PreSonus StudioLive Firmware Update

The new firmware is said to add important new features and improvements and is recommended for all StudioLive users.

One of the new features lets you use the mixer’s FireWire ports to daisy-chain two StudioLive mixers for 32 channels of recording or to combine up to 4 StudioLive mixers for 64 channels in live performance, with sample-accurate synchronization between units, according to PreSonus.

When you need more channels, plug in a second StudioLive 16.4.2, turn on its link ID, and your master StudioLive will detect it and merge the buses to the master unit, PreSonus says.

For example, with three mixers, all 48 channels are sent to the master unit’s main bus, and the six aux buses on the slave mixers are summed to the aux buses on the master unit. The main buses also are summed. You can either have the slave unit’s subgroups merge to the subgroups on the master unit or keep them separate.

The mutes, solos, and PFL/cue are also designed to work together, as if you had one large mixer. The internal stereo effects buses remain independent, so with three mixers, you get six stereo effects processors. Linked mixers can share Scene names, and you can copy parameters across linked mixers. Selecting a meter mode on the master mixer enables the same meter mode on the slave units.

The update also adds a 31-band graphic EQ on the StudioLive’s main output.

Firmware version 1.11 is packaged in one installer, along with a new 64-bit-compatible FireWire driver and Universal Control software update for all PreSonus FireWire products.

Universal Control is designed so you can daisy-chain any FireStudio-series interface with your StudioLive 16.4.2, integrating the units, so that you not only get more inputs and outputs, you also have software control over the FireStudio-series’ internal mixers.

This installer will be part of the PreSonus open-beta program and is available on the PreSonus Web site at www.presonus.com/betaprogram.