PreSonus StudioLive 16.0.2 USB Digital Mixer, 16-Channel Performance and Recording Console, 18x16 USB Audio Interface, 4 Aux Buses, XMAX Mic Preamps, Scene Save, Software Included

As a professional record producer I needed a simple system that I can chuck in the car if I ever get asked to record someone (it happens quite often) - I have other desks for home use, all of which are usually over the top for simple recordings (SSL Big Six, KorgML-1608, Soundcraft fx16ii) but for simple see if connecting to a laptop and hitting record this is fantastic. Admittedly it’s not for complete amateurs because gating and compression is an art, but this does the trick well. EQ also simple but you will have to familiarise yourself with the way it works. Even in 2024, 5 star product, under a grand, does what it’s needed to do. If you’re not looking at buying a new laptop from Apple every year, save money and just build your system so it doesn’t need upgrading and chuck it in the corner ready to rock. Love it.

It’s a bit daunting at first and you have to download the manual as only very very basic get started booklet supplied but once you get main manual it really is an amazing mixer. So many possibilities already and I might return with an update once I’ve learned more

This mixer does a lot and I keep finding new things still. The price for that though, is that some things can be a little tricky to find sometimes - or not work in quite the way you might expect (or maybe that's just me). The fact that each channel can be sent to your DAW over USB so that you can use computer-based VSTs or whatever as insert effects is just amazing and it's a feature I never feel that I use enough. Consequently, there are times when I get no audio on a channel and it can take me a moment to find that I just haven't routed that channel to USB, or maybe haven't enabled it in my DAW, or maybe not sent the USB tracks to be monitored... As I said, maybe it's just me. You can even set this mixer up to be remote controlled from your iPad (mixer connected over USB to computer and computer sharing a wi-fi link to iPad route rather than directly mixer-to-iPad but still...) From a technical standpoint though, from a build quality standpoint, audio quality, features, the well written and light-hearted manual, even the support I've had from PreSonus when I needed it - all really very good. So if I could give it 4.5 stars I would but I can't so I'm rounding it down to a 4. If it had motorised faders I would even forgive those problems and give it a 5. It's not perfect but it is very good.

I've had the older FireWire version of this mixer for a few years and have had no problems with it. I bought the USB version in order to use with a newer Mac since FireWire is no longer supported. On initially turning on and connecting the mixer to various instruments and the Mac, it seemed to work, albeit partially; audio from the connected instruments and mics seemed ok but no audio from the Mac via USB could be heard through the main mixer outputs. The "Universal Control" software application that is provided with the mixer suggested that a firmware update was required and prompted and provided the means for doing the update. The update was completed and the "Update was successful" message was provided. However, immediately following the update and rebooting, the mixer failed to work. All the lights came on but there was no audio from any of the channels or from the Mac via USB. The online support at Presonus.com were pretty responsive but could not diagnose the issue. Amazon provided a contact number for the manufacturer's service and repair company in the UK. When contacted, they seemed to be familiar with the issue and suggested the repair might require a new circuit board. They also said that they currently had a number of this model of mixer awaiting repair of "similar symptoms" but the required circuit board currently seems hard to get hold of. As part of the diagnostic process, I was asked for the serial number of the mixer which revealed that the mixer was manufactured in 2012. 14 years seems quite some time to be sitting around in a warehouse but maybe this has no bearing on the issue that I experienced? Regardless, I returned the mixer and I'm now on the hunt for a similarly spec'd mixer...

Its a absolutely stunning mixer, it needs deepdiving how it work but once you got it absolutley amazing. The best of all what you get for this price.

Concerns on the build quality as my unit has been kept extremely well covered with low usage and its already failed after just two years which is very poor for an item of this value .I have a Mackie mixer that's 20 years old still running