Presonus Firestudio Project 10x10 FireWire recording system

PRESONUS FIRESTUDIOPRJ Details ^top

The FireStudio Project is a complete 24-bit/96K professional recording system combining eight Class A XMAX microphone preamplifiers, 24-bit/96k sample rate conversion, zero-latency matrix router mixer, and the PreSonus ProPak Software Suite featuring Steinberg's Cubase LE 4 48-track recording and production software, over 25 real-time plug-in effects (EQ’s, compressors, reverbs), and more than 2 GB of drum loops and samples.

Great for professional studio recording, live sound recording, performance, podcasting and more, the FireStudio Project is designed for flexibility and ultra-high sonic performance. Whether you need to record a live drum set, mic a guitar amp, or a complete band, the FireStudio Project is ready and more than able. With the new FireControl Mixer/Router you can send up to five individual mixes to different musicians during recording so that every band member can have a custom headphone mix.

Based on the award-winning FP10(FirePod) the FireStudio Project starts with eight PreSonus Class A XMAX microphone preamplifiers found in the FP10(FirePod) and adds the folllowing improvements:

- Improved analog to digital converters (114dB dynamic range)
- Improved syncronization with JetPLL (jitter elimination technology)
- FireControl Mixer/Router to send up to five separate zero-latency stereo mixes to musicians during recording
- Three-segment LED input metering on all analog channels
- Internal IEC-based power supply
- ProPak v3 software suite with Cubase LE 4, BFD Lite, Wave Arts Plug-ins, Cubase LE 4 Demysitified Tutorial DVD video and more.

XMAX Class A Preamplifiers
The FireStudio Project starts with eight custom-designed high-voltage, discrete, XMAX Class A microphone preamplifiers.

Many other companies offering recording interfaces add the cheapest possible microphone preamplifier as an afterthought to the interface.

PreSonus knows that the preamplifier is a key component in the sonic quality of a recording. The job of a microphone preamplifier is to boost microphone level signals to line level so that the signal can be converted from analog to digital. This mic to line boost is generally a preamplification of over 400 times the voltage of the original mic level signal. This preamplification stage is one of the most important stages that the signal will go through before converted to digital, and is why a high performance preamplifier is important to achieving great results. A cheap "off the shelf op-amp" type mic preamp that is found in most interfaces translates into thin, noisy and harsh results.

New Advanced Platform Technology - DICE II and JetPLL
The FireStudio Project is loaded with the new ultra powerful DICE II FireWire chipset delivering 26 channels of simultaneous inputs and outputs at professional-quality 24-bit. The strength of the DICE II chip lies with its ability to easilly handle high channel count at high bit-rate while minimizing latency and load on your computer.

The synchronization of the FireStudio Project is handled by patented JetPLL™ jitter reduction technology. JetPLL™ incorporates noise shaping to virtually remove all audio band jitter. JetPLL™ ensures the highest converter performance possible, resulting in better stereo separation and clearer more transparent audio. JetPLL™ delivers ultra-fast locking to any digital format, through a wide range of frequencies and is extremely robust, and tolerant of wide variations in clock frequencies. JetPLL™ ensures near perfect clock performance when networking audio devices thus creating the most stable and robust synchronization to the computer and all devices synchronization with the FireStudio Project.

FireControl - Zero Latency DSP Mixing/Routing
The FireStudio Project also includes the FireControl mixer/router a 18x10 DSP mixer/router for flexible mixing and direct routing any input to any output including the headphone output, with zero latency. The FireControl software application lives between your FireStudio Project interface and your DAW software enabling the mixing and routing of input streams coming into your FireStudio Studio Project interface and playback stream coming from your DAW software. The FireControl is capable of creating up to five stereo mixes and then routing to the outputs of your FireStudio Project for headphone mixes and various aux sends. This way everyone in the band and the recording engineer can have a custom mix. Also, the FireStudio Project is loaded with internal flash memory so that all FireControl settings are saved and recalled in the FireStudio Project during power off/on. This allows you to configure your FireStudio as a stand-alone device, without being connected to a computer for uses such as a submixer, A/D and D/A-converter, headphone mixer, format converter, instrument or microphone pre-amplifier!

ProPak Software Suite (v3)
The FireStudio Project also comes with the new ProPak Software Suite (v3), which includes more than 20 real time plug-ins, a number of virtual instruments and over 2 GB of drum loops and samples including: Steinberg - Cubase LE 4, BFD Lite; Wave Arts – TrackPlug LE, MasterVerb LE, Discrete Drums and more!

Features
- High-Speed FireWire (IEEE 1394) Audio Interface
- Up to 96K Sampling Rate
- 8 XMAX Class A Microphone Preamplifiers (+60dB gain) w/ Trim Control
- 8 Analog Mic/Line Inputs, 2 Instrument Inputs
- 8 Analog Line Outputs
- S/PDIF Digital Input and Output, MIDI Input and Output
- Balanced Send / Return for Channels 1 and 2
- Zero Latency Monitoring with FireControl Mixer/Router
- Separate Balanced Main Outputs and 8 Balanced Analog Outputs
- FREE ProPak Software Suite including Cubase LE 4 Audio Production Software

ProPak Software Suite (version 3) comes free with the FireStudio Project recording system. The ProPak gives you everything you need to get started producing music immediately. The ProPak comes with recording software, virtual instruments, real-time plug-in effects as well as over 2 GB of drum loops and samples giving a powerful bundle of software tools for music production.

