMix™ for the monitor mix,” he adds. “This first year, we’re just starting with iPad control for a few teams, just to get our feet wet. Basically, we’re telling our more tech-savvy people that if they already have an iPad, they can go ahead and check out the remote-mixing capability. The information will trickle down to the rest of the teams throughout the summer.”

With so many different crews to coordinate, having everyone on the same console is more than just a convenience, he adds. “It’s a great thing for me, in particular, since I’m the guy who has to troubleshoot the setups. The consistency of knowing that every setup is now using a StudioLive console makes my life that much easier.” Webb is presently putting together a knowledgebase, to enable the entire team of engineers to share notes and get the most out of the StudioLive.

“In the past, we’ve been relatively old school as far as the audio is concerned,” Webb concludes. “But we’ve always tried to push ourselves forward and find ways to do things better, faster, and more efficiently. And the StudioLive consoles have been a huge step forward.”

Out of the industrial-strength kindness of Ivan “Vigilante” Muñoz’ heart comes the below unsolicited slice of Studio One  praise.  While I never get tired of reading e-mails from folks who like our products, I have to confess that this image Ivan submitted is kind of a nice change of pace. Take a look:

Worth noting is that, to the best of my knowledge, no one’s ever sent Ivan one of our style guides, and I’m not sure where he got such nice, clean copies of our logos… but look at this thing, it’s like Ivan went to PreSonus design college. It’s grungy, high-contrast, features prominent product placement…  Dude kinda nailed it.

HEY BANDS: Are you looking to get endorsement relationships with the brands you love? Maybe you already have one? Take note—taking the initiative to produce stuff like what Ivan’s done above is a great way to keep those relationships strong.

Just sayin’, it’s not all free mixers and lollipops. Thanks, Ivan!