PreSonus FireStudio Firewire Audio Interface- with Free ProPak Software Suite

Description of the PreSonus FireStudio Firewire Audio Interface

The PreSonus FireStudio is the next generation in FireWire recording systems from PreSonus. Based on the award-winning Firepod, the Firestudio combines superior analog circuit design with new advanced platform technology to deliver enhanced performance for music recording and creation.

The PreSonus FireStudio Firewire Audio Interface is a 26x26 24-bit/96k professional recording system combining eight XMAX Class A PreSonus microphone preamplifiers, up to sixteen channels of optical ADAT input / output, S/PDIF and MIDI input / output, along with the Control Console - a 36x36x18 zero latency mixer/router. The PreSonus FireStudio also includes the ProPak Complete, a bundle of over 2GB of award-winning recording and production software, virtual instruments, plug-ins, drum loops and samples to get you started making music immediately.

Key Features of the PreSonus FireStudio Firewire Audio Interface

• High-speed FireWire (IEEE 1394) audio interface
• 24-bit resolution, up to 96K sampling rate
• 26 simultaneous inputs and outputs
• 8 Class A microphone preamps w/ trim control
• 8 analog line Inputs, 2 Instrument Inputs
• 16 channels of optical ADAT I/O (8 ch. via 96k dual SMUX)
• S/PDIF I/O, MIDI I/O
• DICE II Chipset - ultra efficient data transfer
• JetPLL™ – jitter elimination technology
• Zero latency DSP full-matrix mixer/router
• PreSonus ProPak Complete Audio Software Suite with Cubase LE, Reason Adapted, Amplitube LE, BFD Lite, Drumagog LE and more

Extended Description of the PreSonus FireStudio Firewire Audio Interface

8 XMAX Class A Preamplifiers

The FireStudio Firewire Audio Interface includes eight custom-designed high-voltage, discrete, XMAX Class A microphone preamplifiers for all types of microphones. Many other companies offering recording interfaces add the cheapest possible microphone preamplifier as an afterthought to the interface. PreSonus knows that the preamplifier is a key component in the sonic quality of a recording. The job of a microphone preamplifier is to boost microphone level signals to line level so that the signal can be converted from analog to digital. This mic to line boost is generally a preamplification of over 400 times the voltage of the original mic level signal. This preamplification stage is one of the most important stages that the signal will go through before converted to digital, and is why a high performance preamplifier is important to achieving great results. A cheap "off the shelf op-amp" type mic preamp that is found in most interfaces translates into thin, noisy and harsh results.
All XMAX preamplifiers are built with the same three elements:

High Voltage - The XMAX preamplifier runs on power rails of 30V. Most off the shelf op amp based designs run on power rails of 10V to 18V. Higher voltage power rails deliver more headroom, deeper lows, smoother highs and an overall fuller sound.

Discrete - No op amps. Only transistors, resistors and capacitors. Op amps add noise, coloration and harshness to a signal. Discrete designs deliver ultra low noise and transparency.

Class A - When a circuit is running in Class A mode the circuit is always in an "on" state operating at its optimal voltage requirements. Class A mode has zero crossover distortion and delivers purer, clearer and more musical sonics than class A/B designs which are found in most op-amp circuits.

The net result of the XMAX preamp design is high headroom, low noise, wide dynamic range and wide frequency range, and most importantly, musicality and transparency - smooth highs, solid deep lows, and everything in between.

Digital Converters and JetPLL Sync

The Fire Studio touts A/D/A converters with a dynamic range of over 114dB for unbelievable clarity as well as synchronization using patented JetPLL™ jitter reduction technology. JetPLL™ incorporates noise shaping to virtually remove all audio band jitter. JetPLL™ ensures the highest converter performance possible, resulting in better stereo separation and clearer more transparent audio. JetPLL™ delivers ultra-fast locking to any digital format through a wide range of frequencies and is extremely robust and tolerant of wide variations in clock frequencies. JetPLL™ ensures near perfect clock performance when networking audio devices, thus creating the most stable and robust synchronization to the computer.

Ins and Outs

The PreSonus FireStudio Firewire Audio Interface is loaded with I/O for an extremely flexible and expandable recording system. The Fire studio starts with eight Class A custom-designed PreSonus microphone preamplifiers. You can add additional preamplifiers or analog inputs via the dual optical light pipe ports on the rear panel. You add up to two DigiMax FS, for a total of twenty-four microphone preamplifiers all in only three rack spaces! Additionally word/clock I/O for ultra tight synchronization, MIDI I/O and SPDIF I/O are on the FireStudio for further expandability.

Control Console - Zero Latency DSP Mixing/Routing

The FireStudio Firewire Audio Interface also includes the Control Console - a 36x36x18 DSP mixer/router for flexible mixing and direct routing any input to any output including the headphone output, with zero latency. The Control Console software application lives between your FireStudio Firewire Interface and your DAW software enabling the mixing and routing of input streams coming into your FireStudio interface and playback stream coming from your DAW software. The Control Console is capable of creating up to nine stereo mixes and then routing to the outputs of your FireStudio for headphone mixes and various aux sends. This way everyone in the band and the recording engineer can have a custom mix. Also, the FireStudio is loaded with internal flash memory so that all Control Console settings are saved and recalled in the Fire Studio during power off/on. This allows you to configure your FireStudio as a stand-alone device, without being connected to a computer for uses such as a submixer, A/D and D/A-converter, headphone mixer, format converter, instrument or microphone pre-amplifier!

ProPak Software Suite Included

• Cubase LE 4 48-track music recording and production software
• Cubase LE 4 Demystified by PreSonus - DVD tutorial video on how to use Cubase LE 4
• Reason Adapted - Virtual Instrument
• Amplitube LE - Virtal Guitar Amplifier
• Drumagog LE - Drum Replacement plug-in
• Lounge Lizard - Virtual electric piano plug-in
• Analog Factory - Virtual synthesizer plug-in
• BFD Lite - Virtual Studio Drummer
• Wave Arts TrackPlug LE - EQ and Compressor plug-in
• Wave Arts Masterverb LE - Reverb plug-in
• Audio Damage– FuzzPlus2, Filterpod plug-ins
• Pluggo Jr. – Average Injector, Chamberverb, Feedback Network, Filter Taps, Generic Effect, HF Ring Mod, Jet, Limi, Nebula, Resonation, Resosweep, Spectral Filter.
• Camel Crusher – Distortion Compressor plug-in
• Discrete Drums Sampler– over 1GB of drum loops and drum samples
• Twiddly bits – 100 MIDI drum loops created by real drummers
• Riffworks Jr. - Guitar oriented recording software

Minimum System Requirements of the PreSonus FireStudio Firewire Audio Interface

Windows

• OS: Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista
• CPU/Clock: or Athlon 900MHz (1.5 GHz or higher recommended)
• Memory(RAM): 1 GB (more recommended)

Macintosh

• OS: MacOS X 10.4.x or later (10.5 supported with driver update)
• CPU/Clock: PowerPC G4/Dual 1 GHZ or faster, all Intel-based Mac models.
• Memory(RAM): 1 GB (more recommended)

Windows and Macintosh Systems

• IEEE 1394 FireWire 400 Port
• Internet connection
• DVD-ROM drive
• Internal or external 7200RPM storage drive is highly recommended