The Presonus 1Box - A review by Johnny "themuzic" Geib

[waterbuggg]

did you have any problems with white noise when working with the microphone?

[themuzic]

@waterbuggg Yes I had some white noise issues but it's not the Microphone, it's the preamps on the audiobox. You can get great recordings outa this thing but you need to dial it all in carefully. Tracks will always have a low level of noise but it should be nothing that sabotages the overall quality if you dial it in right.

[67holla]

can you PLEASE tell me how did you record over the instrumental from 6:05 to 6:16? i'm STUCK on that part.

[themuzic]

@67holla All I did was arm the track and hit record. What exactly are you have trouble with?

[67holla]

@themuzic i have the beat & everything set up.i don't hear the beat when i press record. i'm trying to record over the beat,very similar similar to what you did. how do you "arm the track"?

[themuzic]

@67holla You have to create a new track and record on that. Not on top of the beat that you already have.

[67holla]

@themuzic i think i figured it out. thank you VERY much sir. I've been trying to figure that out for a week. lol :)

[evilproPL]

I'm basicly doing the same thing that you do, without the presets, and I'm getting this! watch?v=5eAiqwD-b-w :( What if I want to have quality like this? watch?v=yxJN2oI-PDs I'm really desperate about this.. please help.

[xbmqb10]

This is JUST what i needed. TYVM ! I just bought the Presonus package and I'm just getting my feet wet learning the functions. I was wondering if the mic was just a piece of junk because I couldn't get a good enough sound out of it. The presets you used in this video really helped. I appreciate you taking the time to explain things !!! Good job !

[bnbrl]

how did you hook up the audio box (which has trs connectors) to those samson mediaone monitors that you have in the video (which has rca connection)?

[themuzic]

@bnbrl Um, by using a TRS to RCA cable.

[MrHoldyourapplause]

every time I record with it and make a video guitar comes out headphone and vocals come out of the other, how do I make it stereo? my webcam is built into my computer any tips?

[themuzic]

@MrHoldyourapplause If you're using video software on the computer itself, your sound card may not allow you to do both.

[StarBoyJonesProds]

If I wanted to use an external compressor/pre amp like an avalon or for the presonus blue tube for when I'm on the go. How would i connect them to the audiobox? Keep up the tutorials. Theyre very helpful.i

[StarBoyJonesProds]

Great video. Great song too. I have a question. If I wanted to ad

[dogruffruff]

where'd you get the windscreen from?

[themuzic]

@dogruffruff Sam Ash has asorted sizes that you can buy for about $4 each.

[funnygangink]

were can i find this song man it is crazy good and btw the review was great keep up the good work.

[themuzic]

@funnygangink Unfortunately nowhere. I permanently lost my just before I was going to record it. Sorry my friend. I can no longer sing. Thanx for watching it though.

[MrPuffPass]

looks like im buying this..

[MYyoojiho]

im getting this fuzzy noise when i record with the mic even when i just leave it alone. how can i fix this problem?

[nicolinoperrucho]

Can't you record both vocal and guitar at the same time?

[themuzic]

@nicolinoperrucho Yes sir you can!!!

[Plamen619]

Do you get a mike stand with the bundle?

[themuzic]

@Plamen619 Not a full stand, just the mic clip to attach to the stand.

[Reaper1544]

Another question lol Can I use my shure sm51 mic with this?

[themuzic]

@Reaper1544 Yes. It works very nicely with mine!

[JBr33zyMusic]

How is this mic with vocals? I heard it distorts alot but im interested!

[themuzic]

@JBr33zyMusic Well, you can't really climb into the mic. You have to give it 6" of room or so. As I stated earlier, this is not a professional mic BUT I have been using it for mobile clients and have used it both with vocals and acoustic guitars and if you're not pushing it too hard, you'll get great sounds. This is definitely an entry level mic but records great if not used for a lot of "Close" micing.

[MrHoldyourapplause]

@themuzic Is it true to publish your music to an mp3 you have to update to studio pro?

[themuzic]

@MrHoldyourapplause Yes sir it is!!

[Reaper1544]

Is the m7 mic included good for recording amps?

[themuzic]

@Reaper1544 Yes!! I have tried it and it works well. Again, like I said in the video, It may need a little help on the high end and sub lows so play with the EQ as well and don't put this mic right against the grill. Give it about 6 to 12 inches of room. The M7 is by no means a professional mic but it is a much better than average entry level mic and can produce a fantastic sound. I will soon be doing a video on recording an entire song with the 1Box and posting the results.

[Inverted314]

I'm trying to decide between this and an Apogee One. I'm sure the Apogee has better preamps, and the built in mic is supposed to be damn good; but this seems like a sweet package, especially with the software. I have a Samson CO3U USB mic that I can't stand; would you say you can get demo quality recordings with this rig?

[themuzic]

@Inverted314 Yes. Better than just Demo quality stuff. I'm going to be working on a song all done with the 1Box. For basic tracking the M7 Mic is actually not bad at all and with the little EQ help it can sound really nice. Remember though, Studio One Artist can only use its own effects and instruments (which include EZDrummer lite and Guitar Rig) so if you have other VST Instruments and effects you can't use them with S1 Artist. Still, the headphones are really nice and for the price, It Rocks!

[Inverted314]

@Inverted314 Well, I wouldn't use any VSTs as of now, as I currently rap/sing/play acoustic guitar. How are the built in effects such as compressors and what not? Are you still running Artist or have you since upgraded to Pro? I'm also looking at the Blue Yeti Pro right now, I'm a big fan of Blue, but this is the same price and comes with more stuff. I hate my Samson mic so I just want something affordable that sounds good. I thought about getting a little Pro Tools rig but that seems overkill.

