Manage multiple audio sources and sets of monitor speakers, track using illegally loud headphone amplifiers, and talk back to your drummer—all from your desktop.
Your personal studio is well equipped with a great interface (from PreSonus, of course!) and a CD player with an S/PDIF digital output. Perhaps you also need to listen to audio from a third source, such as a tape deck, or you want to be able to audition two different stereo mixes from the interface. The Monitor Station V2 provides a convenient desktop control center where you can switch between these sources without compromising the sound quality. Switch between two pairs of balanced ¼” TRS and a third input channel that can be fed from an S/PDIF digital input (44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96 kHz), one pair of unbalanced RCA Aux inputs with gain control, and a 1/8” TRS unbalanced input that is summed with the RCA Aux inputs. A button switches between the analog Aux and digital S/PDIF inputs. The Monitor Station allows each of the stereo inputs (TRS1, TRS2, aux) to be routed to one of two audio paths: Main and Cue. You also can route two separate signals (Main and Cue) to each of the four headphone amplifiers, which we’ll discuss shortly. For example, send a mix with a click track to the TRS 2 input while sending the main mix to TRS 1; you can then enable the headphone amplifiers to carry either the cue or the main mix. The main audio path always feeds what you will hear in the control room.
You have nothing against drummers (that you’ll admit to); you simply can’t fit drums in your main studio room. However, drums sound great in that big living room. And you get terrific natural reverb on the guitar when you throw that six-string slinger and his rig in the bathroom. Your treated walk-in closet makes a dandy isolation booth for singers. But they each need a headphone feed, and you need to give them verbal cues. And you don’t want to buy even more gear to do it. You’re covered with Monitor Station V2. It offers four ¼” TRS stereo headphone outputs driven by amplifiers so loud they ought to be illegal. Unless they’re stone deaf, your musicians will hear themselves! Each headphone out has a Main/Cue source selector, and individual output-level control. That’s the equivalent of a built-in HP4 headphone system! And with the Monitor Station V2’s built-in, electret-condenser Talkback mic with level control, you can communicate with the talent over their headphones, no problem. A flaming red Talk button activates the mic and automatically attenuates the cue signal by 20 dB.
There’s more to managing a monitoring system than I/O, level controls, and talkback; Monitor Station V2 delivers all of the features you need. Eight-segment, three-colour LED meters indicate left and right signal levels. These LED meters can be set in any of three modes for use with +4 dB, +10 dB, or +18 dB signal levels. A Mono switch sums the stereo outputs so you can check for phase problems. A large, conveniently located knob controls the main speaker output level (but not the main line-level outs), and a Dim switch with attenuation knob lets you reduce the speaker output by a variable amount (-30 to -6 dB). Of course, you can mute the speakers as well. Each of us works a bit differently, so we gave you several ways to customise your Monitor Station V2. Input selection, speaker selection, and the aforementioned LED meter mode can each be set and saved during power up so you can customise your recording system for the way you work.
Features
- 2 Stereo pairs of ¼” TRS inputs
- 1 Stereo pair of RCA Aux inputs
- 1 Stereo S/PDIF coaxial (RCA) digital input (44.1/48/88.2/96 kHz)
- 3 Stereo pairs of ¼” TRS speaker outputs with level controls
- 1 Stereo pair of ¼” TRS Main outputs
- 1 Stereo pair of ¼” TRS Cue outputs
- 4 ¼” TRS screaming-loud stereo headphone outputs
- Large Main level control
- 3 Individual Main Source (ST1, ST2, Aux) select switches
- 3 Individual Speaker Select switches
- Cue section with Source select (ST1, ST2, Aux) and output-level control
- Aux-S/PDIF Select switch
- Aux Input level control
- Main Mute, Mono, and Dim switches with variable Dim attenuation
- 8-segment colour LED input meters with selectable reference level
- 8-segment colour LED input meters with selectable reference level
- Built-in electret-condenser talkback microphone with input-gain control and Talkback button
- Convenient desktop design