GEAR REVIEW
PRESONUS STUDIOLIVE SERIES III SE-32 MIXER | Kent Morris
PreSonus is a favorite talking point brand within the Musical Instrument( MI) industry because it is a grassroots success story. Started in 1995 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana by Jim Odom and Brian Smith to help recordists succeed through audio interfaces and mixers, the company quickly gained a rabid fanbase thanks to its“ one of us” approach to product and design. First generation StudioLive mixers packed amazing features into a cost-effective package perfect for local bands while the ACP-88 eight channel dynamics unit found a home in racks large and small. The 2009 launch of software package Studio One turned PreSonus into a powerhouse by seamlessly creating hardware and software that worked together without fifteen calls to tech support.
In 2021, PreSonus became part of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation but continues to operate as a separate entity within FMIC. With the resources of Fender at hand, PreSonus has continued to improve its software and now attention has turned to hardware, specifically, the new StudioLive Series III SE consoles with the 32-channel version at the top of the offerings.
Large format live consoles, such as DiGiCo’ s
Quantum and Yamaha’ s Rivage series execute at a high level with an associated and expected high price. Mid-tier products like the Allen & Heath Avantis and the Yamaha DM-7 are perfectly suited to high-stakes corporate events, regional bands, and churches. The sub $ 5,000 mixer category, on the other hand, is less defined and must meet the needs of everything from a local club to a Sprinter van-based touring ensemble. Given such a broad user base, it becomes increasingly difficult with each generation to deliver a viable product useful across numerous verticals. One miscalculation of application and a third of potential customers fall away. Fortunately, for all involved, PreSonus nailed it with their latest version with cool new features, improved firmware, and they even painted it a stealthy matte black. Let’ s get to the good stuff.
The 2009 StudioLive model was impressive for its time, but an early adopter would be amazed at the innovation PreSonus has added since. Beyond the existing motorized faders, effective EQ design, and arguably best DAW integration in the industry of the previous generation, the Series III SE has now taken advantage of untapped horsepower in the DSP to expand available EQ types, improve the effects section to align with offerings from higher priced competitors, and expand the dynamics section parameters as well. Some big news awaits within the network connectivity realm as well.
PreSonus is one of the few companies, along with Meyer Sound, using AVB( Audio Video Bridging) instead of Dante for interconnects. Dante is fantastic and quite common across pro audio, but AVB has advantages of its own and works well in this scenario. Third party Milan certification, long a staple of costly Meyer Sound products, is now included in PreSonus consoles. What that means for users is better functioning across network switches which form the gateway for audio transport. Additionally, clocking function is improved and should be audibly perceptible to anyone attuned to its role in digital audio.
While the hardware continues its evolutionary improvement path, it is the PreSonus software that brings home the bacon. Studio One Pro is included free of charge or subscription and is arguably equal to or better than standalone packages selling for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Remote mixing software, once the enclave of exclusively pricy consoles, is also included free of charge. Finally, dozens
116 November 2025 Subscribe for Free...