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Digital Mixer

PreSonus StudioLive 32R

PreSonus·Model StudioLive Series III SE 32R·presonus-studiolive-32r

Photos

Manufacturer product photography — the drawn faceplate above stays true to panel layout; these show the hardware itself.

Photo: PreSonusClick to zoom

About the PreSonus StudioLive Series III SE 32R

The PreSonus StudioLive 32R is the flagship R-series rack mixer: 32 preamps, 64x64 USB, AVB networking, and onboard SD multitrack in 2U. It runs full-band ears from a tablet, feeds broadcast splits over AVB, and records the show without a laptop. The top of the user-requested R-series trio.

The StudioLive 32R is a 2U rack mixer that earns its space by doing the work of several boxes at once. Thirty-two combo preamps, twelve analog aux outputs, a full AVB network port, and onboard multitrack recording land in a chassis that draws at most 60 watts and weighs under ten pounds. In a monitor rig it can drive twelve mixes straight off the analog outputs while simultaneously streaming split audio to a broadcast truck or a recording rig over AVB — without a laptop in the signal path. That combination of density and flexibility is the whole argument for it.

At load-in, 300mm of depth is shallow enough to fit most standard tour racks without fighting the lids, and the 40-watt idle draw means you're not burning a significant chunk of a conditioner's headroom. The EtherCON AVB port is the feature that changes your patching math: a single Cat6 run can carry 64 channels bidirectionally to a compatible AVB device, which on a multi-act festival or broadcast show eliminates a lot of analog copper and splitter hardware. The 64×64 USB interface mode is equally useful in rehearsal — plug into a laptop and the whole board becomes a high-channel-count recording interface. Tablet control via the UC Surface app means your ME can walk the stage during soundcheck and pull a monitor mix without a second engineer at the rack.

This unit belongs in a dedicated monitor rack or a compact FOH rack where you need real channel count without a full-size console footprint — touring support acts, corporate AV rigs, fixed installs doubling as broadcast feeds, or a fly-date IEM rig where you're checking two bags and need everything in one box. It is not a surface; there are no faders, no physical mix controls, which means your entire workflow runs through a tablet or laptop. Engineers who prefer hands-on control under pressure, or who work in environments where Wi-Fi or USB connectivity is unreliable, will find that tradeoff uncomfortable. In those cases a compact surface like the StudioLive 32S or a console with a built-in control layer is the more honest tool.

In the rack

  • Mount it with the EtherCON port accessible from the rear and run a dedicated Cat6 cable to your AVB switch before anything else is patched — AVB network configuration has to happen at line check, not during the scramble before doors.
  • If you're running twelve monitor mixes off the analog aux outputs, label the rear panel with a P-touch strip at the dock: aux assignment changes between shows and an unlabeled rear panel costs you minutes you don't have at a festival changeover.
  • Use the onboard SD recording as a silent backup rather than your primary multitrack — it runs independently of the USB and AVB streams, so even if your recording laptop drops out, the show is captured.
  • At 60 watts max draw, two 32Rs fit comfortably on a single 20-amp circuit with a monitor amp rack — useful to know when you're negotiating power drops with venue electricians on a fly date.

32-ch 2U rack mixer / stage box / 64x64 USB interface (AVB).

I/O Ports (6)

PortConnectorDirectionSignalChannels
Mic/Line 1-32COMBO XLR TRSinputanalog audio32
Main Out L/RXLR MALEoutputanalog audio2
Aux/Monitor Out 1-12XLR MALEoutputanalog audio12
AVB NetworkETHERCONbidirectionaldigital audio64
USB (64x64)USB Bbidirectionaldata
Power
  • Power (IEC C14)

Deciding between two?

Rack space, watts, weight and every connector, side by side.

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