Central Station, Big Knob, or direct?

Dwetmaster · Post by **Dwetmaster** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:11 pm

Hey James,
I've shopped A LOT when I was searching for an option to hook up my monitors and my Sub. I wasn't too hype about the idea of adding a big device + a whole bunch of wire on my already crowded desk so the BK was not in the run for me....
BUT,
I hesitated to buy the CS because I thought it was pretty expensive for what it is doing. I finally got it and (although I still think it is overpriced) I LOVE it...
Two independent phones out that you can independently assign to either the Main In or the Cue In. An instant Mono/Stereo Switch, Three stereo speaker out...
I Have my Sub on The 3rd Out, My monitors on the first and my home cinema upstairs hooked on the Second out via a long long long cable. That way it's always easy to have consumer's point of view of a mix. All the routing posibilities are really worth IMHO.

P.S.
I'm wondering if that remote rebate is 2-3 months retroactive???

aizo · Post by **aizo** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:19 pm

presonus>mackie anyday

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:35 pm

There are quite a few units out there to consider including those from Dangerous Music, Grace Designs, Coleman Audio, and others. BUT for the affordably priced units ($500 street and under) I really have to give a two thumbs up for the Central Station. Quite some time ago, a few guys from our staffed partnered with Presonus to design the Central Station...quality was of utmost importance. There are quite a few features in this box, but audio fidelity is what matters most. I have (2) Central Stations myself, each as an upgrade from the monitor section in my Control24's (two systems, one on each system).

In my home studio, the Central Station is PUSHED HARD....inputs from ProToolsHD, DVD player, secondary computer, cable TV, outputs to an external CD recorder, two sets of monitors and a sub. There is very little coloration going on in the Central Station, it's less harsh than "some others" that are out there Using the converters and monitors I'm using, these differences are more apparent to me than others might hear so if you don't hear a difference--it's simply because you may not be able to hear that difference based on other factors.

I'm working with Presonus in hopes to design a surround version of this box, I need one!

Resonant Alien · Post by **Resonant Alien** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:52 pm

James Steele wrote:
Resonant Alien wrote:Unless you gotta have it now, wait a little bit. Universal Audio is coming out with a monitor control system that has a remote (with VU meters!!) and a separate unit for all the connections. Supposed to come out in Q3. Central Station or BK may still be better, but it would be good to see what this thing is going to be.
Hmmm... sounds intriguing. Yeah, I might just hang back for a while, although Q3 is a while... any rumor sites about this? Thanks!

Press release for the monitor controller and preamp below. Not a ton of info. The pre is shipping now. I assume the monitor controller would look similar.

http://www.uaudio.com/news/releases/arc ... 6/dcs.html

chrispick · Post by **chrispick** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:35 pm

mongoose wrote:
chrispick wrote:A-Designs ATTY. Passive attenuation. Clean.
So, you really find this unit to be transparent? No coloration of the sound when used on the mains? I've considered it a couple of times, but at $99 street it seems almost too good to be true. I'd love to hear that I'm just being paranoid. It can happen, of course--I was just being paranoid about the RNC and now I can't live without it.

-m

It sounds pretty transparent to me, yeah. I use it between my Apogee converter and my mains. Your needs might require greater discernment however.

FWIW, A-Designs makes some great gear, I think. I also have a Pacifica and love it.

hearttimes · Post by **hearttimes** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 10:33 pm

james i'd get the big knob. actually, i did get it. when i gave up my yamaha o2r to go with the 96i's form digi i got the big knob and never regretted it for a second, although i find the phono in to be a bit of a waste as i could use that addl input.

it's cheaper. mackie are great guys. its got talk back. two sets of phones independent. dim and mute.

acro · Post by **acro** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:44 am

I would *never* run anything without an analog-controlled level control direcctly to speakers -- as you say, it's too risky.

I went through the same search a year ago, looking for a good line switcher/volume knob for my Bryston 2B/Dynaudio BM5P combo in an untreated room (a typical bedroom studio). My main objective was to eliminate the 03D from my setup and save space.

