Adventures with the PreSonus StudioLive 24.4.2

I recently used the PreSouns StudioLive 24.4.2 to do a 24 channel multi-track audio recording of a show for The David James Band here in Denver. The show also had a multi-camera video recording made and will be edited and later mixed down with the audio recording. I thought this would be a great opportunity to put the PreSonus StudioLive through the rings and use it for the entire recording process from tracking the show live to later mixing the session down in the studio. I’ll be sharing my experience as I go through the process, and, if you have anything you’d like to have me test/tryout, let me know and we’ll try it!

Tracking Live with the PreSonus StudioLive 24.4.2

The Live Recording Setup:

Originally I was planning on swapping out the Venue’s live mixing console for the StudioLive  24.4.2 so that we could mix live on the console while also using it to capture for the multi-track recording. To me this was ideal because it meant I wouldn’t need to grab a feed of each of the stage inputs from a split or the live/FOH mixer. Unfortunately, the venue was not comfortable with having me disconnect their console and installing the studiolive for the show, so this wasn’t an option. Their FOH console also didn’t have any direct outputs, so I was stuck having to rent a mic splitter so that I could get all of the stage inputs without interfering with the venue’s console and PA system. For those of you who haven’t used a split, its a box with 1 mic input to many mic outputs on a per channel basis (so plug a vocal mic in, and you get 2 or more of the same vocal mic out). Usually the outputs are “isolated” to prevent ground loops between your and the venue’s systems. You plug the mics into the split, then take one of each channel’s outputs to the recording system (the StudioLive) and the venue’s sound guy takes one output to his system. In some ways this was ideal because I was then able to use the PreSonus high quality preamps rather than being stuck with the pre’s on the live FOH mixer. From the split I plugged directly into the StudioLive, and then took the firewire output from the StudioLive into my PC running PreSonus Capture in order to record all 24 channels from the StudioLive.

Getting the mixer ready for the show:

Testing equipment before recording a show is a must in my opinion, especially when its equipment you’ve never used before, so I spent a couple of hours hooking everything up (including the mic split) before hand in order to make sure there wasn’t any problems. And it was a good thing I did, because in my test recordings the system kept crashing anywhere between 30min to an hour into the recording. This of course was as serious problem given the show was to be about an hour and a half long. The test setup that kept crashing was going from the StudioLive’s firewire output into a PC running Steinberg’s Nuendo (using the drivers and firmware that came stock with the StudioLive). Thinking the problem was Nuendo, I swapped the software out for the PreSonus Capture software made very specifically to record all 24 channels from the StudioLive console. While this made the system more stable, I was still having problems, not a crash, but the recording would stop on its own after 50min to 75min. My next step was to update the console to the latest firmware and use the latest PC drivers (Universal Control 1.5.2). After doing this everything seemed to be real stable and without any problems.

Recording the show:

Because I was on stage playing in the band, I was unable to monitor the recording during the show, but I can tell you set up was a breeze. During the live sound check I setup my preamp levels using the easy to view metering in Capture. I used these meters rather than the StudioLive’s meters to insure I wasn’t clipping anywhere in the chain. I did this because if I looked on the StudioLive’s meter’s,  I wouldn’t be monitoring what was actually hitting Capture’s inputs and might be clipping it at that point in the chain. After sound check, I hit the record button and and all went smoothly until stopping the recording after the show.

Mixdown:

Check back soon for a follow up post with audio clip examples and details on my experience mixing within the StudioLive to produce the final product! If you’d like me to use any specific features, or try anything out, shoot me a comment below and I’ll integrate it into the mix!

Feb 2012 update: Check out my follow up post on mixing with the StudioLive 24.4.2

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