FIRESTUDIO 26 I/O 24-bit/96 kHz Recording Interface User’s Manual Version 3.0 © 2009, PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
PRESONUS LIMITED WARRANTY PreSonus Audio Electronics Inc. warrants this product to be free of defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of original retail purchase. This warranty is enforceable only by the original retail purchaser. To be protected by this warranty, the purchaser must complete and return the enclosed warranty card within 14 days of purchase.
SAFE OPERATION GUIDELINES To avoid damage to your FireStudio and your other audio equipment please review and adhere to the following safety guidelines: Follow the safety guidelines in the manual. Do not drop your FireStudio. Do not install the unit near a heat source (radiators, heat registers, amplifier heat sinks, etc.). Do not expose your FireStudio to liquids. Do not place containers filled with liquids near your FireStudio. Do not allow dust particles to collect in excess on your FireStudio.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 OVERVIEW 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................. 1.2 Features .................................................................................................................................................................. 1.3 What is in the Box .............................................................................................................
OVERVIEW 1.1 INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing the PreSonus FireStudio. PreSonus Audio Electronics has designed the FireStudio utilizing high-grade components to ensure optimum performance that will last a lifetime.
OVERVIEW 1.2 FEATURES The FireStudio is a powerful and affordable computer recording system. The FireStudio comes equipped with eight high-quality PreSonus XMAX microphone preamps, MIDI I/O, SPDIF, Dual SMUX 96k ADAT, BNC word clock and rock solid drivers, as well as a plethora of music recording and production software.
OVERVIEW 1.
OVERVIEW 1.4 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Here are the computer-system requirements for FireStudio and Studio One Artist. Macintosh o Operating Systems: Mac OS X 10.4.11 or Mac OS X 10.5.2 or higher o Hardware: Minimum: PowerPC G4 1.25 GHz or Intel Core Solo 1.
GETTING STARTED 2.1 HARDWARE INSTALLATION This installer and driver can be used for any interface in the FireStudio family line (FireStudio, FireStudio Lightpipe, FireStudio Tube, FireStudio Project, FireStudio Mobile and StudioLive 16.4.2). For more information on the Universal Control application and multiple interface integration, please review Sections 3.1 and 4.1. 2.1.
GETTING STARTED 2.2 STUDIO ONE ARTIST Every PreSonus interface comes complete with Studio One Artist recording software. Whether you are about to record your first album or your 50th, Studio One Artist provides you with all the tools necessary to capture and mix a great performance.
GETTING STARTED Activating Studio One Artist Offline Once you have created a user account, launch Studio One Artist. From the Activate Studio One Menu, click on the Activate Offline link. Follow the instructions to log in to your previously created user account, register the product, and obtain a license file. Next, copy the license file to the computer on which Studio One has been installed, and locate the license file as instructed in the Activate Studio One menu. The activation process is now complete.
GETTING STARTED Start Page: Setup Area Shows Active Audio Driver and Sample Rate and Provides Quick Links to Configure Audio and MIDI In the middle of the Start page, you will see the Setup area. Studio One Artist automatically scans your system for all available drivers and selects a driver. By default, it will choose a PreSonus driver if one is available.
GETTING STARTED 1) From the Setup area in the Start page, you can also set up your external MIDI devices. Before we set up a new Song for recording, let’s take a moment to configure external devices. Connect the MIDI Out of your external MIDI controller to the MIDI In of your FireStudio. 2) Click on the Configure External Devices link in the Setup area on the Start page to launch the External Devices window. Click the Add button. 3) The Add Device window will launch.
GETTING STARTED MIDI instrument controllers (keyboards, MIDI guitars, etc.) send musical information in the form of MIDI data to tone modules, which respond by generating sound, as instructed. Tone modules can be standalone sound devices or can be integrated into a controller, as with a keyboard synthesizer. Studio One Artist refers to all tone generators as Instruments. Once you have set up your MIDI keyboard controller, take a moment to configure your sound module.
