Review of the Presonus
Central Station
Add big Mixer Features and a nice D\A
Converter to your
Mixerless Rig
by Tweak
Many
of us have gone mixerless in the past
few years. As soon as you do, you
can't help but miss some of the convenience features of the mixer. We
were used to having a knob to set the volume on the control room outs, and
if you owned a bigger mixer you had studio outs and a talkback facility that
could pipe your voice into the studio room where the performers wait for
your cue. The smaller audio interfaces become even more difficult.
The volume control may be buried in a menu or worse, only accessible by a
control panel on the computer, where a simple slip of the mouse while
wearing headphones could take you to the threshold of pain.
And finally, if it does have a volume
control, the audio interface has to be at a low output volume when running
powered speakers, or you'll blast yourself out of your chair. The d\a
converters, which transform the digital numbers in the computer back to an
analog signal, may be further muddied by the output electronics that are
needed to attenuate the signal. The cheaper the audio interface, the
more likely you will hear some distortion, or perhaps more accurately, won't
hear, the transparency of your audio.
enlarge
To the rescue is the Presonus Central
Station. The Central Station is a 1 rack unit device that puts a lot
of control back in your studio. With it you can:
- Switch 3 sets of monitors in and out
(A and C or B and C can be active simultaneously, but not A and B).
- Switch between 5 sources (2 stereo
TRS, 1 Stereo Aux, Coax and Optical Stereo s/pdif. You can select
any one of the five for both the Main and Cue section
- Use 2 headphones switchable between
main outs and cue outputs
- If you use a digital output from your
audio interface to the central station, you will benefit from the
central stations high quality D\A converters.
- Use the talkback mic to talk to the
performers wearing headphones (when the phones are switched to cue)
- Connecting a mixdown recorder like a
DAT, Cassette, MiniDisk or CDR deck.
- Accurately meter your inputs in
0dbVU and 0dbFs scales. The meters are fast acting and have a
calibration control. 30 segments.
- Mute, dim and mono switches
- A good sized, good feeling Volume Knob
enlarge
The Central Station is easy to setup.
I looked at the manual for less than 2 minutes and had no problem setting up
the device. I ran outputs 1 and 2 from my MOTU 828mk2 into the TRS1
jacks and also ran the s/pdif out to the coax in on the Central station. The
monitor outs were connected to mackie HR824s. Using either the analog or
digital inputs the sound was a marked improvement over the 828mk2. The
sound was clearer and more life-like. Switching between TRS and
digital, I could compare the Presonus D\A with that of the MOTU. I
detected some subtle differences. The MOTU had a heavier bass
coloration that the PreSonus did not have, but I liked both, and again, both
sounded better than going straight out of the 828mk2. Of course I had
to wonder why that was the case.
PreSonus
Central Station Studio Monitor Control Center
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The Central Station is the ultimate
studio-monitoring interface for the modern digital studio. The
Central Station features 3 sets of stereo analog inputs to switch
between input sources such as: DAW, mixer, CD/DAT/Tape player, or
keyboards/samplers. Two stereo analog inputs feature TRS balanced
and the 3rd stereo input features RCA inputs with trim control for
level matching of input signals. In addition, the Central Station
will accommodate 2 digital inputs via S/PDIF or TOSLINK providing
D/A conversion up to 24Bit/192kHz.
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 |
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Mackie
Big Knob Studio Control Center
 Big Knob is perfectly
suited to a range of applications beyond desktop music making,
including home stereo systems, keyboard/guitar rigs, high-end
multimedia systems, archiving LP’s to CD, classrooms and boardrooms,
and more. |
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PreSonus
CSR1 Central Station Remote with Cable |
| The Central Station Remote Control (CSR-1) can
be connected to the rear of the Central Station via DB9 connector
to control Volume, Talkback, Mute, input source switching and
speaker output switching functions. Keep the Central Station in
your rack with your gear and use the CSR-1 for ultimate control
and flexibility. |
 |
Presonus says the Central Station uses a
purely passive signal path and the highest quality components. They
explain that the amplifier stages, op amps and active integrated circuits in
common audio devices "add noise, distortion and give that pinched sound" and
may cause ear fatigue. Well, I can say my HR824s have not sounded this
good before. My second day with the unit I went through hours of my
music collection, thrilled at the new detail I was hearing.
Presonus claims the 24bit digital
inputs will sync at 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192k and will
automatically read and lock to the incoming digital stream. That
worked as advertised here. There were no clock issues and i did not have to
change any settings on my MOTU.
The unit overall appears attractive with
blue LEDs that light up as you press buttons. The knobs have a sturdy
feel and offer resistance as you twist them. The small knobs are the
finely detented variety and the volume knob is smooth. The whole box
seems rugged and the jacks have a positive feel. You can connect an external dynamic mic to an XLR jack on the
back if you are father away from the rack to replace the onboard talkback
mic.
Speaking of getting farther away, there is
an optional CSR1 Remote. The remote is a handy device, particularly
for those who want to switch monitors without leaving the mix position.
The talkback mic is duplicated on the remote, as are the input switches, the
mute dim and mono buttons and volume knob. Everyone I have spoken to
about this machine says "make sure you get the remote". I did and I
see why.
Summing up, the Central Station is a worthy
piece for the mixerless studio. I think the piece best fits in for
those who have audio interfaces and want to improve their output and gain
their switching abilities. However, I can definitely see the value as
a high quality D\A converter for the back end of large digital mixers and
for expanding the possibilities of a simple 2x2 soundcard with s/pdif.
However you use it, the Central Station can remove one more veil of crud
between you and your sound.
Post
a comment on the Presonus Central Station at studio-central
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