Presonus Studio Channel

Dooblay

New member
Ordered one of these and really looking forward to seeing (hearing) what it can do. The plan is to use it for recording on my Zoom R16, to eliminate the need for using too many plug-ins on my sub-par laptop.

Slowly building up my gear to the point where I have everything I need, few more bits to get and I'll be there!

Anyone else have this Presonus channel strip? Is it good for a guy with a basic set up/equipment and no treated rooms? Thoughts welcome :)
 
you got me reading on these, never tried one. I'd like to see a Review of your opinion...With vs Without.

its a VCA compressor, fast but shouldnt be blurry. the preamp is a clean preamp unless you turn up the "tube"distortion for something different. the EQ?

in a perspective of a Console, this is a single channel...if the console was 12 channels, $3000-$3500 console.

I like that its a new piece so everything should be in great health and no worrys of some old worn out part dying.

The DI is an added benefit worthy of some of the cost.

Interesting the Presonus Eureka is similar but of the transformer type vs tube of the Class- A Strip.

I do outboard for the same reason, sometimes the work flow without plugins is great, why? I dont know.
 
you got me reading on these, never tried one. I'd like to see a Review of your opinion...With vs Without.

its a VCA compressor, fast but shouldnt be blurry. the preamp is a clean preamp unless you turn up the "tube"distortion for something different. the EQ?

in a perspective of a Console, this is a single channel...if the console was 12 channels, $3000-$3500 console.

I like that its a new piece so everything should be in great health and no worrys of some old worn out part dying.

The DI is an added benefit worthy of some of the cost.

Interesting the Presonus Eureka is similar but of the transformer type vs tube of the Class- A Strip.

I do outboard for the same reason, sometimes the work flow without plugins is great, why? I dont know.

I'll look to put a wee review together when I'm up to speed with it. Think it's due to arrive on the 9th January. Not too experienced with this type of thing so if my review is somewhat lacking I apologise in advance ha.

Quick question while I'm here, will the unit be suited to use for mix bus processing do you think? Or am I way off thinking that?
 
I think you would need two of them for Mix buss...as its a single strip, not a stereo 2 channel strip.
 
Ah right, makes sense. No matter, getting nice controlled tracks on the way in is the priority just now.

What outboard are you using yourself CC?
 
A single pre on the way in is an invaluable thing IMO. But, it also doesn't make a 'oh my god that is friggen awesome' difference in my experience.

That being said, you will hopefully have more gain and ability to color the sound a bit when needed. That is also something that can't be judged other than by you.

I found the same with my Vintech X73i Neve clone thing. It is a really clean preamp with a shit ton of gain and eq, and I use it always as my 'sweet' channel. But I have no experience running it for something like an outboard pre/eq. It just my expensive direct box really....
 
I suppose I should add that things like the ART MP's and pro channel things to me were crap IMO. Nothing one couldn't just add later as far as distortion from a preamp. Whatever 'starved plate' tube was, didn't really cut it for me. Sold them all cheap. That's when I got the Vintech for my main channel and forgot about the others.

I have no experience with the Presonus Studio Channel, so don't think I am judging it. I have no clue or opinion on it.
 
I hear you Jimmy, the stage I'm at does not require a 'wow that is amazing' piece of outboard. I've never used anything like this so I don't even know what my preferred type of sound would be. This is purely for getting a good tracking stage to minimise the need for plugins on my poor spec laptop.

So all that considered, the fact the studio channel has an adequate compressor and eq, along with a decent pre/gain, is going to be plenty good enough for me.

Maybe in a few years when I can acquire a decent room and monitoring system, I'll start looking into higher end channels. And I'll no doubt pester you all again for advice and opinions :)
 
I hear you Jimmy, the stage I'm at does not require a 'wow that is amazing' piece of outboard. I've never used anything like this so I don't even know what my preferred type of sound would be. This is purely for getting a good tracking stage to minimise the need for plugins on my poor spec laptop.

So all that considered, the fact the studio channel has an adequate compressor and eq, along with a decent pre/gain, is going to be plenty good enough for me.