GETTING STARTED 2.2.4 Configuring Audio I/O Now that you’ve configured your MIDI devices, let’s create a new Song and set up your default Audio I/O. 1) From the Start page, select “Create a new Song.” 2) In the browser window, name your Song and choose the directory in which you’d like it saved. You’ll notice a list of templates on the left. The FireStudio template will create a Song with a track for each of the available inputs. Every track is armed for recording, and no further setup is required.
GETTING STARTED 6) Click on the Inputs tab in the Audio I/O Setup window, and you will see all of the available inputs on your FireStudio. At this time, you can add the number and type of inputs you plan to use. We recommend that you create a mono input for each of the 26 inputs on your FireStudio. If you plan on recording in stereo, you should also create a stereo bus and assign it to the appropriate set of inputs. You can remove any bus by simply selecting it and clicking the remove button.
GETTING STARTED Once you have added your Tracks, you can assign the input by simply clicking on the input to which a Track is currently assigned. This will bring up your inputs list. You can also access the Audio I/O Setup from here. If you would like to add a Track for each of the available inputs and have the routing automatically assigned, simply go to Track | Add Tracks for All Inputs.
GETTING STARTED Please Note: MIDI data does not contain audio signals. To hear your sound module, you must connect the audio output of the sound module to a FireStudio audio input, then connect the FireStudio’s audio outputs to a sound system. (You also can listen on headphones, using the FireStudio’s headphone output.) When you are ready to mix your Song, you must convert the recorded MIDI data to an audio waveform by recording a new audio track.
GETTING STARTED 2.2.6 Cue Mix and the FireStudio In Studio One, it is possible to quickly and easily create multiple cue mixes. A cue mix is separate from the main mix and is usually provided to musicians for monitoring purposes during recording. For instance, when recording vocals, the engineer and vocalist will probably want to hear different mixes.
GETTING STARTED Horizontal Level Fader Sets the Volume of the Channel for the Cue Mix By default this level will be identical to the level set on the channel’s fader. Once you move the Cue Mix level fader, the volume of that channel in the Cue Mix will be independent of the main mix or any other Cue Mix in the session. Horizontal Pan Fader Sets the Pan Position of the Channel for the Cue Mix By default, the pan position will be identical to the position set in the main mix.
GETTING STARTED The Main Output as a Cue Mix It is possible to designate the main output in Audio I/O Setup as a cue mix. This is helpful if you often record yourself require quick access to zero-latency monitoring for live inputs. When the main output is designated as a cue mix, a Zero Latency button will appear on any audio channel with an assigned audio input in the Console, below the Mute, Solo, Record, and Monitor buttons.
GETTING STARTED 2.3 SAMPLE HOOK UP DIAGRAMS With the FireStudio, you can simultaneously record and play back up to 26 channels. Since it is loaded with eight preamplifiers, you can plug in eight microphones to the FireStudio. Using the ADAT optical and S/PDIF inputs, you can connect external A/D devices like the DigiMax FS. This makes recording extremely easy. All you need are microphones, cables, and monitor speakers. 2.3.
GETTING STARTED 2.3.2 Full Band Setup Using the MSR in Track Mode Please note: This setup can be used with or without an MSR connected. This example implies that seven monitor mixes have been created in the FireStudio Device window and routed to the 8 General Purpose outputs of the FireStudio and 4 of the DAC outputs on the DigiMax FS in stereo pairs. The seventh mix is assigned to an unused output and copied to the Main Outputs for control room monitoring (see below).