I first borrowed a Behringer from my workplace to downsize. This made the whole setup sound like a $300 home stereo to my ears.

I then tried the Big Knob at a dealer on a pair of Fostex NF-1A's, which sounded quite colored. Granted I may have been imagining things, as many people here seem to be successful with it.

The dealers I usually purchase gear from didn't carry SPL and didn't have Central Station to try out; so I didn't go through other dealers to give them a fair chance.

Right now I now use the inserts of a used ATI MX-8 as a stop-gap measure. It sounds much more precise, focused and gutsy than anything else I've come across. Very expensive choice, but the experience taught me that there's no skimping on this stage of the audio chain.

I have the feeling that using the In or Out Level control of semi-pro stereo outboards (PEQ's/HA's/comps) in Bypass could be a very viable alternative to the Big Knob or Central Station.

Just an alternative to Brad's post...

HCMarkus · Post by **HCMarkus** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 5:03 pm

BradLyons wrote:I'm working with Presonus in hopes to design a surround version of this box, I need one!

NOW you're talking! I can't see buying a product of this nature that does not support surround. Surround is just too important today, and will certainly be even more so tomorrow.

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 5:27 pm

Markus,

There certainly are products that exist, but upwards of $3500. My idea is to have a box that has full DSP built-in for callibration and crossover points, the ability to foldback to stereo or provide at least 5.1 with the click of a button, surround decoding for playback to a home theatre system, etc. I'm going to meet in a few weeks again......I'd like to see something like this hit for under $2,000.

HCMarkus · Post by **HCMarkus** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 6:42 pm

Give it an ADAT in jitter-reduction and the DSP would be cool.

BradLyons · Post by **BradLyons** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 1:52 am

ADAT optical? YUCK, pro systems use AES/EBU as it's a better quality protocol--however, ADAT optical appeals more to the masses which is why it's so prevelant

YouTube · Post by **James Steele** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:46 am

BradLyons wrote:YUCK, pro systems use AES/EBU as it's a better quality protocol--however, ADAT optical appeals more to the masses which is why it's so prevelant

So why did PreSonus put S/PDIF on Central Station?

Fresh out of SPDIF on any of my MOTU interfaces.

jmoore · Post by **jmoore** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:55 am

Here you go James...

http://gearslutz.com/board/showthread.php?t=113133

-jordan

gregwhartley · Post by **gregwhartley** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:09 am

Add my vote for the Presonus! I got one a while back with the free remote promo. It was great: buy the CS, mail in the form and they send out the CSR-1 (mine didn't take long at all, I think about two weeks excluding weekends).

As far as the unit is concerned, I've never run into any walls on this thing. I only have one set of monitors, but I bought it for all the rest of it's features - and with plans to expand my monitoring rig in the future. I used to use my 828's "main" knob to adjust the monitoring volume, but having a remote on the table gives me so many more great things to work with: A big knob I can grab right in front of me, a mono button to check phase with quickly, as well as dim and mute buttons. Not to mention that I needed a talkback mic. The two headphone amps are also great b/c you can switch between cue and main monitoring just by pushing on the headphone level knob (great if you want to check between the two while another artist/bandmate is listening to their own cue during tracking).

One of the things I like the most is that when you switch something via the remote or front panel, you can hear the relays switching inside the unit - it's something that kind of tells you about this thing's build quality. The signal is completely protected from everything degrading - it's all routed via relays! So awesome!

Dwetmaster · Post by **Dwetmaster** » Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:23 am

James Steele wrote:
BradLyons wrote:YUCK, pro systems use AES/EBU as it's a better quality protocol--however, ADAT optical appeals more to the masses which is why it's so prevelant
So why did PreSonus put S/PDIF on Central Station? Fresh out of SPDIF on any of my MOTU interfaces.

Yeah My 896HD doesn'T have s/pdif. I'd rather kkeep it Digital to transfer to central station but I can't...