Presonus Monitor Station Studio Control Centre 2

Main Features

• Versatile monitoring solution
• Switch between three sets of speakers, all with individual level controls
• Four sets of headphone outputs
• Built-in electret talkback microphone

The Presonus Monitor Station V2 allows you to manage multiple audio sources and sets of monitor speakers, track using headphone amplifiers, and talk back to your drummer—all from your desktop.


Consider Your Sources
Your personal studio is well equipped with a great interface and a CD player with an S/PDIF digital output. Perhaps you also need to listen to audio from a third source, such as a tape deck, or you want to be able to audition two different stereo mixes from the interface. The Monitor Station V2 provides a convenient desktop control center where you can switch between these sources without compromising the sound quality.

Switch between two pairs of balanced 1/4 inch TRS and a third input channel that can be fed from an S/PDIF digital input (44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96 kHz), one pair of unbalanced RCA Aux inputs with gain control, and a 1/8 inch TRS unbalanced input that is summed with the RCA Aux inputs. A button switches between the analogue Aux and digital S/PDIF inputs.

The Monitor Station allows each of the stereo inputs (TRS1, TRS2, aux) to be routed to one of two audio paths: Main and Cue. You also can route two separate signals (Main and Cue) to each of the four headphone amplifiers, which we'll discuss shortly.

For example, send a mix with a click track to the TRS 2 input while sending the main mix to TRS 1. You can then enable the headphone amplifiers to carry either the cue or the main mix. The main audio path always feeds what you will hear in the control room.

Manage Your Destinations
Your small monitors and your large monitors—say, a pair of Eris E5s and a set of Sceptre S6s or S8s—both sound great but they're constructed differently and each reveals things the other doesn't. That's why you have both. And you have a beloved vintage set of monitors that you'll never surrender. But if you have to manually repatch the three sets of monitors one more time.......

No worries! With Monitor Station V2, you can switch between the three sets of monitors instantly! Not only that, you can set each set of speakers' level individually so that when you switch between speakers, your monitoring level stay the same.

Start with three left/right pairs of balanced 1/4 inch TRS Speaker outputs, each with a level control. Add to that a left/right pair of line-level, balanced 1/4 inch TRS Main outs and left and right balanced 1/4 inch TRS Cue outputs with level control. The Main speaker level (but not the line-level outs) is controlled with a large, blue knob on the Monitor Station V2's control surface.

All speakers can be simultaneously available, or just one pair at a time, or you can choose between speakers A and B, with speaker output C remaining active to feed a subwoofer.

Versatile Headphone Monitoring
The Monitor Station V2 offers four 1/4 inch TRS stereo headphone outputs driven by amplifiers so loud they ought to be illegal. Unless they're stone deaf, your musicians will hear themselves! Each headphone out has a Main/Cue source selector, and individual output-level control. That's the equivalent of a built-in HP4 headphone system!

And with the Monitor Station V2's built-in, electret-condenser Talkback mic with level control, you can communicate with the talent over their headphones, no problem. A flaming red Talk button activates the mic and automatically attenuates the cue signal by 20 dB.

Configure It Your Way
There's more to managing a monitoring system than I/O, level controls, and talkback. Monitor Station V2 delivers all of the features you need.

Eight-segment, three-colour LED meters indicate left and right signal levels. These LED meters can be set in any of three modes for use with +4 dB, +10 dB, or +18 dB signal levels.

A Mono switch sums the stereo outputs so you can check for phase problems. A large, conveniently located knob controls the main speaker output level (but not the main line-level outs), and a Dim switch with attenuation knob lets you reduce the speaker output by a variable amount (-30 to -6 dB). Of course, you can mute the speakers as well. Input selection, speaker selection, and the aforementioned LED meter mode can each be set and saved during power up so you can customise your recording system for the way you work.

Input selection can be set in either Summing mode (TRS1, TRS2, and Aux-S/PDIF are summed together when engaged), or in Toggle mode (TRS1, TRS2, and Aux/Phono can only be selected one at a time).

Speaker selection can be in All On mode (speaker A, B and C can be engaged simultaneously), Toggle mode (speaker A, B, and C can only be selected one at a time), or Subwoofer mode (A and B are selectable, and C can be selected with A or B).