ProStudio 2 Software User Guide v1.0
Overview
ProStudio 2 is a software-based mixing solution for physical and virtual audio, designed for live streaming and podcasting. It allows you to manage all your audio inputs from an intuitive interface, featuring flexible routing management, sub-mixing, support for professional VST effects processing, and ASIO.
How It Works
ProStudio 2 requires the connection of a MaonoCaster P2 or P1 audio interface. Once the P2/P1 is connected, you can directly view the Physical Input Area and Virtual Input Area on the ProStudio 2 software interface, making it easy to manage all audio sources and mix outputs. The Physical Input Area typically includes your XLR and USB inputs. You can import common VST effects to add powerful sound enhancements to your live streams or podcasts. Virtual audio sources are also crucial, allowing you to bring in audio from software applications, chat apps, games, etc., to enrich your stream or podcast content. By integrating physical, virtual, and SoundPad inputs into one interface, this software + hardware solution enables you to easily handle various live streaming and podcasting scenarios. Additionally, ProStudio 2 provides ASIO technology solutions for ultra-low latency.
Software Interface Overview
① Channel Disable/Enable ② Sub-mix Volume Fader ③ Link Control ④ Sub-mix Mute/Unmute ⑤ VST Effects Management ⑥ Channel Level Meter ⑦ Stereo Link Indicator ⑧ Channel Name Edit ⑨ Remove Channel ⑩ Virtual Audio Source Management
⑪ Sound Pad ⑫ Page Left ⑬ Page Right ⑭ Headphone Switch ⑮ OTG Switch ⑯ Sub-mix Level Meter ⑰ Sub-mix Output Volume Fader ⑱ Sub-mix Mute/Unmute ⑲ Channel Options ⑳ Control Panel (P2/P1) ㉑ Help Center ㉒ ASIO Real-time Latency
Getting Started
ProStudio 2 is a hardware + software mixing solution for live streaming and podcasting. When used with the P2/P1, it adds powerful functionality to the hardware, including remote audio support, VST effects, a sound effects panel, and audio output interface control for creating sub-mixes suitable for different scene.
Familiarizing with Audio Channels
Physical Input Area
When you connect different devices, such as the P2 or P1, their corresponding XLR inputs and USB audio inputs will appear. This depends on which device is connected. After connection, the controllable channels are displayed automatically.
Device Channel Input Support
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Device |
XLR 1 |
XLR 2 |
USB |
OTG |
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P2 |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
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P1 |
√ |
× |
√ |
√ |
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Virtual Input Area
The Virtual Input Area is typically used to route audio from software sources, such as background music from music apps, remote audio from chat applications, or background sounds from games. We provide three default virtual inputs to meet your daily needs.
At the bottom of the channel is the App Status Bar, displaying the APP ICON of the currently routed application audio. Clicking the App Status Bar opens a settings window. All applications capable of outputting sound on your computer will be listed in real-time, allowing you to select them easily. Usually, simply checking the box works, but in some special cases where applications force-manage their own audio output, you will need to configure the audio settings within that application itself.
Sub-mix Output Control
The bottom of the ProStudio 2 interface displays two sub-mix outputs: “Stream” and “Chat”. These correspond to the “Stream” and “Chat” routing options visible on each channel. Here you can adjust which hardware outputs (Headphone or OTG) each sub-mix is sent to.
Sub-mix Volume Adjustment
The two faders on the right adjust the overall output volume for the “Stream” and “Chat” sub-mixes respectively.
SoundPad Channel
SoundPad is a default virtual audio source. The current software version provides sound effect playback functionality, allowing you to play specific sound effects during your creative process for warm-ups or enhancing the atmosphere.
Managing VST Effects
Physical input channels support adding VST effects. When no effects are loaded, “FX” appears white. When an effect is active, “FX” turns orange, indicating that an effect is currently applied to the channel. Click the “VST Status Bar” to open the VST panel. Here you can edit imported VST 3 effects. Specific details will be covered in the Advanced section later.
Managing Audio Channels
ProStudio 2 provides Physical Inputs, Virtual Inputs, and SoundPad, used for managing device inputs, software audio sources, and sound effects respectively. On the main interface, you can freely arrange which channels participate in mixing and which are visible in the current window.
Channel Disable
Click the icon in the top-left corner of a channel to disable it. When disabled, the channel does not participate in mixing. Clicking again re-enables it, and the channel rejoins the mix.
Channel Remove
If you do not wish to display a specific channel, hover your mouse over it to see an “X” mark at the top. Clicking it removes the channel from the main interface display. Removed channels also do not participate in mixing.
Channel Restore
To restore a removed channel, click the “Channel” menu in the top-left corner of the software menu bar. This dropdown menu displays the current status of all channels. “Checked” items are currently displayed input channels. “Unchecked” items are channels that have been removed. You can re-check them here to restore their display.
Stereo Link
For devices that support dual XLR inputs, a stereo link function is provided in their control panel. When used, you can link Input 1 and Input 2 as a stereo pair.
After linking, channels In 1 and In 2 are combined into a single In 1 channel on the main interface. An “S” is no longer displayed in the top-right corner, indicating “Stereo”. Unlinking them in the control panel restores In 1 and In 2 to their original separate states.
Channel Name Edit
Click on a channel name. It will enter an edit state, allowing you to type a new name. You can rename each channel for easier identification.
