PreSonus StudioLive 32From real comments

Name: PreSonus StudioLive 32
Rating: 2.7 (48 reviews)

Verdict distilled from 48 mentions across 14 aspects in comments under product review videos.

Positive sentiment32%

PROS 32%

CONS 68%

Rank based on 48 mentions across 14 aspects

View the verdict as

Buy this if...

You want deep internal routing and strong Studio One/DAW integration
You need a proven, affordable high-channel-count mixer for church or studio use
You value motorized faders and a flexible control app over other consoles

What users love

Flexible internal routingNotable0 mentions

Strongly positive

Strong sound quality0 mentions

Strongly positive

Great DAW / Studio One integration0 mentions

Widely praised

Good value at high channel count0 mentions

Widely praised

Motorized faders and touch workflow0 mentions

Widely praised

Reliable long-term use for some0 mentions

Widely praised

Skip this if...

You rely heavily on built-in send/channel FX like reverb and delay
You need guaranteed reliability for live gigs without dropout risk
You want Dante support, expansion slots, or easy manufacturer support

What users complain about

Weak built-in effectsKey factor0 mentions

Strongly criticized

Reliability and hardware failuresKey factor0 mentions

Strongly criticized

Confusing setup and poor documentationNotable0 mentions

Frequently criticized

Slow or unhelpful supportNotable0 mentions

Frequently criticized

Firmware update and connectivity issues0 mentions

Strongly criticized

No expansion or Dante support0 mentions

Frequently criticized

Clunky compressor/EQ knob workflow0 mentions

Frequently criticized

Settings not recalled after power cycle0 mentions

Generally negative

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Based on user comments

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Mad Professor Fire Red Fuzz

Articulate sound

Great with extended-range guitars

Strong overall tone quality

Price concerns

2Premium

Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay

Musical analog toneLong-term reliability and board loyaltySimple, intuitive controlsHigh price pointCheaper alternatives seen as comparableDistortion at high settings

Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay

Musical analog tone

Long-term reliability and board loyalty

Simple, intuitive controls

High price point

Cheaper alternatives seen as comparable

Distortion at high settings

3Premium

Mad Professor Sweet Honey Overdrive

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Touch-sensitive dynamics

Long-term favorite / durability of appeal

Sweet, low-gain tone quality

High price versus clones

Deluxe loses some original character

Limited mid control

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4Mid

MXR Super Badass Distortion

Exceptional versatilityNatural, amp-like tonePowerful 3-band EQDemo videos undersell the pedalNoticeable noise floorVolume drop when engaged

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Exceptional versatility

Natural, amp-like tone

Powerful 3-band EQ

Demo videos undersell the pedal

Noticeable noise floor

Volume drop when engaged

5Premium

Eventide Orville

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Exceptional reverb quality

High-quality warm pitch shifting

Strong aspirational appeal

High price

Cheaper alternatives may suffice

Effect can feel like it plays for you

6Premium

Origin Effects Deluxe61

Authentic amp-like toneExcellent low-to-mid gain driveUnderrated favorite among ownersHigh price pointLimited gain-staging flexibilityNo built-in reverb

Origin Effects Deluxe61

Authentic amp-like tone

Excellent low-to-mid gain drive

Underrated favorite among owners

High price point

Limited gain-staging flexibility

No built-in reverb

7Premium

Roland TR-808

Iconic, powerful kick drumWarmer, more alive analog characterCultural and historical influenceExtremely high collector priceAnalog noise and static requiring EQReliability concerns of aging hardware

Roland TR-808

Iconic, powerful kick drum

Warmer, more alive analog character

Cultural and historical influence

Extremely high collector price

Analog noise and static requiring EQ

Reliability concerns of aging hardware

8Premium

Moog Subsequent 37

Inspiring and addictive to playWarm, fat analog toneStrong DAW/VST editor integrationHigh price for what it offersLimited versatility outside bass rangeNeeds effects/partner gear to shine

Moog Subsequent 37

Inspiring and addictive to play

Warm, fat analog tone

Strong DAW/VST editor integration

High price for what it offers

Limited versatility outside bass range

Needs effects/partner gear to shine

Wampler Tumnus V2

Klon Centaur-style toneConvincing demo influenced purchaseExcellent clean boostNot suited for metal tones

Wampler Tumnus V2

Klon Centaur-style tone

Convincing demo influenced purchase

Excellent clean boost

Not suited for metal tones

10Mid

Wampler Paisley Drive

Transparent toneVersatile across genresWorks well across many guitar typesTwo-channel routing complexityDry signal bleed-throughInconsistent demo impressions

Wampler Paisley Drive

Transparent tone

Versatile across genres

Works well across many guitar types

Two-channel routing complexity

Dry signal bleed-through

Inconsistent demo impressions

You are here

31Premium

PreSonus StudioLive 32

Flexible internal routingGood value at high channel countGreat DAW / Studio One integrationWeak built-in effectsReliability and hardware failuresConfusing setup and poor documentation

