Each channel has a dedicated rotary input-trim control and everything else, including the meters, is shared with other mixer channels or functions. The stereo output has its own dedicated fader, as do the four analogue aux sends.
After reading the bits at the front of the Quick Start Guide to make sure I didn’t miss anything really obvious, I unpacked the 16.0.2 and started playing about straight away, to see if I could find my way around it without any instruction.
The first and most obvious thing I noticed about the desk in use was that it doesn’t have motorised faders or any fader bank or layer arrangement. The 16 channel faders control the corresponding channel output levels and that’s all they do: there’s no possibility of confusion or of adjusting the wrong ‘layer’ by mistake.
A strong point of digital mixers in general is the ability to store, copy and paste data settings, so that all effects parameters and settings can be copied and applied to another channel with a couple of button presses. They can also be stored as favourite settings for future use.
The StudioLive 16.0.2 provides 80 scene memories that will capture comprehensive mixer snapshots for later recall. Various settings can be included or excluded from this process too. There are also some good ‘first base’ presets included for the more common channel assignments, such as kick drum, jazz piano and so on, which might be helpful while you’re getting used to the StudioLive 16.0.2.
To appreciate all that the StudioLive 16.0.2 can do, you really need to get your hands on one, but if you can’t do so right away, a good first step would be to find the full user manual online, and have a good read. I am also very tempted to buy one myself, as I can think of so many jobs for which this desk would be the perfect tool.