Recording - September 2014 - 33

Flexible options
The Monitor Station V2 comes from the factory with its
inputs set to Input Sum Mode and its outputs set to Combo
Mode. Here's what that means. When you power up and
use the Monitor Station V2 out of the box, at least one input
source is always active, and any two or all three can be
turned on at once; each Speaker set is independently controlled, so you can listen to one, two, or three sets at once,
or turn them all off.
However, this behavior can be modified by holding down
certain buttons while powering up the device. Inputs can be
set to Toggle Mode, where only one source at a time can
feed the outputs. Outputs can be set to Toggle Mode in the
same way, so only one set of Speakers can be active at a
time, or to a special mode called Speaker A/B. In this mode,
you can toggle between Speakers A and B, but Speaker C
can be turned on and off by itself independently of the others. This is ideal for satellite/sub systems; hook up the sub to
Speaker C and you can toggle it by itself or use it with either
of two sets of monitors.
The Main outputs on the back are essentially a passthrough
for whatever Input source you have selected; they're not affected by the Mute or Dim functions, or by the main Level knob. The
Cue outputs are used to feed an external headphone distribution
system; you can feed whatever you like to them, separate from
what goes to the Mains, and retain full Cue control over whatever your talent is listening to in the tracking room. The onboard
headphone outs are handy for one-room studios, where everyone's all together anyway.
The Talkback signal is routed only to outputs where Cue has
been selected as a source. The Talk button operates as a pushon/push-off switch if tapped rapidly, or if held down it stays
on until released; it automatically engages Dim when pressed.

Hearing and deciding
Once the Monitor Station V2 has been calibrated and you've
tweaked its operating modes to suit your needs, using it is a breeze.
None of the front-panel controls affects your calibrations, so you
don't have to worry about anyone messing up your SPL settings
unless they touch your speakers or the rear-panel trimpots.
As for sound quality-since every single audio signal you hear is
going through this box, it's great to report that the Monitor Station
V2 has no real "sound" of its own. PreSonus claims a frequency
response of 10 Hz to 50 kHz, and to my ears there is no noticeable alteration to sound quality passing through the box. Very high-

end monitor controllers have their place in the rigs of experienced
engineers with special requirements and keen ears, but for the vast
majority of small- and medium-sized studios the Monitor Station V2
is so transparent as to be effectively "not there" in the signal chain.
End result? All the cool routing, cue mixing, speaker auditioning, and
talkback functions a small studio could want, brought together in one
affordable, clean-sounding box. If you're in the market for a monitor
controller and its input/output options match your studio's needs, the
Monitor Station V2 will do a dandy job wrangling your sounds.
Price: $299.95
More from: PreSonus, www.presonus.com

http://www.presonus.com http://www.isoacoustics.com http://www.isoacoustics.com

Recording - September 2014

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