Thinking About Getting The StudioLive Series III SE 16 Digital Mixer

[JL9]

This would be just for home recording, not for live use.

Any feedback on the sound, the flow, the studioone daw control, the reliability, how it compares to other solutions for mixing/daw control/interface, or any other thoughts on what you like about it or what you don't, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[SwitchBack]

Very good choice. These are solid mixers, giving you the best Studio One-console integration you can get, both ways. Make a habit of setting up zero latency monitor mixers in/with the mixer and you'll never go back. The preamps are clean, transparent (no colouration) but don't take kind to overdriving, so for starters be conservative on levels.
If you're used to working with analog mixers then the flow will feel natural, more so than with many other digital mixers. The SE16 lacks the separate bank of 8 master faders, which hampers navigation between mixes a little compared to the larger models that have them. The best part of DAW control is tactile faders. Plugin control tends to be more intuitive from within the DAW so good chance you'll end up doing faders/panning/transport from the console and all other tweaking by keyboard/mouse. So an alternative could be a Faderport plus a Series III rack mixer, the advantage being more desk space.

 

[Gerran]

I recently upgraded my FireWire based rig and a FaderPort8 for control with a StudioLive 24 (blue version) that I could get at a very reasonable price. I wanted more faders and more control overall on my surface, without depending so much on keyboard and mouse.
I'm pretty familiar with mixing consoles being a live sound engineer, and the right SP integration made the StudioLive a no brainer as the replacement of choice. The 'offer In couldn't refuse' that came along did the rest.
The integration with Studio Pro goes deep and is really well thought of. The DAW layer works really on top of the mixer, which is a concept you have to wrap your head around at first, but after that makes perfect sense. Adding plugins and sends can be done entirely from the surface, and the user buttons can be programmed separately for the DAW layer, giving excellent options on what you want available at your finger tips.
I haven't pushed the recording and I puts on the console yet, but the 'playing around with my new toy' that I did do, makes me pretty happy so far. @SwitchBack 's comment on not working the preamps too hard is true, as with nearly all digital consoles, but there's enough headroom to drive nearly any signal to sensible levels. I also agree that plugin control is a bit of a search sometimes, but ai haven't taken the time to set up custom user layers yet. The blue version (and the bigger newer versions) have the scribble strips above the control encoders, that is a big plus for me. I think I will be using the encoders and mouse I conjunction for the foreseeable future though. Some plugins are just faster to operate on their own gui.

 

[JL9]

Thank you very much for the replies.

What I am looking for is to simplify things. I'm tired of plugins, windows, staring at the computer monitor, etc. At first I thought the Faderport thing would be the answer, but it's awfully expensive, and looking at how it works, I'm not sure it would be simple and straightforward (it doesn't even have knobs?). Plus, it's pretty expensive. I thought, well if I'm going to spend, maybe I should get something that could consolidate everything, get rid of my current interface and preamps, etc....the series III se mixer. But maybe that's overkill. Plus, I'm concerned now about the size. It would take up my current desk...plus, ergonomically, is it a long reach?

Right now, I have a Scarlett 18i20 with a Tascam 8p, and I record 6 mics for drums, plus acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, bass, vocals, maybe some percussion. Just want simplicity for the recording end, and the ability to turn off the computer monitor to mix. EQ, compression, reverb, maybe some delay sometimes, nothing really beyond that. The idea of recording with effects, mixing as you go, is appealing,

Not sure if the series III or the faderport are the answer.

Thanks again, I appreciate the feedback.

 

[SwitchBack]

Reach is fine, 50cm/20" from front of the console to top of the touch screen. So a compact keyboard in front of the mixer is still fine, and even better when you set the computer aside to work just with the console. You also have the option to use the console for multi-track recording (to SD card), computer off. A nice touch is that the Series III channel strip (EQ, compressors, ...) is also available in Studio One, making sessions portable with all settings intact. Consolidated indeed
The space caution is mainly for the space you need behind the console, for the connections. With a desk up against a wall that's something to take into account. A rack mixer is more flexible that way.

 

[Gerran]

With the FAT Channel basically integrated (and cross talking to SP), you have a DAW at your disposal with the console, that let's you work without the computer all together as @SwitchBack mentioned.
As I said, I'm just starting to get the possibilities of this machine myself, but I'm certainly positive about the more hands on feeling I'm already experiencing.

 

[tpittman]

Thank you very much for the replies.

What I am looking for is to simplify things. I'm tired of plugins, windows, staring at the computer monitor, etc. At first I thought the Faderport thing would be the answer, but it's awfully expensive, and looking at how it works, I'm not sure it would be simple and straightforward (it doesn't even have knobs?). Plus, it's pretty expensive. I thought, well if I'm going to spend, maybe I should get something that could consolidate everything, get rid of my current interface and preamps, etc....the series III se mixer. But maybe that's overkill. Plus, I'm concerned now about the size. It would take up my current desk...plus, ergonomically, is it a long reach?

Not sure if the series III or the faderport are the answer.

Thanks again, I appreciate the feedback.

Likely not overill. I have a Faderport (8 channel) and it rarely gets used in my case. I like the Presonus Mixers (I still have an old firewire 16 channel board) It's now used just as a mixer in mainroom (jam area) I love that the new mixers have Touch screens on them! In my mind this is where mixers, keyboards ect will or need to end up at. I almost replaced my trusty M32 with a Behringer Wing Compact due to it's Touch screen and SD recording. I did not do this as my setup (desk area) would have had to have modifications I was not going to do. I could go with the Wing Compact Rack which would free up valuable real estate on my desk. So, do explore all your options as to what will work the best for you. I just purchased a Yamaha SX 720. The Touchscreen technology is amazing in my opinion and something to keep in mind

 

[SwitchBack]

I'm still awaiting this 'row of motorised faders, knob left, knob right, integrated monitor-size touchscreen' digital mixer. Select something on the screen, control it with either knob, and the faders. And if the show is bad you can switch to your favourite sitcom