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS 3.1 UNIVERSAL CONTROL AND THE FIRESTUDIO Like all members of the FireStudio family of interfaces, the FireStudio is compatible with Universal Control. Universal Control is a powerful, flexible, and easy to use control-panel application that enables you to create 9 mixes from your input and output signals and lets you patch any input or playback stream to the first 18 of your FireStudio outputs. This application also allows you to daisy-chain FireStudio-family interfaces.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS 3.1.2 Launch Window From the Launch Window, you can set all the basic controls for your FireStudio. Sample Rate Selector Changes FireStudio Sample Rate You can set the sample rate to 44.1, 48, 88.2, or 96 kHz. A higher sample rate will increase the fidelity of the recording but will increase the file size and the amount of system resources necessary to process the audio.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS Device Window Button Opens the Device Window Click on this button to open the FireStudio Device window. To give your FireStudio a custom name, double-click on the default label (FireStudio) to open a text field. When you have finished entering your custom name, hit the Enter key. File Menu Opens and Closes Launch and Device Windows From the File menu of the Launch Window, you can open and close both windows, as well as quit the Universal Control application.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS Settings: Meter Decay Sets the Response Time for the Meters in the Device Window The Universal Control gives you the option to set the response time for the meters in the Device Window. By default, this is set to Normal. Enable Slow Meter Decay for more accurately meter the peaks and falls of the signal. Enable Fast Metering to monitor your signal in realtime.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS 3.1.4 The Device Window: Overview The FireStudio is a revolution in PreSonus interface design because of the flexible routing and mixing capabilities of the FireStudio Device window in the Universal Control application. In the Device window, you can: Create up to 9 different stereo mixes of inputs and playback streams for flexible zero-latency monitor mixing (i.e.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS MSR Settings: Copy 1/2 to Mains in Surround Mode Allows You to Use Mute or Enable Your Main Monitors in Surround Mode Enabling this feature allows you to use the monitors connected to the Main L/R outputs as your front left/right pair in Surround mode, without having to recable anything. If you use a different set of monitors for stereo mixing, disabling this feature will automatically mute these monitors when you switch into Surround mode.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS Inputs and Playback-Stream Routing Along the left side of the router matrix, there are two tabs: “Inputs” and “Playback.” When the Inputs tab is selected, the matrix will show any inputs that have been routed. When the Playback tab is selected, you can view your playback streams or virtual DAW outputs in the router matrix. The Router Matrix patches the selected input or playback stream directly to the specified output.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS Playback/Source 2 Tab Selecting this tab will allow you to view your DAW playback streams in the router matrix. If you are in Expanded Mix Mode, this tab will be named “Source 2”. You will be able to view DAW playback streams 1-10 and the ADAT 2 inputs. OR Playback Source When the Playback tab is selected, you will see a list of your virtual DAW outputs (DAW 1, DAW 2, etc.).
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS Mix Routing to Outputs In addition to being able to patch any input to any output, you can also assign up to nine different stereo mixes to any pair of outputs and can assign your main outputs and headphone outputs to mimic a physical output. Mix Source Button Clicking on the Mix Source button above the desired pair of outputs allows you to assign any one of the nine stereo monitor mixes that the FireStudio Device window allows you to create.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS Output Faders At the bottom of the Outputs/Router tab, you will see all of your physical outputs enumerated (Analog 1 through S/PDIF R). Each output is visually represented as a fader. Channel Fader The fader controls the volume of the signal on any given output. A meter to the right of the fader indicates the level in real time. Real-time Decibel Readout Above the meter on each channel strip, you will see a number.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS 3.1.7 The Device Window: Mixer tab The FireStudio Device window allows you to create 9 stereo monitor mixes. The mixes can be renamed and saved. You can also rename you inputs and playback streams. It is important to mention that these mixes have no effect on what is being recorded in your host application. This has obvious advantages.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS Fader Attenuation Below the meter you can see the fader attenuation (-96 to 0 dB). Unity is indicated by O dB and is achieved by raising the fader all the way up. When the fader is at its lowest position, the value will be -96 dB. Mute Button Below each fader is the Mute button for that channel. Engaging the Mute button will mute that input or playback stream on the current mix only. Solo Button Below each meter is the Solo button for that channel.