PRESONUS firestudio project

The FireStudio Project includes eight custom-designed high-voltage, discrete, XMAX Class A microphone preamplifiers for all types of microphones. 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

The FireStudio Tube touts A/D/A converters with a dynamic range of over 114dB for unbelievable clarity as well as synchronization using 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

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!

- 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

Computer System Requirements

[Windows]
- OS: Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and Vista 32
- 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 (10.5 supported with driver update)
- 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.