Absolute Radio upgrades with PreSonus 16.0.2

Absolute Radio, one of only three independent radio stations in the UK, has added a PreSonus StudioLive 16.0.2 digital console to its mobile set-up.

The station has become increasingly popular with lovers of guitar-based rock over the years, and has spawned a network of modern contemporary spin-off stations, sponsored concerts and events and aired recordings of live shows as part of its regular on-air repertoire.

As Dean Woodcock, the station’s head of broadcast technology and IT, explains, the StudioLive has filled a number of requirements in terms of functionality and portability.

"Absolute Radio are recording more and more sessions outside our main Soho studios, often in more unique venues where a PA isn’t necessarily part of the set-up," said Woodcock. "We needed a solution that was compact, portable, fully featured, and that could multitask as a FOH unit, as well as take care of our recording for broadcast. The StudioLive appealed straight away."

A wide range of remote gigs have already been recorded using the StudioLive, including last year’s Absolute Radio Christmas Sessions from St Barnabus’ Chapel, which featured Tori Amos, Doves, and Mumford & Sons, as well as the recent Absolute Radio Presents Biffy Clyro at the Houses Of Parliament.

"For both of those, we used [the StudioLive] to deliver both FOH and monitors, as well as to multitrack the events," Woodcock continued. "We’ve also used it as a straightforward multitrack unit to record Scouting For Girls at the Hard Rock Café, and it even stepped in as monitor console for 30 Seconds To Mars here at Absolute Radio after their own monitor board failed to fit through our front door."

The StudioLive 16.0.2 has also been an asset to Absolute Radio’s outside broadcasting set-up: "We broadcast live from a number of summer festivals, including Isle Of Wight, Hard Rock Calling, Latitude, and many others. We used to bring an entire remote-station set-up in the back of two tail-lift vans, but the StudioLive has enabled us to dramatically streamline the set-up, while giving us even more flexibility."

PreSonus is available in the UK through HHB Communications.

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