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS Quick Route section During a recording session, time is of the essence. The Quick Route section allows you to assign the current monitor mix to the any physical output without bringing up the Outputs/Router matrix. As explained in section 3.1.4, there are two modes for the Quick Route option: Digital and Monitors. When Digital is enabled, all 18 of the outputs available in the FireStudio Device window are visible.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS 3.1.8 The Device Window: Naming inputs and mixes You can customize the names of inputs, playback streams, and mixes on the FireStudio Device window. Once these names have been changed on the Mixer tab, the changes will be reflected on the Output/Router Matrix tab, making it easy to know at a glance what is connected to each input and for whom each monitor mix was created. To name your mixes, simply right-click or CTRL-click on the mix name you wish to change.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS 3.2 FRONT PANEL LAYOUT Microphone Preamplifier. Your FireStudio is equipped with eight custom designed PreSonus XMAX microphone preamplifiers for use with all types of microphones (including dynamics, condensers, and ribbons). As well as instruments and line-level signals. The PreSonus preamplifier design employs a Class A input gain stage.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS Input Gain/Trim Control. These knobs provide the following gain structure: o XLR Microphone Inputs: 54 dB of variable gain (-4 dB to +50 dB) o TS ¼” Instrument/Hi-Z Inputs: 54 dB of variable gain (-4 dB to +50 dB) o TRS ¼” Line Inputs: 32 dB of variable gain (-16 dB to +16 dB trim adjustment) Main. The Main knob controls the output level for the main outputs on the back of the FireStudio and has a range of -80 db to +10 dB. Phones.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS 3.3 BACK PANEL LAYOUT Power Adapter Input. This is where you plug in the proprietary power supply. The FireStudio features a locking connector to ensure solid power connectivity. FireWire Ports. There are two standard six-pin FireWire ports on the back of the FireStudio. Either (and only one) should be used to connect your FireStudio to a FireWire port on your computer.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS ADAT–S/MUX Input and Output These are the ADAT–S/MUX connections for your external digital devices. When recording or playing back at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz, each ADAT I/O will provide 8 of the 16 channels consecutively from left to right. When recording or playing back at 88.2 kHz or 96 kHz, each connection will provide 4 of the 8 channels. o o ADAT 1: Channels 1-8 (44.1/48 kHz) or 1-4 (88.2/96 kHz) ADAT 2: Channels 9-16 (44.1/48 kHz) or 5-8 (88.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS Main Output. This stereo TRS output derives its source signal from the FireStudio Device window, as described in Section 3.1.6. This output level is attenuated by the Main Level control on the front panel of the FireStudio. General Purpose Line Outputs (TRS Balanced). These are general-purpose line-level outputs. All eight line outputs can be accessed in the FireStudio Device window and can be used for separate mixes, additional speakers, external effects processors, etc.
CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS Return 1 and 2 (Line Inputs). These are the line-level inputs for channels 1 and 2. Their gain structure is identical to the ¼” inputs for channels 3-8 and are typically used for signals not requiring preamplification (CD/MP3 players, effects processors, etc.). These inputs are normalled to the channel 1 and 2 preamp outputs, so they take precedence over the corresponding Mic/Instrument input on the front of the FireStudio.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION 42 | PreSonus 2008
TECHNICAL INFORMATION How to Cascade Multiple FireStudio Interfaces: The first time you add any FireStudio-family interface to your system, please follow these guidelines: 1. Go to www.presonus.com and check for the latest version of the Universal Control application. 2. Connect and sync each of your FireStudio-family interfaces to your computer separately before cascading them. 3. Once a unit is individually connected, launch the Universal Control application.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION 5.1 TROUBLESHOOTING Many technical issues can arise when converting a standard computer into a digital audio workstation (DAW). PreSonus can only provide support for issues that directly relate to the FireStudio interface and Studio One Artist software. It may be necessary to contact the manufacturer of the computer, operating system, and thirdparty DAW software to obtain additional technical support.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION Recommended FireWire Chipsets The FireStudio will work with a wide range of FireWire cards and configurations. However, due to the plethora of FireWire chipsets currently on the market, it is not possible to thoroughly test each one for compatibility. Most users will not need to alter their current PC configuration to use their FireStudio.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION 5.2 SPECIFICATIONS Microphone Preamp (XLR Balanced) Frequency Response (+0, -0.5 dB) ............................................................................................................. 20 Hz to 50 kHz Frequency Response (+0/-3.0 dB) ........................................................................................................... 20 Hz to 150 kHz Input Impedance ..........................................................................................................
