[the following comes to us from the nice guys at Pro Sound News Europe!]

Following a late-August groundbreaking ceremony for its new high-tech headquarters and research facility in Baton Rouge, USA, PreSonus CEO Jim Mack revealed that the company’s revenues had increased by more than 50% last year.

Apple fanboy Rick Naqvi should probably be hitting up Tim Cook for a sales commission.  Here, he extolls the virtues of the iPad and Mac Mini… but it doesn’t end there. This isn’t just another “Wireless control of the StudioLive via iPad” video. This is something else. This has bells and whistles.

First, Rick sets up his Mac Mini to auto-launch VSL on boot. So, assuming proper connections and having everything powered up, his Mac Mini will auto-connect to his StudioLive seconds within powering up.

But keep watching… it gets real interesting. Via the iPad, Rick uses VNC Mocha Lite to connect to his Mac Mini desktop: no monitor required! This configuration allows you to run and interface with both VSL Remote and also access Capture or Angry Birds during the show. Rick keeps it simple and thorough at the same time—but you might wanna make sure you know what an IP address is before viewing.

Imogen Heap is staggeringly talented. Her new HeapSong is check-out-able over YouTube. HeapSongs are created by Imogen in an impromptu manner by compiling fan-submitted “sound seeds,” AKA audio samples. Beautiful!

Oh, and notice the PreSonus StudioLive 16.0.2 front and center!

The delightfully goofball StudioLive and Studio One enthusiasts over at Frog Leap Studios have released another of their trademark acoustic-rock version of a familiar classic. Last time they checked in with us, we got the Frog Leap treatment of the Jackson 5ive hit, “Blame it on the Boogie.” and “Hey Ya,” before that.

Given this rich history, I was expecting a folky rendition of “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” or “All The Single Ladies,” but instead we get the following. Thanks guys!

This just in From Jean-Jaque in Aalen, Germany! He runs Asskan Studios, where many PreSonus products have found a caring home. He sent some photos for me to put on our Facebook album of user studio photos, and I instead found them completely blogworthy. Jean-Jaque shares a few words:

Asskan started as a little home recording project. But perfectionism led to a complete little studio, with all the stuff I need. The studio was finished just about 6 months ago.

I searched for a recording solution with a analog-like usage that’s covering a wide range of requirements. I wanted to record mobile, for example in good sounding rooms, I wanted to record bands live, and most of the time, use it in my studio. The solution was the StudioLive 16.4.2. It gives me many channels of recording, great neutral preamps, and the opportunity of mixing my monitors, all in just one device. The HP60 was the perfect extension—now I can give all members of the band what they need in live recording situations.

I also use several pieces of outboard gear, and I’m a total microphone freak. The studio is equipped with a full drum set, guitar amps and many instruments. The combination especially of vintage gear and modern recording gear is what I like. I’m a singer and guitarist myself and so I understand the wish of recording a real 412 guitar-cabinet and not via VST…. although I’m using VST instruments as well. 🙂

With Studio One I’ve found a classic, but easy-to-use DAW with many time-saving features. And the FaderPort adds ease to my fader adjustments. I do not like to do  fine adjustments via the mouse, but also I searched for a controller with just one single control.

What I’d like to have? The Studio Channel could be a good follower for my actual outboard preamps.  Maybe the ADL600?!

Some of my recordings:
– Big Fish Audio: The Black Kit 
– My Band: SevenLies

Photos by Andy Nowakowski

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.”

Las Vegas, NV, June 2012…  Join PreSonus for a very special live webcast, direct from the InfoComm Show in Las Vegas.