Presonus AudioBox 1818VSL USB Audio Interface

Important product notice for Mac users: Please read this compatibility notice from Presonus before purchasing this product.

The flagship in PreSonus' new generation of USB 2.0 audio/MIDI interfaces, the AudioBox 1818VSL takes hardware/software integration to the next level and delivers a combination of features, audio quality, and value that is unprecedented in this product category. Using your computer CPU and PreSonus Virtual StudioLive (VSL) software, AudioBox VSL-series interfaces provide reverb and and delay effects and the same Fat Channel compression, limiting, semi-parametric EQ, and high-pass filter, as the PreSonus StudioLive 16.0.2 digital mixer- all with inaudible latency. It's a great choice for project studios, performing bands, school music labs, and a wide variety of corporate installations and other contractor applications.

This is a pro product all the way, with high-end 24-bit, 96 kHz converters; Class A XMAX preamps; ADAT optical I/O; S/PDIF coaxial I/O; word-clock output; and MIDI I/O, housed in a heavy-duty, rack-mount metal chassis.

Furthermore, thanks to the power of VSL, the AudioBox 1818VSL includes a 26x8 software mixer. As a result, with just an AudioBox 1818VSL and your laptop or other computer, you can mix a studio session or live show featuring a full band-all while monitoring and recording with or without real-time processing! And you can do it simply and easily, with no hardware mixer, no outboard effects rack, and minimal wiring, thanks to the tight integration between PreSonus hardware and software.

What's so great about effects and processing on monitors?

Tracking without hearing effects and signal processing is like playing a video game with your eyes closed. Musicians rely on aural cues when performing, and their performance can vary depending on what they hear in their monitors. Adding just the right amount of compression, EQ, and reverb can make a huge difference in their ability to hear themselves clearly and to experience their performance as if it occurred in a natural space rather than in the artificial sonic environment of the studio. The result is a better performance and ultimately a better recording.

You have plenty of effects plug-ins for your DAW, but processing audio with a DAW takes more time than you might think. True, we're talking milliseconds, but it's long enough that if you put DAW effects in your studio monitors, you'll hear the original sound slightly before the processed signal, which is very disorienting. That much delay might be acceptable for live gigs, where the band is playing together in an ambient space that has natural delay. But you can't record that way in the studio.

Fortunately, our engineering wizards have dramatically reduced processing delay in the AudioBox VSL series. The result: dynamics processing, EQ, reverb, and effects that feel real, with no audible delay.

And if you like what you hear, you can record with AudioBox VSL-series effects, too! These are the same high-quality StudioLive 16.0.2 Fat Channel dynamics processors and EQs that professional musicians, engineers, and producers record with every day.

Great processors are a PreSonus tradition

We didn't invent the first audio interface with effects. We simply did it better and for less money. Sure, some interface manufacturers that don't normally make signal processors have added a compressor, EQ and a few effects to their interfaces. But the AudioBox VSL series provides all that, plus a separate limiter, expander, and high-pass filter-and we've been making high-quality signal processors since 1995. The AudioBox VSL-series' Virtual StudioLive (VSL)-based effects and Fat Channel processing have been extensively field-tested and proven popular by tens of thousands of StudioLive-series mixer users, including many top professionals.

Of great importance, thanks to VSL's drag-and-drop convenience, adding processing and creating and loading presets is easy. Pro-level processing and superior ease of use mean you'll get better results and have more fun!

High-end sound in a versatile, roadworthy interface

Versatile and portable, the AudioBox 1818VSL offers 2 convenient front-panel mic/instrument combo inputs and 6 front-panel mic/instrument combo inputs, true 48V phantom power (switchable in 2 banks), and 8 line-level outputs. ADAT optical I/O provides 8 more channels of input and output (at 44.1 or 48 kHz; 4 channels at 88.1 or 96 kHz). S/PDIF coaxial digital I/O adds 2 more channels, bringing the total to 18 audio input channels and 18 output channels.

The sound is pure PreSonus, with the same high-headroom, Class A solid-state XMAX preamps found in our StudioLive mixers and high-quality, 24-bit, 96 kHz converters with 114 dB dynamic range for clear, clean audio. And it boasts PreSonus' legendary 120 mW headphone output, which is loud enough to explode the oysters in a Po'-Boy sandwich. (Be careful with your level control!)

The superior sound of PreSonus preamplifiers has long been a major reason that so many audio professionals prefer PreSonus interfaces. The XMAX is the finest solid-state preamplifier we make, offering three key advantages:

1. High Voltage. The XMAX preamplifier runs on power rails of 30V. Most off-the-shelf, op-amp-based designs run on power rails of 10V to 18V. Higher-voltage power rails deliver more headroom, deeper lows, smoother highs, and a richer overall sound.

2. Discrete components - not op-amps. We only use genuine transistors, resistors, and capacitors for ultra-low noise and transparency. Op-amps add noise, coloration, and harshness to a signal.

