This drum set is in another room from my main studio. Using 8 channels for the drums.
To use my Studio One 7 DAW. For recording drums now, need to switch Studio One I/O to Studio Live for recording drums or any other mic in the drum room. Then switch Studio One's I/O to my main interface when mixing. Can not use both I/Os connected together in Studio One using PC. This is not a problem just an extra step. I am thinking of using a studio monitor controller to use either system with my Yamaha powered speakers.

Amazing audio quality!

Made the mistake of ordering this from Amazon. Received the version with firewire connector in a box labeled 16.0.2 USB!!
So frustrating. Will order from Sweetwater and my sales engineer Chris (who is always amazing) as soon as the next batch comes in.

I started with the original firewire version years ago and now have upgraded to the USB version which is compatible with any computer on the market. First of all the mic preamps are superior to anything else I've heard in this range. Secondly, it is super easy to use and is rock solid - I've never had a failure. It comes with both Studio One and Capture which is great for live recording. I love having a board that has the fidelity to make great studio recordings with but is small and portable for live gigs (play in a four piece band). Super happy with my 1602USB!

I have owned this product for 3 years for my studio only. I use it on a daily basis with studio One i mainly for Trumpet and Horn sections pretty much stays on . I'm not much of a engineer but this unit is very well built and i have not one single issue i also have Studio 192 interface also excellent.

I finally finished my music studio build and got the 16.0.2 set up for recording. I know this board has been around for years, and people take the capabilities of modern digital consoles for granted, but as a uhmmm 'senior citizen' who cut my teeth on analog boards and racks full of processors I never cease to be amazed about how much capability this thing offers for, while not an insignificant amount of money is a bargain. I did my first test recording yesterday. The fact that you can go back and remix, change any parameter, like fx before even exporting to a DAW blows my tiny mind. Yes, it takes some time to understand the signal routing, but once the concept 'clicks' you start to realize it's a pretty brilliant design. I love the small form factor (which is a byproduct of not having redundant controls for each channel). This with the associated MacBook for recording and remote monitor control takes up far less space than my old US made Mackie analog. Not to mention all the outboard processors that required.

Despite the negative reviews, I never had an issue w/ the old firewire version I used for 2 years but did not own. I really love this one and think it is a stellar console for price/performance/features.

I used this model (but the original firewire version) for two years as FoH for my cities' most popular wedding band. (We worked every weekend for 10 months of the year, plus did holiday parties and corporate events. Loved the features like Capture (built in multitrack recording) and the ability to do wireless independent monitor mix via smartphone or tablet. Remote control of FoH w/ tablet. I was glad as FoH the musicians could control their own monitor mix, unlike the old days when bands were always yelling at the sound man to turn up the damn monitors! Plus w/ wedding bands, we had to put mixer on side of stage rather than out front, so the use of a tablet to walk out front and make adjustments was fantastic.

Saw some negative comments on reliability. We did transport in a hardshell road case/rack, but it was getting run up and down loading ramps which causes some vibration and never had any issues.

I just got the new USB version. As is will have warranty, have some peace of mind. This is for a home studio, so will live in fixed location.

I only give 4.5 stars vs. 5 as I feel like the board is not really intuitive to use. You have to study the manual and learn how to use the features. I've used the Midas M32 and think it's more intuitive. Plus I think the Midas preamps have a bit more head room. The Presonus sounds great, but you really do have to make sure not to overdrive the preamps.....but I suppose that's true of any digital mixer. It can get nasty vs analog that just sounds a bit rough.

But I don't think there's any completion in terms of features for the price and performance. BTW: the case of the USB is somewhat nicer than the old firewire version, a nice smooth plastic cap vs flat bare metal.

I purchased the firewire 16.0.2 back in 2011. 13 years later, I feel comfortable writing a 5 star review. While the OG 16.0.2 is no longer produced, this is basically the same board, and I firmly stand behind it. I recently sold it, searching for something still with more auxiliary outs, but I find myself somewhat regretting that decision. While hunting, I found this board to add to comparisons with other modern digital mixers. When you compare overall functionality, cost, size, and weight, this board is a clear winner. Unfortunately, this model simply doesn't provide the outputs I require. Presonus has made a wonderful product that has stood the test of time. I dragged this thing across the country for over 10 years without a single issue.

Solid reverbs, eq & compression/ gate options, and clean preamps (when they are working)

Had channel 2 break outside the 2 year sweetwater warranty and didn't want to log a ticket with presonus.

board is laid out very user friendly. Overall a good buy.