[themuzic]

@ibanezjoey1007

Well, using an external hard drive would save on punishing the internal drive for sure. But for me, since all my machines are made for music production only, I don't have to worry about losing anything other than my music stuff. But I'm sure you (like most folks) only have one computer so an external drive makes sense. The recording software still needs to be installed on the internal drive but all the data can be routed to write on an external.

[CMAstudios]

Are there any shock mounts compatible with the m7 mic?

[themuzic]

@CMAstudios  There's look for one that will work with the Rode NT-1A. That's what I use.

[jameshurley84]

I notice U have a keyboard. I have an AKAI LPK25 Keyboard, which U connect with the computer trough an USB, probably like yours. My question is, can U record midi with Studio one, or do U have to use other software? And if so, can U play the keyboard for example in ableton live, and record it at the same time in studio one, or wont the sound get registrated. Basically, how do U do this? :) I`m sorry about my english btw, it`s far from my mother tounge, but I hope U at least understood something.

[themuzic]

@jameshurley84 Well, you've asked alot of question that I could not address individually in one paragraph but the general answer is Yes to all your midi questions. Studio One handles any and all basic midi recording and playback functions and has it's own instruments as well. Any USB keyboard controller will work in Studio One and you can record and playback any MIDI information, just like Ableton. I would suggest downloading the Studio One Demo from Presonus.com to make sure.

[jameshurley84]

Thank U "themusic". One last question. Does the USB connection from the audio card to the computer cause delay. And in which case, is this problematic for multitrack recording, if I want to create an acapella out of my own voice?

[AsaphProject]

@themuzic Does Studio One Artist work with other Drum Software, specifically Steven Slate Drums 3.5 EX? Also, how do you set the starting point of a track so that the vocals come in at the right time in relation to the guitar, etc.? Thanks.

[2danny4]

I HAVE A QUESTION SOME OF THE REVIEWS IVE READ ON OTHER SITES PEOPLE SAY THEY GET STATIC WITH THIS 1BOX SET UP, HAVE YOU HAD THIS PROBLEM OR KNOW WHY THIS OCCURS?? THANKS BRO GOOD REVIEW BY THE WAY

[themuzic]

@2danny4 Well, the entire review's audio was done through the mic and audio interface and it was crystal clear. However, the Audiobox's mic pres are very hot to begin with. There is not much room to turn them down I have noticed so if you are recording a very loud signal to begin with I could see how this could occur. This is a sound card that may have trouble with higher quality or more powerful mics, if not tested first.

[JoeKamel3]

I just got the 1box and your videos are great for helping me getting started. But I have a few questions... So what exactly is a 3rd party VST? Iknow VST is virtual instrument but what does the 3rd party mean? Whats a faderport?

[themuzic]

@JoeKamel3 A 3rd part VST is a plugin NOT made by Presonus. Meaning you can only use the effects and instruments in Studio One Artist and not any other VST instruments not made by Presonus. As far as a faderport goes, do a Youtube search on "Presonus Faderport" and you'll find a ton of videos.

[themuzic]

@JoeKamel3 Oh, I should add that if you upgrade to Studio One Pro, you can use any and all plugins made by anyone!

[JoeKamel3]

@themuzic So I can't use any plugins? What about the EZdrummer that came on the disk?

[themuzic]

@JoeKamel3 If it came with Studio One then that WILL work. Like I said, Studio One Artist can only use the plugins it comes with. Hope that helps :)

[JoeKamel3]

@themuzic oooooh! Then how the hell do I open ezdrummer?

[themuzic]

@JoeKamel3 Did you install it with the serial number?

[JoeKamel3]

@themuzic yes sir

[Reaper1544]

Do you think this would be good with "screamo" vocals? I'm looking for something to get started with

[themuzic]

@Reaper1544 Yes. I think think this would be a great starting point. You need to remember thought that any kind of loud vocal going into a mic should be regulated by distance. What I mean is, do some tests with your loudest vocal 2 feet from the mic, 4 feet from the mic and so on. Climbing into the mic on a loud projected vocal may result in distortion and that may happen with the trim all the way down. But like I said, do alot of tests before you start tracking for keepers.

[DanielMusicLife]

i got one and it makes cracking and popping sounds when i record the microphone or and guitar, anyone know how to fix this problem?

[Filantropisk]

Thank you for this, really helpful! I've also tried your eq preset and compressor preset, they are really good. I just got one problem. The compressor and eq makes the recording buzz. Do you have any advices which can fix that problem?

[themuzic]

@Filantropisk Wow, I don't experience that here. The one thing I can think of is a grounding issue. Are you running this on a laptop?

[Filantropisk]

@themuzic Yes on an old vaio, is there something I can buy that fixes the problem or is it best to buy a new computer?

[metallispring]

thanks brother... Im buying this now thanks for your review!!

[jmanbgg]

what are the eq tweaks?

[themuzic]

@jmanbgg Check the description again. I just realized the links were not showing. There is one Pro EQ preset and two S1 Compressor presets for Vocal and Acoustic. Now these are just starting points so adjust to taste if they're not exactly what you want.

[jmanbgg]

i got one.

[fischlisan]

great review :D

[trevgw36]

Nice work, I was recommended this kit by Digital Village (UK), looks like I'll try it out. Merry Christmas everyone.

[themuzic]

@trevgw36 Good recommendation! Despite what some may say about the quality of the mic, it can sound pro! I'm doing an entire project with it and Studio One. We'll see how it turns out but so far, I'm really happy. Yeah, I have nicer mics but I'm finding I like the results.

[bonoireland8888]

great video mate, you clearly know what your talking about. im thinking about buying this @ £199.

[pumpinrecords]

Nice man, I enjoyed the demo!

[xiisign]

Good Review