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  1. #1

    Default PreSonus StudioLive Series III

    Hi all,

    Has anyone used the StudioLIve Series III with SAWStudio as a record/mix USB interface? If so, how well does it work? (Is the PreSonus USB protocol compatible with SAW?)

    TIA
    Richard
    Green Valley Recording
    My cats have nine lives; my life has nine cats.

  2. #2

    Default Re: PreSonus StudioLive Series III

    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Rupert View Post
    Hi all,

    Has anyone used the StudioLIve Series III with SAWStudio as a record/mix USB interface? If so, how well does it work? (Is the PreSonus USB protocol compatible with SAW?)

    TIA
    I don't have the answer. But if you are considering a purchase, my advice is to look elsewhere. My experience with PreSonus boards is that there is a very steep learning curve. Most digital boards in that price range are not very intuitive, but PreSonus seems to be the worst.
    Angie Dickinson Mickle

    The Studio
    http://www.avocadoproductions.com/ze.../recording.htm

    Chris' tribute site
    http://www.micklesong.com

  3. #3

    Default Re: PreSonus StudioLive Series III

    Thank you for your reply, Angie. However, I do hope someone has had hands-on experience with the Series III and can comment. I'm at the very early stages of consideration, so will definitely look at all options. I may even decide not to buy any physical mixer and use SAC. So many options these days...
    Richard
    Green Valley Recording
    My cats have nine lives; my life has nine cats.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Maple Ridge, BC Canada
    Posts
    3,515
    Blog Entries
    1

    Default Re: PreSonus StudioLive Series III

    Richard,
    I have purchased and used PreSonus equipment in the past and if anything, their customer un-service is second-to-none!

    There is absolutely no way of contacting them by phone and their email system is extremely poor.

    This being said, I cannot really see any issues with any USB driver. If at all possible, see if you can rent one! Then you would know for sure.

    I may even decide not to buy any physical mixer and use SAC. So many options these days...
    ... These are two excellent options are are both strongly recommended!

  5. #5

    Default Re: PreSonus StudioLive Series III

    Would the mixer simply serve as a routing and monitoring device? Do you have another interface serving as your AD and DA for recording? If so, I like your idea of using a software mixer. If you already have SAC, that would be easiest, I think, because it's familiar and looks/acts a lot like SS. I don't have SAC, but have had great success using the mixer applets that came with my Lynx cards and later, with RME interfaces. I have saved settings for all the typical sessions and can set up for any of them in a few clicks. Perhaps a digital mixer can do the same thing via the USB connection. But if you don't have to buy one...
    Ian Alexander
    VO Talent/Audio Producer
    www.IanAlexander.com

  6. #6

    Default Re: PreSonus StudioLive Series III

    Quote Originally Posted by Ian Alexander View Post
    Would the mixer simply serve as a routing and monitoring device? Do you have another interface serving as your AD and DA for recording? If so, I like your idea of using a software mixer. If you already have SAC, that would be easiest, I think, because it's familiar and looks/acts a lot like SS. I don't have SAC, but have had great success using the mixer applets that came with my Lynx cards and later, with RME interfaces. I have saved settings for all the typical sessions and can set up for any of them in a few clicks. Perhaps a digital mixer can do the same thing via the USB connection. But if you don't have to buy one...
    I do have SAC, and it is very different from the mixer apps that come with the sound interfaces. Things like TotalMix, etc., do strictly level and pan with mute buttons, and in the cases I know about, the mix processing is done in the interface hardware, which makes the latency a low as you can get without staying in the analog domain. SAC is far more powerful, with features like multiple BIG analog consoles tied together, only more transparent sonically than any analog mixer I ever worked with (even the old school Neve, or SSL boards). The downside is a bit more latency, though not enough of it in most instances to bother anyone, and certainly excellent for any live PA situation.

    I will say that, for input monitor for a vocalist headphone feed in a studio recording setting, I still stay with an analog monitor path for vocal mike to headphones. Not all vocalists can hear the difference, but I can absolutely hear it. I ran careful comparison tests years ago to prove this.
    Cary B. Cornett
    aka "Puzzler"
    www.chinesepuzzlerecording.com

  7. #7

    Default Re: PreSonus StudioLive Series III

    Quote Originally Posted by Cary B. Cornett View Post
    I do have SAC, and it is very different from the mixer apps that come with the sound interfaces. Things like TotalMix, etc., do strictly level and pan with mute buttons, and in the cases I know about, the mix processing is done in the interface hardware, which makes the latency a low as you can get without staying in the analog domain. SAC is far more powerful, with features like multiple BIG analog consoles tied together, only more transparent sonically than any analog mixer I ever worked with (even the old school Neve, or SSL boards). The downside is a bit more latency, though not enough of it in most instances to bother anyone, and certainly excellent for any live PA situation.

