Presonus Firestudio Chipset Problems and Hardware Compatibility Issues
Recently I purchased a Presonus Firestudio. Following my own advice, I did a search on Google for “Presonus Firestudio Chipset”. Of course, this keyword phrase is useless because Presonus decided to brag about the chipset within their new Firestudio in the propaganda they use at all major retailers. GREAT! In other words, from a search engine standpoint, it’s going to be VERY difficult to get a blog to rank for “Presonus Firestudio Chipset”, but I’m going to give it a shot. (I REALLY wish Presonus wouldn’t waste the customers time by bragging about the chipsets within the Firestudio. That’s a feature, not a benefit. I don’t know or care what components are in an audio interface as long as the audio interface does what I want and sounds good.)
So, I’ve stolen the following data from Presonus. You can find all of this info on the Presonus Firestudio Hardware Compatibility page but if you are like me you won’t find it until you’ve wasted an entire night diagnosing the problem. In fact, I almost found out that I needed an entirely different motherboard. (I have a GeForce3. The Firestudio will not function properly with a Geforce4.). When I finally found this page, I was scared to death that I needed to build a brand new computer. I was NOT happy!
What hardware is incompatible with my PreSonus Interface?
- ATI RADEON 9000/9001 IGP video chipset. Symptoms are consistent click and pops during audio playback. This video chipset is only found in PC laptops and is entirely integrated as the computer’s only video controller. We strongly recommend that you do not get a system with this chipset, as there is currently no workaround for this incompatibility.
-USB/firewire and s400/s800 combo cards are not compatible. Symptoms are usually no audio recording/playback but device will install and sync, erratic audio performance and rarely will not allow the device to install or sync. We recommend a firewire card that ONLY has s400 firewire connections and preferably with a Texas Instruments or VIA chipset.
-Firewire cards with NEC chipsets are not compatible. Symptoms are similar or the same as combo cards.
-Motherboards with nForce4 chipsets. Symptoms include reduced to very poor performance especially if using the onboard firewire connection. A PCIe (not PCI) FW400 only card with a Texas Instruments chipset is a known workaround, but may not allow full performance.
-SoundBlaster Audigy cards. Symprtoms include pops and clicks and loss of sync. If your PC has one of these cards installed, it is recommended to uninstall it before installing a PreSonus interface
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:50 am
Hmm. I’ve got an NForce 4 motherboard. Looks like I’ll be upgrading my computer for this badboy now. Thanks for the research.
January 25th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
My buddy and I have been building a studio for a few months now, slowly getting the right parts that we need and such.
We recently invested in the presonus firestudio project and have both been pleasently surprised at the level or quality we are able to get out of it.
We did have and issue because although we have gotten a new dual core computer to use for the studio, it did not have a firewire port.
at first we used his ancient soundblaster card but we kept having issue after issue with electrical noise and the interface just not even powering on.
we have since switched to the Creative Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS card with the built in port and not a single issue has held us back. Higly reccomeneded, even if your not recording with an interface. the quality of the signal even at analog cant really be beat(except by newer ones of course)
February 4th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Thanks for your research, bceasue I wanna get 1 too.
February 13th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
For what is worth, I am running the Firestudio 26*26 with my Sonica HUSH-QR computer and Cubase 4. My set-up is 100% rock solid down to 64 buffers. Very neat.
February 29th, 2008 at 7:51 am
Hello, i would post this to the audio interface part of your forum but no matter how many times i try and register it won’t send me a confirmation email….
anyways…
I’m looking into the firestudio as well as m-audio and motu competetors… however i’m really lost when I read about the misleading information virtual v.s. simultaneous inputs.
I looking to use a new penryn core 2 duo 2.4ghz macbook pro, I will be using the audio interface as part of a setup to do live shows with both live instruments mic’d people and acoustics and electronic stuff both lined in and straight from the computer… i’ll be working mainly in ableton live and eventually max/msp to handle my AWS duties.
I’m looking for something that can handle as many high quality line in’s as possible, and at least enough mic inputs to mic a live drum set and maybe one or two vocals (if needed i could convert xlr’s to 1/2″)…
I’d also like to have the head phone mix option like yourself because i’ll be kinda of an improv composer as well as the sound man for the band and i’d like to be able to send out different information to the different members… also any features that would take away strain on the computer itself (processing power that is), since its already going to be both mixing the live show as well as arranging additional loops, live efx, live keyboard etc.
Any suggestions on brand, model, or possible deals/referbs
anything to get me started down the recording path quicker!
March 22nd, 2008 at 5:35 pm
I wish I had found this before I bought my firestudio. The guys at Guitar Center told me it was compatible with any Windows XP system. They obviously don’t know what the heck they are talking about.
I have frequent bluescreen sysaudio.sys and 1394 errors. Presonus has some of the worst customer service of any company I have ever dealt with. On multiple occasions I was on hold for 30 minutes only to get a recording asking me to leave a message. Some guy named Frazier was helping me, if you call it that. He never returned emails or phone calls. When he finally did, he informed me that my nforce4 motherboard was incompatible, but nothing else. He sent me to the presonus forums, which are a cluster.
Unfortunately, I can’t take the product back to GC because the 30 day window has expired. Looks like I am going to have to sell it on ebay. I will never buy another product from Presonus again.
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:45 am
Well, Windows XP certainly works with the Presonus Firestudio, but if they didn’t mention chipsets, they are either incompetent or deceitful.
Brandon