Presonus Monitor Station V2

The PreSonus Monitor Station V2 is the ideal switching and communication unit for computer-based studios that still lack the central master section of a professional sound control room. Comparisons with reference mixes, precise judgement via various monitoring systems and relaxed communication with the musicians via a professional talkback unit are essential for a successful day in the studio - and can be easily accomplished with the compact Monitor Station V2. Thanks to the high-quality components, not only the monitoring sound but also the headphone sound for participating musicians is first-class. Incidentally, all the large buttons have integrated status lighting so that the sound engineer is always in the picture.

In addition to the main volume control, the Monitor Station V2 offers a wealth of switching, control and routing options. It can be supplied with different stereo signals - e.g. the main mix and a playback mix - via two pairs of balanced jack sockets. The third aux input has a dual design: as an RCA pair for typical line sources and as a 3.5 mm stereo jack, the latter being ideal for conveniently using tablets or smartphones as playback devices, for example. The RCA and mini jack inputs can even both be used and their signals are summed internally. The S/PDIF input is located above the mini jack input. This can be connected to the digital output of a CD player, for example.

To control the main bus signal, the Monitor Station V2 has a 2x 8-segment LED level indicator, which can also be calibrated to -10 dB, +4 dB or +10 dB. Three pairs of studio monitors or two pairs plus subwoofers can be connected at the rear, and their levels can be precisely adjusted using three small trim pots. The highlight: The three speaker selection buttons can be assigned different switching modes. In preset mode, they work independently of each other, so the sum signal can be output via all three connections simultaneously: e.g. to the control room monitor, the subwoofer and another pair of monitors in the recording room or studio foyer.

In the second mode (toggle), only one pair of monitors can be selected at a time - this corresponds to the classic control room set-up with, for example, miniature speakers, nearfield monitors and main monitors.

In the third mode (Toggle A/B), selector buttons A and B are mutually cancelling - so they can be assigned to two alternative monitor pairs. Button C, on the other hand, works independently, e.g. to switch a subwoofer on or off individually or, as in the first mode, to activate an external pair. Finally, the mono, mute and dim buttons (the latter with adjustable attenuation) are indispensable aids for recording and mixing.

The three source selection buttons ST1, ST2 and Aux are duplicated. This means that different signals can be assigned to both the main bus and the cue bus. These buttons also have two programmable switching modes. By default, they function additively, i.e. the three stereo sources can be summed as required, while the aux source can be continuously adjusted using a potentiometer (the latter could be a click track for the headphone path, for example). If you select the second mode, only one source can be activated for the main and cue bus, so the buttons function as toggle switches. The four powerful headphone outputs each have separate volume controls and a button that can be used to route either the main or cue signal to the relevant headphone path.

The talkback section of the Monitor Station enables easy communication with musicians in the recording room. When the Talkback button is pressed, the built-in electret condenser microphone is activated, its adjustable signal is routed to the cue bus and the loudspeaker output is automatically reduced by 20 dB. If required, an external (dynamic) talkback microphone can also be used by connecting it to the XLR socket at the rear.

In addition to the speaker outputs, the Monitor Station has two further pairs of balanced jack outputs: The headphone signal can be transmitted to an external headphone amplifier via this Cue Out and the sum tapped before the main volume control is available at the Main Out, e.g. to supply a master recorder.