    I will say that, for input monitor for a vocalist headphone feed in a studio recording setting, I still stay with an analog monitor path for vocal mike to headphones. Not all vocalists can hear the difference, but I can absolutely hear it. I ran careful comparison tests years ago to prove this.
    Hi Cary,

    I cannot disagree about SAC, as I do not have it and have not even demoed it. But I have TotalMix FX and it is far more capable than you might imagine, with the FX version offering EQ, dynamics, reverb, and delay. As with my earlier RME UCX interface, the UFX+ offers instantly recallable mixes of mic, phone patch, playback, effects, etc., for the headphones, phone patch out, and control room, that are reliably easy. Even "More Me" mixes are no problem. I don't know that it would be useful for live situations, as there are only 8 "scenes" available in each workspace, but for studio work, it's fine.

    I do recall sensing a difference in the headphone feed years ago in my first experience with the Lynx mixer applet. There was a "feeling" in the presence band of 4-7k that added a certain phasiness, but I got over it very quickly. Lynx claimed a latency of 1-2 milliseconds between the inputs and outputs of the software mixer. I will do some testing next week to quantify the latency in the current RME UFX+.

    I will add that if a vocalist can deal with a stage wedge five feet from their ears, they can deal with a few milliseconds of latency in their headphones. Sound travels about a meter in 3 milliseconds. Many interfaces claim a latency less than that in their software mixers and stage wedges are, depending on the height of the performer, more than a meter from their ears.

    So I wonder if the fact that you can hear it, which I do not dispute, makes a difference in whether you can use it. In asking that question, I acknowledge that hearing it might possibly make it distracting for a performer. In that case, awareness might actually be a hindrance. Perhaps in this situation, ignorance could be bliss. If so, I encourage you to give a software mixer a long-term trial. You might find that you get over the very small latency and truly enjoy the ease of setup it offers.
    Ian Alexander
    VO Talent/Audio Producer
    www.IanAlexander.com

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    1,509

    Default Re: PreSonus StudioLive Series III

    Quote Originally Posted by Ian Alexander View Post
    Hi Cary,

    I will add that if a vocalist can deal with a stage wedge five feet from their ears, they can deal with a few milliseconds of latency in their headphones. Sound travels about a meter in 3 milliseconds. Many interfaces claim a latency less than that in their software mixers and stage wedges are, depending on the height of the performer, more than a meter from their ears.
    The issue that happens in a studio setting is with headphones. You hear both the latency delayed headphone mix along with the zero latency bone conduction through your head and it creates varying degrees of comb filtering depending on the actual latency and frequency of the content involved.

    Usually adding a small amount of reverb will mitigate that issue.
    ---------------------------------------
    Philip G.

  9. #9

    Default Re: PreSonus StudioLive Series III

    Quote Originally Posted by mr_es335 View Post
    Richard,
    I have purchased and used PreSonus equipment in the past and if anything, their customer un-service is second-to-none!

    There is absolutely no way of contacting them by phone and their email system is extremely poor.

    This being said, I cannot really see any issues with any USB driver. If at all possible, see if you can rent one! Then you would know for sure.

    ... These are two excellent options are are both strongly recommended!
    Thanks Dell. Unfortunately, I live in a small town and have found NO dealers within 100 miles the even carry the StudioLive. I was thinking of just taking a laptop with SAW installed and try it in the store. So far, no stores.
    Richard
    Green Valley Recording
    My cats have nine lives; my life has nine cats.

  10. #10

    Default Re: PreSonus StudioLive Series III

    Quote Originally Posted by Ian Alexander View Post
    Would the mixer simply serve as a routing and monitoring device? Do you have another interface serving as your AD and DA for recording? If so, I like your idea of using a software mixer. If you already have SAC, that would be easiest, I think, because it's familiar and looks/acts a lot like SS. I don't have SAC, but have had great success using the mixer applets that came with my Lynx cards and later, with RME interfaces. I have saved settings for all the typical sessions and can set up for any of them in a few clicks. Perhaps a digital mixer can do the same thing via the USB connection. But if you don't have to buy one...
    Yes, Ian, I have two Frontier Designs converters that I've been using for many years. My current mixing console is a 1977 Tangent 24 channel/16 buss board that is looking and acting a bit... uh, "tired", so was thinking of sprucing up the rig. I cater mostly to bands and groups of up to 20 members (bell choirs for example), and sometimes solo artists. So I do need several channels of input potential.

    I actually have both SAWStudio full and SAC, and experimented with the combination for a couple days (with a volunteer "test specimen"). I really had a considerable amount of difficulty with the touch screen not consistently responding to my
    commands. Sometimes I'd have to attempt the action several times. And I don't think it was because I needed more practice with it. It just didn't recognize different gestures or touches dependably (this was with a 3M monitor). That's primarily why I was looking into a digital hardware interface. Your points are well taken though... I don't want to buy something if it's either unnecessary or doesn't function well. Thanks for replying.
    Richard
    Green Valley Recording
    My cats have nine lives; my life has nine cats.

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