Control Panel
MaonoCaster P2
Clicking “Control Panel” in the menu bar allows you to adjust some hardware device settings:
Large Knob Control
MAIN OUT/CAMERA/LIVE are bound by default, adjusted synchronously by the hardware’s large knob. If you also want USB/OTG to be controlled synchronously by the large knob, click USB/OTG; when the button turns blue, it will be automatically bound.
Knob Step
When selected, High Precision mode makes volume adjustments finer, requiring more rotations to reach a target volume. Low Precision mode results in larger volume changes per step, facilitating quick volume adjustments. This depends on your daily usage habits.
ASIO Settings
With ASIO, you can set the sample rate from 48kHz to 192kHz. The ASIO buffer size will automatically match the optimal size for the selected sample rate. You can also change the buffer size manually. Please note that an inappropriate buffer size may affect your recording quality.
ASIO Status Display
This controls whether the current ASIO input and output reference latency is displayed in the top-right corner of the main interface.
Audio Processing
Configuring Audio Processing
The MaonoCaster P2/P1 already provides high signal-to-noise ratio audio. Within the ProStudio 2 software, we also offer high-performance audio processing functions. In the software’s Physical Input Area, we provide a VST effect container for each hardware audio input channel.
VST Plugin Import
In the top-right corner of the VST window, click “Import” to load VST3 plugins you have already downloaded. Successfully imported VST plugins will appear in the list. To activate a plugin, turn on its switch; you will then hear the effected sound.
Tip: If any effect within the VST rack is enabled, the “FX” indicator on the corresponding channel will turn orange. If all are disabled, it remains dim, allowing you to quickly see if VST effects are active on a channel.
VST Effect Adjustment
Click the “···” next to a VST plugin to open its tools menu. Select “Plugin Details” to open the VST’s own settings window. This applies to plugins like noise gates and compressors commonly used by creators. The settings and resulting effects of VST plugins require your own judgment based on your needs, as we cannot provide specific professional advice.
VST Effect Processing Order
All VST effects in the list process the audio in order from top to bottom. This order affects your final audio processing result. You can change the order by dragging items within the list. The plugin’s tools menu also provides functions for reordering.
Test Tone Tool
To use the test tone function, typically open the recording toolbar and record a short sample (around 10 seconds). You can then enable different effects while listening back. This allows you to compare the effect of different processors under the same recording conditions.
Audio Routing
Mix Volume Control
ProStudio 2 software provides two sub-mixes: “Stream” and “Chat”. On each audio channel, you will see two faders. They control the volume level of that specific channel sent to the “Stream” sub-mix and the “Chat” sub-mix, respectively.
Link Control
The “∞” symbol located above the two sub-mix icons is used to link the two faders. If linked faders have different positions, they will maintain this volume difference when adjusted. This means moving one fader will cause the other to move synchronously. If the faders are at different positions, when one reaches its maximum or minimum volume, it will stop, and the other will hold at its current max or min. When the fader moves away from the limit, the other will resume following based on the original offset.
Sub-mix Mute?
Clicking the sub-mix icon (Stream/Chat) on a channel allows you to control whether that channel’s audio is muted or unmuted within that specific sub-mix.
Mix Routing
Channel Input Control
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Physical Inputs |
Virtual Inputs |
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In 1 |
In 2 |
OTG In |
Playback 1/2 |
Playback 3/4 |
Playback5/6 |
Sounds |
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Stream Mix |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
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Chat Mix |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
√ |
On the main interface, you can freely control whether a channel participates in the “Stream” or “Chat” sub-mixes. Physical inputs are determined by the audio interface connections. Virtual inputs default to supporting Playback 1/2, Playback 3/4, Playback 5/6, and Sound Effects channels.
Channel Output Control
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Headphones |
OTG |
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Stream Mix |
√ |
√ |
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Chat Mix |
√ |
√ |
The bottom section of the main interface controls channel outputs, determining whether each sub-mix is sent to the physical outputs. At any given time, only one of the Stream or Chat sub-mixes can be routed to the Headphones output. Both can be routed to OTG simultaneously, or just one.
Tip: These switches have mutual exclusivity logic to prevent audio doubling or phase issues that could affect the quality of your headphone or OTG output.
Using SoundPad
SoundPad is used to trigger sound effects, adding fun and excitement to your live stream. Like other channels, its volume contribution to mixes and routing can be controlled. Each sound pad can be configured with different playback modes and can be modified or edited.
Sound Effect Pages
SoundPad supports up to 8 pages, with each page holding a maximum of 8 sound effects. Use the “<” and “>” buttons to navigate between pages.
Importing Sound Effects
Adding Sound Effects
On an empty page, click the “+” button to open the sound effects panel. In this panel, you can click “Import” or drag and drop sound files into the file area. After import, you can set the effect’s name and assign a color tag to the pad.
Drag-and-Drop Import
Drag a sound file directly onto a sound pad in the SoundPad area. Release it, and the sound effect will be automatically replaced, using the filename as the effect name. You can then right-click the pad to open the edit panel to change the name, color tag, and playback mode.
Sound Effect Playback Modes
For sound effect playback, we offer a one-shot trigger mode. You can pause playback while a sound is playing. The subsequent behavior can be configured.
Loop
The current sound effect loops continuously until you pause it.
Continue / Restart
If you pause a sound and the playback behavior is set to “Continue”, clicking play again resumes from the paused position. If the behavior is set to “Restart”, clicking play again starts playback from the beginning.
Exporting Sound Effects
You can export your configured sound effects. Click “Export”, select the destination folder, and the effects will be exported to that folder.
Deleting Sound Effects