PRESONUS TubePre V2 User Manual download pdf

review

IREWIRE IS A SEDUCTIVE technology. It

promises a lot of bandwidth down a single serial

cable with simple plug-and-play operation for

audio, video and mass storage devices. Reality is

somewhat more complex. The ﬁrst audio devices to

use FireWire hardware used proprietary protocols to

connect external convertors to an internal sound card.

More recently we have seen a trickle of devices using

‘standard’ FireWire to connect to an external audio

interface. Presonus’ Firestation is one such but with an

interesting twist, it uses Yamaha’s mLAN protocol

(and drivers). In the current version mLAN is limited

to 44.1kHz and 48kHz sampling rates, therefore, so is

the Firestation when used with mLAN.

Although Mac drivers have been available for a

while, a PC version has only recently arrived.

Patchbay and control panel applets are written by

Yamaha and currently only work with Windows XP. I

had to install the driver and applications twice before

they would ‘take’. The mLAN Patchbay and Control

panel applications are not particularly intuitive and I

am sure later iterations will improve. For example, if a

change is made in the mLAN Control Panel you have

to press the ‘Set’ button on the panel AND the Update

or Apply buttons in the separate mLAN Patchbay

application before the change is accepted.

Patches can be saved and recalled for different

tasks. I found the easiest way to do this was to

associate the patch ﬁles with the Patchbay application

and leave them on the desktop.

Just another interface, however pretty, would be

unremarkable but Firestation is a lot more than a

simple means of getting audio and MIDI in and out of

a computer. A 12 into 2 analogue mixer, two mic

pres, ADAT and SPDIF interfaces all considerably

extend the scope. There are some limitations on

concurrent I-O combinations but, once understood,

these are not too onerous.

I found the analogue circuitry unremarkable apart

from the valve stage, which adds some useful tints to

the palette. The mixer is great for ‘quick and dirty’

mixes without disturbing the DAW settings as well as

the more obvious monitoring functions.

If you don’t need high sampling rates the Firestation

offers a unique set of features at very reasonable cost,

especially since it could mean buying one box instead of

three. There is no necessity to ‘take the lid off’ the

computer to add an interface card and it can be used with

laptops. Two channels of mic pre with a valve stage if you

like, plus 12 channels of analogue mixer, ADAT and coax

SPDIF interfaces are combined in one unit. Operation is

necessarily more complex but not excessively so.

Firestation allows for a variety of working paradigms

whether mixing is to take place in the computer or using

an external console and processors. It makes an

attractive package for workstation users who don’t want

to be bothered with interface cards or multiple boxes.

■

Presonus Firestation

Face it, this FireWire business is beginning to intrigue you. You’ve spotted the implications and you’re looking for a way in.

ROB JAMES investigates a FireWire recording interface.

The detail

Firestation’s looks, with machined alloy front panel

and electric blue anodised dual concentric knobs, belie

the cost. The two mic preamp channels are grouped

together on the left with convenient Neutrik combo

sockets for mic and line level connections.

Internally illuminated buttons switch 48v phantom

power and a 20dB pad. Dual-Path refers to another

Firestation feature, solid state and valve drive. Each

preamp channel has a dual concentric pot where the

outer adjusts the solid state preamp gain and the inner

switches in the valve path and adjusts the amount of

drive. The single valve is a 12AX7, better known in the

UK as the good old ECC83. Rudimentary metering

consists of three LEDs, which light at -32, -16 and -3dBfs.

The mixer input section is in the middle of the panel.

The ﬁrst two dual knobs control inputs 1-4, the next

two control level and panning for inputs 5-6 and 7-8.

The last input knob controls the level of mLAN return

channels 1-2 and 3-4. Panning must be done in the PC

application.

When the SPDIF input is selected it occupies channels

7-8. ADAT and SPDIF cannot feed the mixer at the same

time. The final knob controls the output main and

headphone stereo output levels. Five internally

illuminated buttons select the various Mixer function

switches on the mixer. When inactive, only mLAN returns

1 and 2 appear on the Main and Headphone outputs.

SPDIF switches channels 7 and 8 to SPDIF. When

the ADAT mode is invoked, the ADAT input is passed

through to the ADAT output. It is also converted to

analogue and appears on the analogue line outputs

and the mixer. In this mode the analogue inputs are

disabled. Selecting ADAT and Mixer enters ‘Special’

ADAT mode. The analogue inputs are routed to the

ADAT output and the ADAT input is routed to the

analogue outputs and the mixer. The resultant mixed

signal is output on the Main and Headphone outputs.

In both these modes the mLAN returns are not

active. ADAT to mLAN routes the ADAT input to mLAN

and SPDIF to mLAN replaces channels 7 and 8 with

the SPDIF input. The headphone jack is adjacent. Two

further buttons select the sync source as internal or

external. Sample rate is selected by repeated button

presses and indicated on one of three LEDs below.

(32kHz is only available in standalone modes.

Analogue input levels can be trimmed with a

screwdriver via holes in the top of the unit. Analogue

I-O on the back panel is via balanced TRS jacks. There

are 8 channels of line in and out, stereo main outputs

and mic preamp sends. Line inputs 1 and 2 take

precedence over the front panel inputs which allow

further processing to be inserted in the mic paths. Two

FireWire sockets are provided and a 9-pin D-sub does

MIDI and SPDIF via the supplied breakout cable.

Contact

PERSONUS, US:

Website:

www.personus.com

UK, HW International: +44 208 808 2222

resolution May/June 2003

PROS

CONS

EXTRAS

Versatile; can be used ‘standalone’;

valve sound on mic preamps if required.

Windows XP mLAN drivers could be a

lot more friendly; some restrictions on I-

O combinations.

PreSonus’ TubePre is a single-channel

preamp based around a 12AX7 valve

circuit and a

transformer-

free signal

path. The unit

can be used as

the primary

stage of a live or

studio system, as a direct box or in a

side effects chain. A dual-servo gain

stage design, employing no capacitors,

claims ultra-low noise performance.

Front panel controls include gain and

tube drive pots for +40dB and +20dB

respectively. Switches handle phase

reverse, 20dB pad, 80Hz ﬁlter, and

phantom power.

Presonus Firestation 1

Summary of Contents

Page 1 - Presonus Firestation

32reviewFIREWIRE IS A SEDUCTIVE technology. Itpromises a lot of bandwidth down a single serialcable with simple plug-and-play operation foraudio, vide

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PRESONUS TubePre V2 User Manual

Browse online or download User Manual for Audio amplifiers PRESONUS TubePre V2. Presonus Firestation [en]

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