Presonus StudioLive AR12c B-Stock

The Presonus StudioLive AR12c packs a clever combination of analogue and digital features into a compact mixing desk. It's built like a standard analogue mixer with four mono and five stereo channels, but under the bonnet there's also a digital effects processor with 16 reverb, delay, and chorus effects, as well as an SD card recorder/player and a fully functional USB audio interface. And as an added bonus, the AR12c also has a built-in Bluetooth 5 receiver, as well as featuring eight XMAX microphone preamps of the same kind that Presonus uses in its high-end studio equipment. Despite its compact dimensions, there's nothing stopping the AR12c being used to create high-quality audio content of all kinds, be it in the form of music, podcasts, or live streams for a YouTube channel.

Many bits of gear found in professional studios can be accurately described as one-trick ponies, but there's no danger of anyone thinking that about the Presonus StudioLive AR12c. In addition to its obvious applications – as a mixer and USB interface for recording podcasts or streaming on YouTube, for instance – it's also a great companion for singer-songwriters and even smaller bands, who can use the AR12c to mix and simultaneously record their live shows, as well as to capture ideas on the go and continue to work on them later in their home studio using the Studio One Artist software. Drummers can use the AR12c for practising, e.g. by recording themselves playing to a backing track from a smartphone (via Bluetooth). This compact StudioLive model is also a great choice for solo entertainers or duos, because thanks to the Super Channel, no valuable channels are sacrificed for playing background music during breaks in the performance.