Connecting two presonus Studiolive consoles for FOH and Monitor setup using one NSB stage box

Here is how we setup a FOH and monitor configuration using two Presonus Studiolive Series iii consoles and one NSB stage-box. The setup in this video focuses on simplification.
I did this video due to the lack of other videos and information covering this topic. Presonus does have instructions on how to configure a FOH and monitor setup, however, it references different hardware and a much different way (more confusing method...) of configuring.
Consoles: Presonus StudioLive 32 Series iii and Presonus StudioLive 32SC

[@georgeray3492]

Very thorough step-by-step tutorial. Well done!

[@beckwith5880]

great coverage of a complicated topic. will have to watch it a few more times before i'm ready to take my operational test :)

[@stageleftaudio]

The test will be graded!

[@beckwith5880]

i thought so, probably timed as well!!! @@stageleftaudio

[@spiltliquor8727]

I did this same setup earlier this week with the same 32s(foh), 32sc(monitor), and 32.16 stage box. I’m using the stage box outputs 1-8 as my monitor sends and 9-16 as FOH sends. Works great! I guess the only issue would be FOH music not running through my monitors unless the Bluetooth device is plugged in at the stage box itself in order to route to each mixer? Thanks for this video! Wish you had posted it a week earlier though. 😂😂😂🤘🎶

[@stageleftaudio]

Thank you for the comment. Good to see your setup is working! Yes, it's common for some setups to have wireless gear at/near the stage to ensure that input gets routed to both FOH and monitors. That type of setup is still in practice with analog gear.

[@spencerrouse2493]

Great video. I am running similar setup. Only difference is I am also bringing in FOH channel 32 via AVB to the 32SC and routing it accordingly in digital patching. Eliminating the need to use the stage box to send from FOH. You don't need to use an analog cable, but if it's not broke don't fix it.

[@stageleftaudio]

Great solution!

[@urbanusta]

Thanks for the content. AFAIK, proper clock sync on any of the networked devices depends on receiving an output stream from the clock source device (FOH mixer in your case). Stagebox and monitor console modes take care of this automatically. Hence your NSB is covered (i.e., it does receive a stream from clock source). However, if you are using your 32SC in standalone mode, you will need to configure its Stream 1 to come from your FOH console manually (clock source) to avoid sync error related audio artifacts, even though you may not use that stream anywhere on that monitor console. Using monitor console mode on 32SC would have done this automatically. Presonus AVB Integrator Application Guide p45/46 covers this.

[@stageleftaudio]

Thank you for the great comment. The consoles can "see" each other and will set themselves up as FOH or a monitor (based on their need). I find this as a great feature of the consoles (I have a short video on this coming out later).

[@poncharellocr]

Very nice video, just a comment, in presonus NSB documentation appears the way you can do this but instead you set your outputs to the main mixer (SL32) you set them to the monitor mixer (32sc), this is specially worth it because for default when you turn your mixer in monitor mode, this mixer is going to feed the FOH mains thought out its mains, so you can feed your PA form the mains of the monitor mixer that is going to have the same main form the FOH. And this allows you to let the entire outputs form your NSB to feed the musician´s monitor without losing the input signal from the NSB to your FOH mixer (SL32) , this is a good idea because the NSB is going to be always closer of the musicians than the monitor mixer and at the same time your are going to get signal for the two mixers form your NSB 32.16. Best

[@stageleftaudio]

Thanks for the reply!

[@thechuckster6838]

Thank you for creating this video! It is very educational and straight forward. Please keep them coming. I enjoyed how you explained it and demonstrated the entire operation working. Do you know where I could obtain some block diagrams of connecting these types of systems in different configurations? I've been a design consultant for many years and we are now getting requests for installing these in permanent environments for colleges, outdoor sports facilities and portable systems. Last time I used AVB was in the audio conference world. It all moved to Dante and it seems to be going in that direction. Thanks again!

[@stageleftaudio]

Thank you for your comment. As for block diagrams, you may want to contact Presonus to see if they have those available. Also, you may want to check the Presonus forum... and possibly post your bock diagram question there. Yes, a lot of audio manufactures use Dante, I prefer AVB; it is open-source. The best part about setting up an AVB network using Presonus... no PC/computer is required.

[@kevincampbellNYC]

I found that I was able to eliminate the SW5E from my similar setup, after the latest firmware upgrade. I just use one connection on the NSB for house and the other for Stand Alone for Streaming or for Monitors.

[@stageleftaudio]

That is one of the ways to do it!

[@ballerstv863]

How?

[@stageleftaudio]

@@ballerstv863 The NSB devices have 2 ports on them, which can eliminate a need for the switch.

[@steveevans5260]

On the Midas AES50 network you can take your bus(es) off your FOH for things like talkback and music to your monitor console and route the bus as an aux input on the monitor console. No hardwiring your your digital snake aux out to the monitor console. Especially useful if digital snake is not near your monitor console. Might want to see if Presonus will do the same. Sure it will. It the Midas world called aux remap. Rock on 🤘🏻

[@stageleftaudio]

Sounds like that would work with Presonus. I'll try it out!

[@ballerstv863]

Based on your setup , why there is no sound when I plug a speaker in my buses in SL SC?

[@stageleftaudio]

Not sure of your setup (analog or digital), but make sure the outputs(s) are set to "L/R" on the "Assign" section of the Fat-Channel.