Maybe in a few years when I can acquire a decent room and monitoring system, I'll start looking into higher end channels. And I'll no doubt pester you all again for advice and opinions :)

Seems to me you are approaching this well. You have good goals. :thumbs up:

Just to keep in mind that things like eq's and compressors typically take negligible PC power. Many reverbs, 'look ahead' type limiters and VST instruments are usually the killers.

I built a PC that is quite strong that can pretty much keep latency under 6ms with full mix of audio tracks with multiple eq's, comps, delays, drum replacement (SS Trigger) and a couple reverbs before dropouts. With Fabfilter ProL mastering limiter, latency is too much to track with. Some plugs are just CPU power hungry.

Best to you Doob! :)
 
Cheers Jimmy, appreciate that mate. I'll get a system worth talking about eventually, but my Zoom R16 is ideal for now as it's silent and portable, so if/when the local studio opens again I can hire a room to track guitars and vocals.

Have a copy of EZD 2 on the laptop so that will be used for drums and automation only, hence the Presonus Channel strip being a great solution for now!

Cannot wait to get my hands on it, along with the JBL 140's and Beyer DT990's which are also en route ;)
 
Another thought....your self build PC, how is it for noise? Did you splash out on a 'silent' fan? Assume you went SSD?
 
What outboard are you using yourself CC?

dont get me started! lol
what I have at the house today is a small sample for 2019... a Cloudlifter, JDI, DMP3, Neve Clone 73, KT2A..... but the staple for me today is the Cloudlifter and JDI. The NeveClone73 into a KT2A was the "test drive this year"... (and theres a few others laying around too)

but this is after a few years of rabbit holing seeking the "perfect" outboard for myself...
numerous JoeMeeks new and old several models, Focusrites, ISA and Platinums, UA LA610 approx 3 qty , Emperical Labs Mike-E, Lindell 18xs, Symetirx, ART possibly all of those, in various Gold to Black colors....starved or high voltage, transformer or not, Ranes several models, DAV BG1, other channel strips or single pres and comps... always comparing to plugins too as its by far the cheapest and has SAVE AS...

Im selling most this stuff, as much was flipped and swapped anyway and my needs are small for HR recording/hobby stuff. What I have interest in trying next is a DAKING MicPReII or a Grace Design...only because I havent tried them here. My 2019 comparison fun was the NeveClone into a KT2A vs Cloudlifter/Interface Pre and ITB comp....and I think Im choosing the latter.
and for 2021 probably will be the Cloudlifter/Interface + ITB plugs vs DAKING MicPre...and a Grace Design...but Im looking for the option of a Return/Refund on used stuff.

If you like reading the gear stuff SOS Preamp- large shootout a "classic article"
SOS Forum • Preamp comparison in SOS October 2012: the key!

my keepers seem to be the cloudlifter booster box for dynamics, (the Cathederal Pipes Durham was just as good for 1/2 price but my son took and kept it....with his dynamics.)

the JDI I grabbed a "pro hyped piece" and let the real bass and guitar players do the shootouts, and to be honest I love it for desktop access location, too...but in truth almost all the units DI seem to work fine, even the interface DI works fine and small differences to me.

The ART TPSII became a unique box, its cheap but has FX and tone shape the clean stuff doesnt get and even the UA610 didnt get there to what I wanted, the ART TPS does guitars and vocal and anything...its Neutral is ok. I got turned on to it from a local band did an a great CD with it, and with it being cheap a no brainer. The EmperialLabs Mike E was awesome but for $1800? and its based off a crunched 1176, which the piece is beautiful but for a HR home-dude messing about, abit over my head and needs. Again the TPS gets dirty and cleans up kind of too.

heres a staple I post on cheaper gear in the right hands...cheap CAD mics x 4, and Aphex 107 x 2qty...and a beautiful room and great engineer...
JaxTrax Mobile Recording

go to... Equinox string quartet mix-lt.mp3
 
Haha wow, that is a LOT of gear you've named there. I'd wager it taking a full night at the laptop to Google them all for even a basic description of their functions :D

Next chance I get to sit for a while at the laptop, I'll have a look at some of the stuff and click on the links. Thanks for taking the time mate.

BTW I did look at the ART TPS as an option before deciding on the Presonus, it was a close call but as I'm spreading the payments over 12 months, I was fine with spending the extra to get more shaping control with the Presonus.