I've had this unit for 2 years and felt disappointed with it at first after moving from an analogue mixer. But there's the rub.. I never took the time out to both learn the full extent of the mixers capabilities along with the software package. So after 2 years. I thought today I will persevere with it... And I'm more than impressed with what it actually do! I feel many people write bad reviews simply because the reality is the mixer is not for them and their expectations (in other words) can't be bothered to read the instructions!

I bought 2 of the 16.4.2 studio live consoles. They've never left my home studio or been gigged. Both had nothing but problems from day one. Both were sent back to presonus for repairs that lasted less than a year. Almost exactly the date the warranty went out, the product was discontinued. That seems to be the Presonus business model. They get you to spend a fortune on their products, bring out the new toy, and discontinue your product. I agree that customer service was a nightmare and practically non existent! As far as the Studio One Software goes, I love it. But buyer beware on spending a single penny on their hardware!!! I'm looking for a new board now…. It won't be presonus.

I have had this mixer for 8 years. The past few years I haven't used it as much, but I still use it on low priority gigs. I have kept it in a flight case since day 1, it never stays out in the weather or in my vehicle, I always bring it back in the house after every gig. Other than the durability factor it gets 5 or more stars!!! Such an awesome piece of gear for live AND for recording. It just shouldn't cost this much for it being a burnout. I have 20 year old Mackie boards (and Peavey boards even) that are still up and running great for the same money or less. The idea should be, if you spend that money, and truly take care of it, it shouldn't burn out on you so quickly. I have deoxed it a couple of times and thay helps, but things will just burnout one at a time on it and there will be ghosts on the machine that appear and disappear. I LOVE Presonus porducts though, but they just may not make the cut for true professional grade.

This board is great when it works, but the problem is EVERY SINGLE ONE I've own burned out and stopped working! Presonus support is horrible and honestly kind of disrespectful. I'm not sure how a product that so many people have had the same problems with is even able to still be sold. And the crazy thing about this product is the price goes up the older it gets? What???? INSANE!

I used this board for a couple years for both live and studio recording. It took a while to learn how to fully use it, and by the time I finally did there was a hardware malfunction that Presonus does not fix or informs on how to have it serviced. Dissapointed; hoping someday there might be a way to get it working again

I wanted to add a review after seeing some negative comments about Presonus quality and dependability. As an owner of a lot of Presonus gear, I'd like to say that everything I have ever bought from Presonus has exceeded my expectations, sound wise function, extremely dependable. My 16.0.2 has worked perfect at hundreds of live band shows (10 solid years) , I recorded many albums with it as my interface into Studio One software. Performance and features are fabulous, it's been a work horse! I think anyone telling you it's undependable, may not know how to use it, or just thinks you should buy another brand. I've also enjoyed using Allen & Heath, Soundcraft, Mackie, and many others, but this little digital mixer is like a secret weapon... I also have a Presonus 1824c and a StudioLive 32R. You'll love this mixer and while you have less channels and only 4 AUXs, you'd be surprised what you can do with it. A small work-around I have used for mixing lots of toms, or horn sections, was to add a ART MX821S 8-channel rack mixer plugged into one of the 16.0.2s stereo channels. A five piece horn section with panning, mixed into a stereo channel, or all 6 toms mixed and panned into a stereo channel. Or just buy a StudioLive mixer with more channels etc. I can't say enough about the 16.0.2, this thing ROCKS!

Presonus mixers have proved to be unreliable for me. I have purchased two StudioLive mixers, only to have each fail within months of purchase. The company doesn't care about customer support or standing behind their own product. I've experienced nothing but negativity from their support staff. This particular mixer is listed in the Presonus list of non-supported products for repair. Please take a look at their website. I can't believe that Sweetwater never took note of the information that is publicly noted in the Presonus website.

I admit that when the mixers worked I liked the sound. The reliability is terrible. Customer service is unbearable.
It's your money. Do what you want but be aware that this product is not repairable according to Presonus.

I enjoyed owning this mixer and learning all the tricks to it, but after a few years of light use it stopped working, and at a gig. I gather it's a common problem among other owners. PreSonus says it's a hardware issue and that repairs are no longer supported for this unit.

I'll have to say it is a wonderful live digital mixer. The usb connectivity is useless because of the lack of updated drivers. I would give it more stars but people need to know about this sort of thing before buying. I'm giving it one star to bring down the ratings. I suggest more people do the same. Presonus needs to stop releasing expensive half-working products. Don't waste your money.