3. Class A circuitry. Class A circuits have no crossover distortion and deliver purer, clearer, and more musical results than the Class AB designs that are found in many preamps.

The net result of the XMAX preamp design is high headroom, low noise, wide dynamic range, extended frequency response, and-most important-musicality and transparency, with smooth highs; solid, deep lows; and everything in between.

Built for the rigors of the road

Pause and ponder this for a moment: a great-sounding 18x18 interface with a computer-based mixer and full complement of dynamics processing and EQ, with reverb and delay effects on dedicated buses, plus MIDI and word clock, all in a single rackspace! And there's more.

The flexibility and power of software

VSL enables you to easily manage the processing and mixing from your Mac or Windows PC and provides editor/librarian functions, making it simple to create and use a library of presets. To get you started, we've included the same library of more than 50 Fat Channel presets that comes with StudioLive mixers. These presets were created by professional musicians and engineers and let you instantly set up dynamics processing and EQ for vocals, guitar, and much more.

Seamlessly integrated with the included Studio One Artist DAW and VSL, the AudioBox 1818VSL interface works with virtually all Mac and Windows audio-recording software. And unlike most things nowadays, it's very easy on your budget.

So get down to your PreSonus dealer and check out the AudioBox 1818VSL: the next-generation USB 2.0 interface that gives you extensive I/O, including eight analog inputs and outputs; ADAT optical and S/PDIF digital input and outputs; real-time, low-latency processing and effects; word-clock output; rock-solid construction; software mixing; and high-end audio-all for a price you have to see to believe!

Specifications

• 24-bit / 96 kHz 18x18 USB 2.0 recording interface
• 2 dual-purpose, front-panel, mic/instrument input channels with:
• Combo XLR mic and balanced 1/4" instrument input
• Class A XMAX mic / instrument preamp
• Individual channel-trim controls with 0 to +35 dBu mic gain range

6 dual-purpose, front-panel, mic/line input channels with:

• Combo XLR mic and balanced 1/4" line input
• Class A XMAX mic preamp
• Individual channel-trim controls with 0 to +35 dBu mic gain range
• True +48V phantom power for condenser microphones (switchable in two banks for channels 1-4 and 5-8)
• Headphone jack with level control
• Main-output level control
• Power/USB sync LED
• LED clip indicator for each channel
• L/R main output meter (dual 7-segment LED ladder)
• Mix, adjust input and playback-returns levels, and add effects and signal processing from your laptop or other computer
• Studio One Artist digital audio workstation software included

Virtual StudioLive (VSL) control software included; manages:

• Near-zero-latency monitoring with extensive signal processing
• 26 x 8 DSP mixer
• StudioLive16.0.2 Fat Channel compressor, limiter, expander, high-pass filter, and semi-parametric EQ for each analog input and its DAW return
• 2 stereo effects buses with reverb and delay
• More than 50 Fat Channel DSP presets for enhancing instrument and vocal recordings

Input/Output

Important notice for Mac users; Before purchasing this product, please read this compatibility advice from Presonus.

• 1 USB 2.0 port
• 2 combo XLR / 1/4" mic/instrument inputs
• 6 combo XLR / 1/4" balanced mic/line inputs
• 2 balanced 1/4" main (L/R) line outputs
• 6 balanced 1/4" auxiliary (L/R) line outputs
• 8 channels ADAT optical input and output (at 44.1 or 48 kHz; 4 channels at 88.2 or 96 kHz)
• 2 channels (stereo) S/PDIF coaxial input and output
• 1 stereo 1/4" headphone output
• 1 BNC word-clock output
• MIDI In/Out

Digitalia

• 24-bit resolution and 44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96 kHz sampling rate
• Professional-grade A/D/A converters (+114 dBu dynamic range)
• Mac- and Windows-compatible, including Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and Windows 7
• Supports ASIO, Core Audio, Direct Sound (Windows XP), Windows Audio Session API (Windows Vista and Windows 7)

Physical

• 1U rack-mountable
• Road-rugged construction with all-metal chassis and metal knobs
• Weighs 4.6 lb. / 2.1 kg
• 12 VDC external power supply (included)

Software

• Virtual StudioLive (VSL)
• PreSonus' groundbreaking control software
• Studio One Artist
• PreSonus' revolutionary digital audio workstation, with unlimited track count and 4+ GB of 3rd-party resources.

System Requirements

Windows

• Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 (32- and 64-bit)
• Intel Pentium 4 1.6 GHz processor or AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (Turion) (2.8 GHz or faster recommended)
• 1 GB RAM (2 GB or more recommended)

Macintosh

• Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or later (32- and 64-bit)
• Intel Core 1 Solo 1.5 GHz processor (Intel Core Duo or Intel Xeon processor recommended)
• 1 GB RAM (2 GB or more recommended)

Windows and Macintosh Systems

• USB 2.0 Port
• Internet connection recommended
• DVD-ROM drive (required to install Studio One Artist)