Software
Steinberg Cubase LE 4 - Complete audio recording, sequencing and production software
48-audio tracks • 64 MIDI tracks • MIDI & sequencing • EQ on each track • VST plug-in support • Virtual instrument support • Time stretching and pitch shifting • HALionOne Sample Player included (w/ 60 Instruments, 400 MB sound library) • Included plug-ins – Compressor, DualFilter, Distortion, PingPong-Delay, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, AutoPanner, Vibrato, Rotary, MonoToStereo and Roomworks SE, DaTube, MIDI Gate, StepFilter, Bitcrusher, Chopper, Metalizer, Ring Modulator, Tranceformer, Grungelizer • Drum Editor

Tutorial video
Cubase LE 4 Demystified - two-hour in-depth instructional video on how to use Cubase LE 4

Plug-ins
PreSonus - EyeQ (Stereo and Mono seven-band Equaliizer with spectral analysis)

Wave Arts - Track Plug LE (compressor/EQ), MasterVerb LE (reverb) plug-ins
Audio Damage - FuzzPlus2, Filterpod plug-ins
Cycling'74 Pluggo Jr. - Average Injector, Chamberverb, Feedback Network, Filter Taps, Generic Effect, HF Ring Mod, Jet, Limi, Nebula, Resonation, Resosweep, Spectral Filter.
Camel Audio Camel Crusher - Distortion Compressor plug-in

Virtual Instruments
BFD Lite - Virtual Studio Drummer

Audio Samples and MIDI Loops
Discrete Drums Sampler - over 2GB of drum loops and drum samples
Keyfax Twiddly bits - 100 MIDI drum loops created by real drummers

PRESONUS FIRESTUDIOPRJ Specs ^top

Computer System Requirements

Below are the minimum computer system requirements for your FireStudio Project.

Windows

- OS: Microsoft Windows XP SP1
- Computer: Windows compatible computer with FireWire port.
- CPU/Clock: Pentium, Celeron with 1.6Ghz or higher
- Memory(RAM): 512 MB (1 GB recommended)

Macintosh

- OS: MacOS X 10.4.x or later
- Computer: Apple Macintosh series with on-board FireWire port.
- CPU/Clock: PowerPC G4/Dual 1 GHZ or faster, all Intel-based Mac models.
- Memory(RAM): 512 MB (1 GB recommended)

Note that the speed of your processor, amount of RAM and size and speed of your hard drive will greatly affect the overall performance of your recording system. Also, a more powerful system (faster processor with more RAM) will allow for lower latency (signal delay) that you might experience while monitoring audio or MIDI signals.
Monitor resolution for both PC and Macintosh should be no lower than 1024x768 pixels.

FireStudio Project Specifications

Microphone Preamp

Type
XLR Female Balanced

Frequency Response (±0.5 dB)
20 Hz to 50 kHz

Frequency Response (±3.0 dB)
20 Hz to 150 kHz

Input Impedance (Balanced)
1600 Ω

THD+N (unwtd, 1kHz @ +4 dBu Output, Unity Gain
< 0.0003%

EIN (unwtd, 55dB Gain, 150 Ω Input, 20Hz to 22kHz
-126 dBu

S/N Ratio (Unity Gain, unwtd, Ref. = +4 dBu, 20Hz to 22 kHz
> 101dB

Common Mode Rejection Ratio (1 kHz, 55 dB Gain)
> 55dB

Gain Control Range (± 1dB)
-4 dB to 50dB

Maximum Input Level (Unity Gain, 1 kHz @ 0.5% THD+N)
+14 dBu

Signal Level LEDS
Red / Clip (±0.5 dB)
Yellow (±0.5 dB)
Green (±0.5 dB)

+10 dBu (o dBFS)
+4 dBu (-6 dBFS)
-30 dBu (-40 dBFS)

Phantom Power (±2 VDC)
+48 VDC

Instrument Input (channels 1 & 2 only)

Type

XLR Female Balanced

Input Impedance
1 MΩ
Line Inputs

Type
XLR Female Balanced

Frequency Response (±0.5 dB)
20 Hz to 50 kHz

Frequency Response (±3.0 dB)
20 Hz to 150 kHz

Input Impedance (Balanced)
10 KΩ

THD+N (unwtd, 1kHz @ +4 dBu Output, Unity Gain
< 0.0003%
S/N Ratio (Unity Gain, unwtd, Ref. = +4 dBu, 20Hz to 22 kHz > 101dB
Gain Control Range (±1 dB) -16dB to +16dB
Maximum Input Level (Unity Gain, 1 kHz @ 0.5% THD+N) +10 dBu
Maximum Input Level (Minimum Gain, 1 kHz @ 0.5% THD+N) +22 dBu
Line Ouputs (including Preamp Output, General Purpose Outputs and Main Outputs)
Type ¼" TRS Balanced
Output Impedance 51 Ω
Headphone Output
Type ¼" TRS Active Stereo
Maximum Output 150 mW/CH @ 60 Ω Load
Frequency Response (±1.0 dB) 10 Hz - 70kHz
Digital Audio
ADC Dynamic Range (Awtd, 48 kHz Sample Rate) 114 dB
DAC Dynamic Range (Awtd, 48 kHz Sample Rate) 114 dB
Bit Depth 24
Reference Level for 0dBFS +10 dBu
Internal Sample Frequency Selections (kHz) 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96
External Sample Frequency Input S/PDIF
Power
Input Connector Type IEC
Input Voltage Range 90 to 230 VAC
Power Requirements (Continuous) 20W

PRESONUS FIRESTUDIOPRJ Demos ^top

Firestudio Tour

Watch a video overview of Firestudio

Watch a Video Overview of the FireStudio's Control Console

Watch Jars of Clay live with FireStudio

PRESONUS FIRESTUDIOPRJ Downloads ^top

DRIVERS:

FireStudio Project only

Windows
firestudio_project_installer.exe (PC Driver 1.0)
Release driver installation for PC users

Macintosh
firestudio_project.dmg (Mac Driver 1.0)
Release driver installation for Mac users

Hookup Diagram (pdf)