PreSonus, the makers of Studio One, continue to make inroads into pro recording studios with the announcement of the Quantum 4848: 24-bit 192 kHz Thunderbolt Audio Interface with Studio One Professional.

More pro studios are choosing Studio One as their DAW of choice and this new interface addresses the needs of studios using consoles and outboard with the addition of DB25 connectors. A studio can stack 4 interfaces to achieve 192 inputs and outputs.

This is what PreSonus say about the speed of the interface.

The Quantum-series proprietary Thunderbolt driver was written from the ground up to deliver ultra-low-latency performance while maximizing efficiency. By reducing the roundtrip latency to below 1 ms*, you can easily monitor performances—including plug-in processing—through your DAW with no performance-killing latency. DAW monitoring also allows you to manage your session and your musicians’ monitor mixes from a single window. Even at higher buffer sizes, Quantum-series interfaces deliver consistent low-latency performance.

*192 kHz, 64 sample buffer in Studio One 4 on a MacBook Pro 2016, 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7 running 10.12.5.

The Quantum driver utilizes the bus master Direct Memory Access (DMA) to transfer audio data directly to and from the main memory without using CPU processing and the overhead that would come with it. DMA supports 64-bit addressing on systems with 4 GB or more of RAM. A companion DMA engine was also implemented in the Quantum hardware to read digital audio data directly between the ADC/DAC and the computer memory, one sample at a time.

For maximum efficiency, samples are transferred from the Quantum DMA engine directly into driver memory as a 32-bit word to match the way the Quantum driver handles the audio. Where possible, audio samples are also transferred into driver memory in the exact order that the driver expects. This helps to avoid alignment problems and the like, allowing you to run your Quantum drivers at extremely low buffer settings without overtaxing your CPU.

General Features

• 48x48 ultra-low-latency 24-bit 192 kHz Thunderbolt™ 2 audio interface

• 32 line-level inputs and outputs via rear-panel DB25 connectors

• Dual ADAT inputs and outputs for 16 channels of digital I/O at base sample rates.

• Stack up to four Quantum 4848 interfaces via Thunderbolt for 192x192 simultaneous inputs and outputs

• Stack any combination of four Quantum, Quantum 2, and Quantum 4848 interfaces via Thunderbolt to create a custom system

Integrated Software

• Tight integration with included Studio One® Professional DAW software (Mac®/Windows®) for multitrack music production and mastering

• Native Studio One Pipeline XT plug-in provides easy integration of analog processors in a digital recording environment

• Select the Channel Profile modes, monitor levels, switch the front panel level meters (input/output), and more with free UC Surface touch-control software (Mac/Windows/iPad®/Android™*)

• Wireless control of Studio One Professional using free Studio One Remote for iPad/Android tablet

• Studio Magic Plug-in Suite included

• Compatible with most recording software for Mac and Windows

* Note: there is no stand-alone support for iOS and Android. You can control Quantum-series interfaces from these devices, but the interface must be connected to a computer that is on the same network as the tablet.

Connectivity

• Simultaneous I/O up to 48 inputs/48 outputs

• 32 line-level inputs and outputs via rear-panel DB25 connectors

• ADAT Optical/Dual SMUX inputs/outputs: 16x16 channels at 44.1 or 48 kHz; 8x8 channels at 88.2 or 96 kHz

• Channel Profile modes allow you to customize I/O configurations for third-party recording software that limits simultaneous recording streams

• Dual Thunderbolt ports for stacking multiple units and connecting Thunderbolt peripherals

Digital

• Thunderbolt 2 high-speed bus

• 24-bit resolution and up to 192 kHz sampling rate

• 120 dB A/D/A converters

• BNC word clock input and output with low-jitter clocking

• Physical

• Rugged construction with all-metal chassis

• 1U rack-mountable

• 12 VDC, 5A external power supply (included)