Absolutely great product. It saves a ton of space and eliminates many of the headaches that come with aging analog mixers — mainly by avoiding wear-prone mechanical components like pots, faders, buttons, and built-in FX units, which are all common failure points over time.
Despite its compact size, this unit offers an impressive amount of I/O — 32 inputs and 16 aux outputs — but what really stands out is the immediate and intuitive control via a 12” touchscreen (iPad Pro in my case). Replacing this kind of routing flexibility with an analog mixer would easily take up half my studio and introduce far more potential points of failure due to all the physical controls.
One of the features I love most is the ability to save and recall mix states at any point — an absolute game-changer for hybrid setups, sound design, and live performance.
Sound quality is excellent. The built-in EQ, compressor, gate, and limiter on every channel and bus are very effective and sound great for their purpose. They help keep my workflow efficient and focused, without needing a ton of outboard gear.
Only one issue I’ve encountered: when using it as my main audio interface (USB out from my Mac Mini), it has occasionally crashed or become unresponsive. To avoid this, I now run my Mac audio output through a Native Instruments Audio 6 interface into a stereo pair of inputs on the StudioLive (e.g., inputs 31/32), just like I would with any other stereo instrument. This has completely solved the problem in my setup.
Overall, total satisfaction. Highly recommended for anyone needing a flexible digital mixer with powerful routing, great sound, and a modern workflow.
