I’ve had a chance to check out a lot of innovative control surfaces and digital mixers, but I still remain a dedicated “mouse-mixer”.

There are a couple of reasons for this.  First off, the cost and depreciation of a highly functional control surface is prohibitive.  I could afford to install one, but I can always think of something better I’d like to do with the money.  And that’s because of the second reason: I remain highly productive with only a mouse (well, actually a trackball).  Adding a full-featured control surface just wouldn’t improve my productivity that much.  I also like the cleanliness and elegance of my studio sans mixer.  I like the fact that the studio doesn’t feel like the bridge of the Enterprise.

I’m not alone.  There are a lot of us mouse-mixers out there.  And a handful of companies have stepped up to provide us with the one thing all mouse-mixers need: a master control section.

Enter Central Station, a 1U master output section for your DAW to handle the jobs you can’t easily handle without a mixer:

• Master Volume
• Hardware-accurate metering
• Headphone outputs
• Cue mixes
• Speaker selection
• Talkback
• High quality 24 bit / 192 KHz D/A conversion

An optional remote unit is available which provides master volume, talkback mic, and many routing controls on a small-footprint wired pod.  This is a essential addition if you want to install the Central Station in an out-of-the-way rack and place the pod on a desktop.  In our console, the Central Station fits perfectly in front of the engineer, so we didn’t test the remote.

Inputs include two +4 balanced analog inputs, digital inputs (SPDIF and TOS) and RCA inputs with a trim control.  Outputs include +4 balanced line outputs, speaker outputs for up to three systems, and a variety of headphone outputs.

PreSonus has wisely chosen a completely passive design for the routing section of Central Station.  This means it has no amplifiers in the circuitry, and all switching is controlled with high-quality relays.  The difference is audible: while some output controls utilize op-amps that can cause the sound to be a bit brittle and fatiguing, Central Station adds no coloration or distortion to the sound whatsoever.  Headroom never feels constrained.

Routing is very intuitive and flexible.  Each section (main and cue) allows you to choose from any of the four inputs, allowing you to switch from several possible sources.  If you have more than one computer or playback system, Central Station will let you switch among them effortlessly.

Metering is provided with a very accurate and detailed 30-segment LED display with clip-hold indicators.  I found the metering section to be an unexpected plus: it’s been a long time since I had such a great set of accurate meters right up in my face.  While my software provides world-class metering, it’s reassuring to get independent confirmation from an accurate hardware device.

Talkback is likewise well-implemented.  You can use the lighted front-panel switch or connect a footswitch to control the talkback mic.  An input is provided to let you use your own talkback mic, however, the built-in mic provided excellent talkback coverage of our entire control room.

Pressing the talkback button / footswitch automatically dims both the cue input (to lower the playback volume in the headphones when someone is talking) as well as the master outputs (to lower the control room playback volume so that the talkback mic can better hear the engineer).  Talkback dimming isn’t abrupt, either: Central Station provides just a little fade so that nothing jarring happens in the headphones.  This allows the engineer to talkback while the performer is actually recording without being disturbing.  I love the fact that I can pop onto the talkback during a take to help give cues to the performer.

The master output section includes the large blue volume knob and MUTE, DIM, and MONO controls, as well as speaker selectors for up to three sets of monitors.  Pressing either the monitor A or B button switches between them, while monitor C can be active in addition to A or B.  The obvious use of the C output is as a switched subwoofer output, but you could also use it to drive monitors in another room, for example the tracking room or a lounge.  Or place your second set of monitors on this output so that you can drive both sets if you need extreme volumes in your control room.

Headphone outputs are clean-sounding and well-executed.  Each front panel output has its own level knob which also serves to switch between the MAIN and CUE outputs.  The front-panel headphone outputs are independent from the CUE output, allowing the engineer to manipulate his headphone mix without disrupting what is sent to the headphone distribution amp.

Summary

In operation I had only two tiny complaints, so I’ll start with them.

First off, each monitor output has its own front-mounted trim control. I wish the trim controls were either eliminated entirely (for sonic purity) or moved to the back panel.  Since speaker trim is a set-it-and-forget-it operation, there’s no reason to clutter the front panel with it.  And I can’t find a good reason to have separate left and right trim, either.

Secondly, it would be really nice to offer two CUE buses instead of just one.  True, I rarely need more than one headphone mix, but when I do, it’s a pain.  Many popular headphone distribution amps offer two CUE inputs.  Two CUE buses would do the job perfectly and make this unit stand out in more professional environments where more complex tracking situations sometimes present themselves.

There you have it.  Those are the only criticisms I can level at this unit.  Other than that these two nitpicks, all I have are compliments to PreSonus on a job well done.  Sound quality is superb.  Controls are very intuitive.  Routing is flexible.  Lights are provided everywhere so you can immediately see what’s happening.  Every element of execution is, essentially, flawless and imminently professional.  In short, they got it just right.

I will avoid pointless rambling raves and keep this summary simple.  Like so many PreSonus products, Central Station is a best-of-breed,  gotta-have-it piece of gear for the modern studio that wants to avoid big-footprint consoles without sacrifice.