PreSonus StudioLive 32

Flexible internal routing

Good value at high channel count

Great DAW / Studio One integration

Weak built-in effects

Reliability and hardware failures

Confusing setup and poor documentation

Versatile
1. MXR Super Badass Distortionarrow_upward15
2. Wampler Paisley Drivearrow_upward6
3. Mad Professor Sweet Honey Overdrivearrow_upward4
Expensive
1. Moog Subsequent 37arrow_downward3
2. Origin Effects Deluxe61arrow_downward3
3. Eventide Orvillearrow_downward4
Dynamic response
1. Mad Professor Sweet Honey Overdrivearrow_upward8
2. Wampler Paisley Drivearrow_upward2
Good value
1. MXR Super Badass Distortionarrow_upward6
2. PreSonus StudioLive 32arrow_upward3
Build quality
1. Moog Subsequent 37arrow_upward3
2. Origin Effects Deluxe61arrow_upward1

Overall Impression

Sound and routing win praise from long-time users. Multiple owners say the StudioLive 32 sounds excellent out of the box, cleaner and quieter than some rivals, with flexible internal routing, subgroups, and easy soft-patching. Churches and studios report years of reliable weekly use, calling it easy to learn and train new operators on. The modular touchscreen and Fat Channel EQ/compression emulations are seen as strong value for the price, especially at this channel count.

Onboard FX consistently disappoint users across models. A recurring complaint is that send and channel effects sound bland or dated, with reverb tails compared unfavorably to low-quality digital emulations. Several commenters say PreSonus hasn't meaningfully improved FX across product generations, prompting workarounds like routing to Studio One or outboard gear via SoundGrid/Waves plugins to get usable reverb and delay quality live.

Reliability, setup and support problems frustrate many owners. Church and touring users report channels failing after power-up, requiring gain toggling to fix, failed firmware updates despite verified internet connection, unreliable touchscreens, and units needing multiple replacements. Others cite confusing documentation, unclear effects setup, slow or unhelpful Presonus support, and driver/compatibility issues with computers, making some users switch brands entirely.

Outdated / Not-accurate data?

alt_routeFlexible internal routingNotable

4 mentions

Strongly positive

Owners repeatedly highlight the console's extensive, flexible routing options, including sidechain triggering and per-channel input switching, calling it more flexible than competitors they considered.

@T-H-X

Well, I once had the Midas M32R desk. The Midas preamps are really noise-free compared to the Presonus. Nevertheless, I switched to the Presonus because routing and many other things are simply better solved on the Presonus. But the preamps on the Midas are much more noise-free. The software on the Midas mixer is also older but has much less latency than that of Presonus. Very noticeable on the console's display when you show RTA but also with the standard things like gate, compressor, etc. The operation/routing and USB/analog/network input can be switched per channel - send/return effects and subgroups on the presonus are very easy to use. Really very good for the price. Unfortunately, all Presonus consoles have no inserts and only 2 stereo Aux INS, which isn't exactly great when it comes to external effects. In addition, the problem is even though all Presonus consoles have 64/64 IN OUT via USB. If you want to have more than 32 mono channels on the faders (i.e. up to 64), you can't avoid the most expensive console (Presonus StudioLive 64S). All other consoles can only display up to 32 mono channels on the console. When it comes to being able to get a lot of synths on an affordable digital console, you can't avoid the Presonus. All other consoles from other manufacturers require at least an XLR jack adapter.

smart_displayTranslated from German

May 22, 2024

@x0d-live

I purchased a 32r after months of research and debating on what > 22ch interface/mixer options were available. \n\nI caught a good deal on reverb (from a church, of course), and love it. The internal (extensive/complex) routing options are almost overwhelming, but more flexible than any of the other options I had considered, and was a huge surprise. \n\nThe ability to use the 16 outputs to route to outboard/fx gear is a huge plus, especially for sidechain triggering from a kick drum channel, for instance. \n\nI use it in ableton and simultaneously into OBS to stream live to youtube as I record in the DAW. I've had good luck w/ just 32gb and an intel i5 cpu and no BSOD/crashes, despite the load on both ram/cpu when feeding all 32 inputs. \n\nDefinitely the best investment I've made to support all of the modular/synths/drum machines I work with.\n\nI still have mixed feelings about the onboard DSP and EQ, but if I want to preprocess things through an analog mixer, I'll use the Mackie 1604 VLZ pro to overdrive/eq things and push to the 32r from there. Super flexible setup and couldn't be happier.

PreSonus StudioLive 32chat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

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Who wins on what

Versatile

Expensive

Dynamic response

Good value

Build quality

auto_awesomeOverall Impression

PreSonus StudioLive 32From real comments

Buy this if...

What users love

Skip this if...

What users complain about

Overall Impression