I look forward to following your trail down that rabbit hole :)
 
Another thought....your self build PC, how is it for noise? Did you splash out on a 'silent' fan? Assume you went SSD?

I cant even hear the fan. Big case with 2 big low speed fans. I'd have to open it up to remember the processor liquid cooled thing I got. It a Cooler Master Hyper something? Thing was like $38 that needs a really big case to fit it. It was cheap and works. The power supply fan is likely the loudest in the build. I have never had issue with PC fans being loud in this space. But my control room is 35' x 13' x 8' high and acoustically treated, so nothing gets recorded closer than 10 feet from it anyway...Or in an isolation room...

Yes, Samsung 860EVO 1TB SSD for OS and DAW. 3 HDD Barracudas for recording and backups in the case. 4 external HDD for further backups of current projects.
 
Sounds like a mega setup Jimmy, that room must be a dream to work in. I've not built a pc for about 10 years and would only do it if I had a good room to do it in. Next year's purchase will be a decent laptop for sure.
 
Haha wow, that is a LOT of gear you've named there. I'd wager it taking a full night at the laptop to Google them all for even a basic description of their functions :D

Next chance I get to sit for a while at the laptop, I'll have a look at some of the stuff and click on the links. Thanks for taking the time mate.

BTW I did look at the ART TPS as an option before deciding on the Presonus, it was a close call but as I'm spreading the payments over 12 months, I was fine with spending the extra to get more shaping control with the Presonus.

I look forward to following your trail down that rabbit hole :)

Really its not a big deal. Its a bunch of the same thing, like a different tool....preamp= gain....eq.....compressor...just different designs.
I like the gear more than recording these days it seems, lol.

these magic dudes build this stuff, its amazing, under the hood.....but its wierd, the simple designs like a Rane MS1 can sound withn a tiny distance from a ISA One with massive stuff inside....which sounds similar to a $2500 Martech etc....

the 3rd UA 610 I had was a gorgeous piece, only 500 made special edition and it was beautiful but it had some crackling gain knob and then it wasnt 1000's times better than others imo. ymmv.... some of its placebo like the Large Bakelite knobs are so cool and the whole tube wintage vibe thing, but in clean mode it wasnt far from the ART MPA's I testdrove...so its all abit confusing in sound.

preference right? like plugins...some want an Oscilliscope layout and others like a One Knob and simple design.

in hindsight I wish Id just compared to HiDollar stuff faster and moved on...I spent a lot of time comparing mid-level to mid-level to cheap etc..then about the 3rd year tossed in some HiDollar stuff pro's use and that data made me like the DMP3 and others a lot more confidently.
 
Sounds like a mega setup Jimmy, that room must be a dream to work in. I've not built a pc for about 10 years and would only do it if I had a good room to do it in. Next year's purchase will be a decent laptop for sure.

Well, it has been 15 years in the making. I wouldn't call it a 'dream'... It is functional and I get good results from it. None of it is what many would call pretty, but that kinda how I want it. Not the sterile high end studio 'Don't smoke or drink beer in here' thing. It the way I like I always wanted to record. In a rock n roll rehearsal space that feels like it. No nasty couches that nobody wants to sit on however.. lol

I have spent a bunch on room treatments for each room. Drum room ceiling is filled with two layers of rockwool and alternating wall panels. Same size 35' x 13' space as control/recording room but treated accordingly. I am lucky to have as much space as I do in my basement. Still, it is not ideal dimensions by any means.

John Brandt give me tons of free advice that I used within my budget to make things work. I surely owe him still.

The basics are quite simple. In the end it is trial and error. Experience with using quality advice on the way, made my shit work. I got lucky in many ways because I listened to the pro's and not the salesman.

I am curious why you feel you want a laptop to do recording needs? A worthy laptop will cost you way more than a PC that is built for just recording. Sounds like you have built a PC before. Mine was around $1200 before the drives 5 years ago. Sure less now. A lappy with anywhere near that power, you can build in a desktop will be closer to $2000 and not be able to keep up or upgrade. I may be off here as I haven't priced high end laptops in quite a while. Just $300 internet ones for my daughter/wife.