I used it at my restaurant for three years now. Great board and has all the features I need. Love the options to control it from my tablet

Fantastic product. Goal was multi track recording simultaneously. Once I learn how to use it all it will be our live gig mixer. Just a lot to learn right now. With 4 auxiliary sends, each individually programmable, will give us each our own monitor set up. Our band needed a tech update. We were spending too much time sound checking and stressing over the sound. Programmable presets will be awesome. Looks like it'll all be in me lol

I spent... on a digital console because I wanted iPad connectivity and I finally got around to trying to set it up and come to find out that everything for this mixer including itself is discontinued and has been most likely before I bought is. Presonus has lost my trust because when I bought it it said clearly in the description that you could connect an iPad to it. If I wanted a mixer with no external connectivity then I would have spent A LOT less on an analog console and now I can't sell it because I won't even get half what I paid for it

I have had a number of analog mixers. This is my First digital mixer at home. I have used other digital mixers and like the way the PreSonus is layed out. easy to get to what you want quickly. With all the add ons this come with it is a great starting point for anyone wanting to make music at home.
The size of it is also a big plus. Great for home and I can pack it up and take it with me.
I also got two powered speakers to go with this making it an easy on the go setup.

I have owned a lot of PreSonus products over the years. I had the very first version of this mixer 10 years ago and I loved it!
There is a MAJOR problem!
That is a lack of choices for drivers.
What makes it even worse, is PreSonus support. It's basically non-existent. They encourage you to do everything via email or their forum. e.g. figure it out yourself. I don't mind spending more money for quality products providing they come with support.
Sweetwater did everything they could to get me up and running but short of using an asio4all driver, it just would not work.
Kind of baffling when you asked me. For a company that puts out the quality that PreSonus does, you would think they would follow it up with better customer service.

Just a correction to Joseph Horta's negative review of this mixer because he believed that Universal Control was not being updated to use on Mac 10.15 (Catalina). In fact, PreSonus has updated Universal Control to work with Catalina, and much to my surprise, they've even resuscitated the FireWire driver for my old PreSonus StudioLive 16.0.2 (with Firewire connectivity)! Of course, my StudioLive is over 10 years old, and right now is not working, so I can't test the new software to confirm that it works... Now I have to decide if I want to repair the old StudioLive or get a new one (and which one)! I got a lot of good years out of this mixer...

The ability to source from one channel and send it to another channel and use the USB out, or the ability to use studio one software to route Superior drummer to any single channel in the board and also take advantage of the aux outputs.. The USB input/output functionality is HUGE! If you do live music streams like I do, you will find this mixer does it all, especially paired with Studio One 4 Pro. Presonus also offers Universal Control software for PC, which is a remote control basically for your mixer where you can access all of the mixer's functions without having to physically touch the mixer. It amazes me still how extremely versatile this mixer really is. I bought a B-Stock StudioLive, and it works perfect hasn't given me the slightest problems.

I bought my StudioLive a few years ago (approx. 9yrs) and have recorded directly into Logic ProX with excellent quality. What drives the interface is the Universal Control driver. Sorry to say PreSonus has discontinued the unit altogether, probably because they are not going to develop Universal Control to be compatible with OS Catalina. I haven't been able to update my MacBook Pro because of this as I am in the middle of recording my EP. This is going to force me to buy a new interface and sorry to say I will not be buying from PreSonus. At this pricepoint... it is completely unacceptable that PreSonus will not or are unable to develop a driver for Catalina. For my project studio, I doubt I will ever spend more than $800 again on an interface if the computer-based AI's are only going to last a handful of years. My StudioLive is an excellent unit and I am fortunate to have a working secondary iMac on OS Lion that I will use as my secondary recording deck to record band rehearsals or multi-track sessions. However, I bought my MacBook Pro for better processing and mobility... just can't use it with this interface/mixer if I update to the latest Apple OS... and no, don't blame Apple for this... PreSonus is still selling this unit on Sweetwater and notice there is no mention of the OS compatibility or lack thereof.

Mine was working fine but less than 24 hours once I connected it to my MacBook Pro via usb cable , it died ! Lol
When I say " died " I meant just the blue LED was on and it was blank ! No reading on the LED display , no lights on the knobs no nothing ....
I called PreSonus ( I was 45 min on hold ) and after a few troubleshoot steps they confirmed it had hardware problem .
By the way , I liked the unit except for the FXs . FX A and FX B both have 50 same identical effects which were only reverbs and delays .
This mixer is absolutely noiseless , the faders are smooth but the knobs are kinda stiff .

I initially bought this board for the church to do live sound. A little learning curve but easy to use. I then used it in the studio to mic up a kit and worked better than I expected. This board is truly for studio and live. I would recommend this to anyone with a need for easy and great quality, live and studio sound.

Easy to learn, easy to use.. I love it. It does everything I was hoping it would.. recording live shows it works great!