There is a known issue with the current Studio 192 driver reporting its own input and output
latency only rather than the total system latency. The resolution for this issue is currently in
beta testing and will be released as soon as it is ready for public release. This issue has caused
some users to inquire about what comprises the total system latency of the Studio 192.
The PreSonus Studio 192 features a world-class DSP engine that runs up to 16 instances of
Studio One 3’s Fat Channel plugin. This plugin includes a switchable gate/expander, look-ahead
compressor, four-band parametric EQ, and variable limiter. Like other audio interfaces with an
extremely powerful onboard DSP and top-quality ADC/DAC converters, the round-trip system
latency is higher than simpler designs without DSP or only basic DSP mixing. This is due to the
internal buffers required for the DSP engine to provide both stable, ultra-low latency
performance.
While the USB driver latency is comparable to other audio devices, when coupled with the
Studio 192’s internal conversion and DSP buffering times, the resulting overall round-trip
system latency is higher than basic I/O devices, however the total system latency of the Studio
192 is en par with other devices with similar plugin processing, high-quality audio converters,
and high simultaneous input and output configurations.
This DSP engine has been optimized to provide 2 ms of round trip latency from inputs through
the Fat Channel plugin processing to any of the physical outputs while using UC Surface or
Studio One. This configuration also supports recording the input signal pre- or post-Fat Channel
plugin processing to your favorite DAW application, plus up to sixteen stereo monitor mixes
(nine in UC Surface), two additional two stereo mix busses for the onboard reverb and delay
plugins.
For Studio One 3 users, the DSP engine is an integrated part of their mixing and recording
environment. The proprietary hybrid Fat Channel plugin’s flexible design allows users to record
and monitor through the same Fat Channel processing with a sonically seamless transition. This
solves the infamous ‘punch-in’ problem where the audio jumps between playback and
recording as the processing is added and removed. This functionality has previously only been
available in a few high-end professional interfaces and provides optimized mixing and
monitoring within the Studio One 3 environment.