I keep my remote 'laptop' needs away from my studio needs. Easier and more efficient. Cheaper in the long run IMO. My last recording PC that I rebuilt is my internet PC in my office. Way overkill, but it was basically free after the drives crashed. Was a bad story....

On another note, ever looked into the cost of replacing a bad component in a laptop? Don't even bother... Buy a new one. Fan, ram, or power supply goes bad in a tower build? $25 max... Just sayin...
 
In hindsight I wish Id just compared to HiDollar stuff faster and moved on...I spent a lot of time comparing mid-level to mid-level to cheap etc..then about the 3rd year tossed in some HiDollar stuff pro's use and that data made me like the DMP3 and others a lot more confidently.

From what I've read over the past year browing places like here, SOS, watching guys like Graham Cochrane on youitube...this is the crux of what i've gathered. It's all well and good having money to burn on high end gear, but really it's not about the gear, more how you use it. Personally I don't see me going down that road even if I could afford to, because I don't have the ear to pick up on the fine detail of different units.

So I understand completely what you're saying, and the advice is gratefully received mate :thumbs up:

Well, it has been 15 years in the making. I wouldn't call it a 'dream'... It is functional and I get good results from it. None of it is what many would call pretty, but that kinda how I want it. Not the sterile high end studio 'Don't smoke or drink beer in here' thing. It the way I like I always wanted to record. In a rock n roll rehearsal space that feels like it. No nasty couches that nobody wants to sit on however.. lol

I have spent a bunch on room treatments for each room. Drum room ceiling is filled with two layers of rockwool and alternating wall panels. Same size 35' x 13' space as control/recording room but treated accordingly. I am lucky to have as much space as I do in my basement. Still, it is not ideal dimensions by any means.

John Brandt give me tons of free advice that I used within my budget to make things work. I surely owe him still.

The basics are quite simple. In the end it is trial and error. Experience with using quality advice on the way, made my shit work. I got lucky in many ways because I listened to the pro's and not the salesman.

I am curious why you feel you want a laptop to do recording needs? A worthy laptop will cost you way more than a PC that is built for just recording. Sounds like you have built a PC before. Mine was around $1200 before the drives 5 years ago. Sure less now. A lappy with anywhere near that power, you can build in a desktop will be closer to $2000 and not be able to keep up or upgrade. I may be off here as I haven't priced high end laptops in quite a while. Just $300 internet ones for my daughter/wife.

I keep my remote 'laptop' needs away from my studio needs. Easier and more efficient. Cheaper in the long run IMO. My last recording PC that I rebuilt is my internet PC in my office. Way overkill, but it was basically free after the drives crashed. Was a bad story....

On another note, ever looked into the cost of replacing a bad component in a laptop? Don't even bother... Buy a new one. Fan, ram, or power supply goes bad in a tower build? $25 max... Just sayin...

See the thing is, when I had my PC (it was decent enough, but very outdated these days so fixing it up feels like a bit of a waste of time as compatability is very limited with the motherboard in it) at the time I was not thinking about room noise and acoustic treatment, I used to just slap my NT1-a in the middle of my livingroom and hit record.

Nowadays i'm much more aware of how important the room is, and I have nowhere in my house I can set up as a treated space, even temporarily. So that was the thinking behind getting the R16, and planning on getting a *decent* laptop...so I have portability in terms of tracking and even mixing. That's why I also went for the JBL 104's and DT990's for mixing.

If and when I get a permanent space I can treat properly, a PC build is most definitely the way i'll be going. Probably inside a self-built iso-box.
 
its all good, everyone has a different rabbit hole in some way...gear , room, "guitar tone" , drum setups..all the above!

theres so much info these days, reading and listening to samples and reliability complaints ...and if you have a good set of monitors like your DT990's ... its not rocket science. I might differ though if I won the Lottery! Id probably have a REDD47 sitting here and a vintage LA2A..lol





...the perfect mixing /mastering room rabbit hole was just too expensive and large for my hobby.
 
Yeah that lottery win is still playing hard to get. I work in construction so I already know how to build my studio, hopefully THIS is the year :D

If it is, I'll buy the units you mentioned and send them to you for a shot, as a thanks for the advice ha
 
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