[@TomVereecke]

Nice informative video. Do you also have a spare console and stagebox for gigs since it's basically computers that can go bad. Notice how much you say the word allright. :-)

[@stageleftaudio]

Good questions. We do have another Presonus StudioLive Seriess iii 32 channel console, but not a digital stage box. We have several Ethercon cables as well. You are correct, these can fail at any time (due to them being computers)... which is why we use voltage regulators and UPS devices at FOH for the sensitive gear; to reduce the chance of failure. For a backup for the snake, we will always have an analog snake(s) available at each event. Providing a full redundant digital solution is extremely expensive!

[@LeveledHeadGamer]

How to you do foh & monitors from one console & stage box?

[@stageleftaudio]

Just as you would do with an analog board. The monitor sends use the AUX outputs at the console; the monitor cables then connect to the stage box (at the "outputs" of the stage box), and those connect to the amps. There's not much of a difference between digital and analog when running one console.

[@WiKiTWoNKa]

How about from the 32 console to a 32R rack mixer... I am wanting to get the signal from stage (From the 32R) into the 32C (C or Console I will say) but the audio OUT I want to come out of the 32R so the powered monitors that are on stage and on the floor are fed by the 32R via main out and monitor out ( it works similar like that with the UC software when using my PC) but! (Instead of using the UC Controller) I want to use the 32C to control the IO (FOH, Monitors and Live feed into ZOOM or OBS via USB 2.0 so all the Outputs are separate from each other and none is effected by another (I think that made sense) So all in a nutshell... from the 32C: Through USB 2.0 the signal feeds Live Stream... Then the Main out for FOH and the Monitor out (coming out the back of the 32R) going into the powered monitors on stage and in front of stage... if possible how do I do it... can you make or do you have a video for that? 🙏

[@stageleftaudio]

I am not too sure how that would be setup, but I have heard that what you are needing to do is a common setup. This may help... the 32R would be setup as a stagebox and as a dedicated monitor console. The 32SC would receive its inputs from the 32R (monitor console)... not from a "stagebox". The "outputs" on the 32SC should be routed to the 32R. I believe that when a Presonus 32R is setup as a "monitor" console, the outputs on the 32R (FOH, AUX) are automatically used for main FOH and AUX outputs (similar to how a dedicated NSB would be setup). Therefore, the 32SC FOH and AUX outputs should be automatically mapped to the 32R outputs. Take a look at the Presonus support website. They do have some directions on how to setup something very similar to what you are needing to do.

[@WiKiTWoNKa]

@@stageleftaudio yes exactly what you said is pretty much what it is that I was trying to do and yes I mean the 32r is an audio interface / stage box / mixer so it could be one of any of those things combined so yeah I think that is exactly what I'm trying to figure out if I could do that now the reason why I ask is because you have the NSB but I have the 32r and they are pretty similar but different what I have is something well similar but different that's all I can say it's got similar hookups and stuff but it's different and so I figured if you could do it with that I can do it with what I have but I don't need to have two mixers I just assumed that I can use the main console mixer to control the stage box and route audio where I would need it out through the stage box but at the same time with the receiving audio from the stage box to the main console I could via USB run that through my OBS software, so yeah I think what you said and I said is pretty much the same thing that it will actually do what I want to do. Now I just got to somehow raise the money to get the 32 like you have I don't want the SC I want the full flagship console 😁

[@stageleftaudio]

Sounds like you know what you are looking for! The 32R is rather different considering (as you said) it is a stage-box, a mixer, and an audio interface. The networking aspect of how to route the inputs between a 32 console and a 32R is different. You may want to try posting your question to the Presonus Forum: forums.presonus.com/ ...you will need to setup a login for access. There's a lot of people that watch that forum and I think someone could provide you with some guidance on your particular setup.

[@WiKiTWoNKa]

@@stageleftaudio I will do that I already have an account with them but I will definitely follow that link. Thank you very much I appreciate you

[@AlejandroGarcia-ft8tg]

I have a question , if anyone can let me know if it’s Happened to them , has anyone had “sound cut off“ all audio “ mutes “ during a live performance? I’m connected from my presonus studio live series iii and it basically shouts all sound off to all my speaks , even if they are in separate matrix

[@AlejandroGarcia-ft8tg]

It happens for split seconds several times 2-3 times at a time

[@stageleftaudio]

Are you using a digital snake solution (digital stage box), or are you using an analog snake?

[@AlejandroGarcia-ft8tg]

@@stageleftaudio digital snake and digital box on the mixer itself I have to select the “ network “ for gain input

[@stageleftaudio]

Could be a few issues including the network cable. But, your issue may be more involved than what can be responded to on this KZbin channel. I recommend posting your question on the Presonus Forums: forums.presonus.com/ There are usually a lot more people reading (and responding) to questions on that forum than there is for this video.

[@AlejandroGarcia-ft8tg]

@@stageleftaudio thanks I’ll look into it

[@derrickwilson7467]

On most doghouses, cables enter/exit from the side, not the top.

[@stageleftaudio]

You are correct. However, for this console case (and the cable being used), the cable could not connect into the console from underneath the dog house lid. All of our other cables/snakes can connect through the sides (as designed).

[@jthunderbass1]

Fear, not, for they have thought about gain compensation when you have multiple desks, plugged into a stagebox fear not for when you turn the gain up on one, it will trim the other one back fear not

[@JBF-GST-Tanda]

Does studiolive desks have trim (or digital level offset) options? I tried Dig.Gain but it doesn't affect analog signals. It's for USB soundcard input.