i Presonus,
In my studio I have more than 30 synthesizers (most of them in 19" racks) and I´m looking for a way to have them always connected in the most flexible, reliable and space-saving(!) way. Because almost every of these devices is stereo I´d need 60 line inputs to get them connected at once. The setup must work also independently and WITHOUT a computer involved but everyhing shall be controlled from one central mixer.
Space is very limited so I´m nailed to use a Studiolive 16 or the newer 32SC ( in a rack). But both models provide only 8x line-in. Sure "AVB" is THE answer - but how many line-ins could I add via AVB and use in parallel at the Studiolive?
I currently have 4 additional synth racks. So 4 NSB16.8 with each serving 16 channels could work. Is it possible to connect four NSB16.8 at once(!) to finally have 72 analog line-level inputs for mixing on one SL32SC or SL16?
Moreover: The NSB16.8 may be perfect stage boxes but for my setup they are "space-wasters" just because of their dimensions (they would eat up 3 HE in the rack). It looks like the Studiolive 16R is a good alternative because has also 16 line-Ins but "costs" only 1HE (and not that much more money).
Is it possible to have a setup with one Studiolive 16 / 32SC and 4 Studiolive16R (configured in stage box mode) to get a total of 72 line-ins on the mixer at once? I already crawled through all the available manuals but this haven´t get absolutely clear to me yet...
By the way, the Studiolive16R is certainly a very good device. But unfortunately it wouldn't replace a good classical 1U rack mixer because it lacks the direct operability.
A rack mixer for keyboard players doesn't necessarily need 16 micro- inputs, but stereo line-ins. These inputs could also be completely on the back, which would make room for a few essential controls in the front. At the moment I still use some Samson SM-10 (and formerly ********* RX1602), but my plan is to "digitize" the analog lines.
I think such a 1U digital mixer could fill a gap in the market!