Question

Why are your newest control desks (CS18AI, Studiolive 32) AVB only? I love your products, but alb is not the protocol of my choice.  Why don't you provide for a slot for an option card so you can use the protocol of your choice? Presonus built the RM series in which you have this option, why don't you give this option on your desks so you can run the same protocol on all systems?

Answer 1

You can use the offically Dante accepted CS18AI as controller, just without the AVB audio features. It is said that Dante is restricted to SL AI and RM and that SL III will be an own "ecosystem" with stageboxes and personal monitor mixers. Also several SL 32 or SL 16 mixers (they are no controllers!) can be networked together. If you consider the price, isn't it OK that a manufacturer sets certain limits and concentrates on developing his own products? They have made their choice - and that's it...! Indeed, some people will regret the loss of Dante, but many more will be happy with the new tools they get. And the RM/CS family will be developed further, so Dante will not be completely forgotten...

Answer 2

The problem with the implementation as I see it is that Presonus uses the AVB standard but making sure that Presonus devices only talks to Presonus devices. The sole reason why AVB was implemented as a true open standard is to make sure devices can talk to each other in a standardized way. For me that is, One vendors console should be able to accept true AVB 3rd party talkers and listeners and make AVB the new and great ecosystem it is intended to be.

Using AVB as a quick solution to connect proprietary stage boxes to a console is fair use but please don't advertise it as AVB

It is the same as make Dante devices but lock them to only Presonus devices.

Please understand that this usage of AVB will only hurt AVB and the abuser.

Anders

Comments

If you're talking about the AI/RM series mixers, in truth, this incompatibility was absolutely not intentional. It is absolutely not true that "Presonus is making sure that Presonus devices only talk to Presonus devices"

It was always planned for the AI and RM mixers' AVB implementation to be completed such that it would be compatible with any other AVB devices. Unfortunately, the company that makes the Firewire/AVB hardware platform that those mixers were built on was bought out and ceased further development on the solution in our products lines.

This is why the AI and RM mixers are not compatible with other AVB devices, not even our own StudioLive Series III mixers.

As for the StudioLive Series III Mixers, they are absolutely 100% AVDECC compliant, and so they should actually be fully compatible with any other AVDECC compliant AVB device.

And, short of actual testing with any and every AVB device for official confirmed compatibility, they are indeed compatible with other 3rd party AVB devices (from the likes of MOTU, etc.).

You are absolutely correct that the reason why AVB was implemented as a true open standard is to make sure devices can talk to each other in a standardized way, and you are correct that "one vendors console should be able to accept true AVB 3rd party talkers and listeners and make AVB the new and great ecosystem it is intended to be".

This is absolutely the goal of Presonus in choosing AVB as the platform on which to build our products.

There has never been an intent to use AVB to create any sort of proprietary Presonus ecosystem.