Basically you are looking for a new CS18 as controller for Series III rack mixers. A FaderPort-type controller would not fit because of all the things needed at FOH - like talkback, music feed, outputs for monitoring/delay line/press/external recording as well as internal recording (SD card and USB). A future controller should NEVER need to use a computer for anything, but there must be wired and wireless solutions for maximum flexibility of how to use the equipment.

I am sure that there will be many people thinking about a controller for the Series II rack mixers. If you want physical faders now, the need to buy a Series III console would make everything simply too expensive. I did not really understand why PreSonus continued the concept of the AI family with fully equipped rack mixers. Dedicated digital stageboxes, with maybe a little more functionality than the just released NSB products, would have been perfect, practical and easy to understand. The problem of the rack mixers is that they are much more than stageboxes. They have their own "life", which will inevitable will cause demand for a dedicated controller.

People at PreSonus (software) consider the FaderPort products as THE ONLY REAL physical Studio One controller. It is NOT the Series III mixers, as many of the users think. I can imagine a product between both product worlds, which means that I do expect a CS18 Series III without DAW integration to be released after the Series III ecosystem is complete (all promised products available and the whole system working). The CS18AI used the housing of a SL 16.4.2AI, so most probably we will see a controller similar to the StudioLive 16. On the other hand I don't think that the CS18AI has sold so well (there are several reasons for this), so economically it probably makes no sense to add a controller to the Series III ecosystem.

We will see. Do not expect any company to talk about their future plans in public...

Technically you could use a faderport 16 to control the rack mixer, but you would need to involve Studio One to do that, but you would then gain the ability to use Studio One plugs live. You could use a wireless mic plugged in to the rack for TB, and use UC for talkback control.

Its a bit less bulletproof than a standard FOH setup, and there is an investment needed for additional gear, but not impossible.

As far as future products, I wouldn't say never, but I would say not likely.

I am using software sounds already, not with studio one but with reaper. That is with a mac / pc connected to the studiolive via usb on stage. I guess the computer using studio one to control the studiolive rack mixer with faderport would go in place of my keyboard setup. That doesn't seem to be the solution. The studiolive has a double role. It is audio interface for keyboard and mixer for the band. The keys I want to control from stage with a computer. The mixing is supposed to be controlled from FOH with a different computer/console, preferably connected through ethernet (control or avb). All this works with two computers already. Just the hardware controller is missing. And I don't agree that a FOH solution needs to be standalone without computer. Using the (touch)screen of a modern computer/tablet/surface in conjunction with a suitable hardware controller with motorfaders and some knobs gives you the best of both worlds. As long as audio is strictly routed on stage (what is the idea of a rack mixer in my eyes) there is not much that can go wrong...

... And yes the CS18 seems to match what I am asking for. Would it run with a series III studiolive? And would AVB control run simultaneously with the USB Audio interface function?

Unfortunately AVB I and AVB II are not compatible. Therefore it is not possible to use AI and Series III products together, just the PreSonus AVB switch can serve both worlds.

But hey, why do you think of a rack mixer? PreSonus has recently introduced two digital stageboxes for the Series III consoles. The NSB's will make it possible to bring all activities back at FOH. For many live situations this clear structure of console & stagebox(es) is a real blessing. PA and aux mixes happen in the console, but all mixes be also remote controlled via tablet or mobile. This system is not only "basic" in the best sense of the word, it's also very flexible. You can leave the stagebox(es) away, or use only one, and place console and router on stage. Now the console serves as physical monitor mixer and FOH sound is mixed on a tablet. I think this is exactly what you are looking for.

AVB is network, USB is recording. There is no connection between them. "Recording over AVB" is something different. This works ONLY in a direct ethernet connection between console/rack mixer and computer, not in a network situation.

I am thinking of a rackmixer, since I bought one, and I would have to return it within the next days if it is not the right solution. Actually, technically from the bandleader / keyboarder point of view it is exactly what I was looking for. My only problem is that our sound guy is refusing to use it because he wants a big Midas console in front of him. He is arguing that he is constantly twisting knobs and pushing faders. I was expecting, if the rack mixer is part of the band we have a setup that is good to go and only small adjustments have to be done. Additionally, we can use the setup for small gigs without sound guy. A huge FOH place is sometimes also not really practical. We have played an open air where the FOH tent was taking big part of the view. In this case I would have preferred a mobile FOH control. If the mix isn't part of the band, we always start from 0. That takes a long time to setup monitor, inear and foh mix for 13 musicians. I understand that you can do this job only with a console if time is limitied. But if this is setup and stored once, hey, we plug ourselves in and are ready to go. And if a different sound guy is there on the next concert, no problem. I am not looking for the perfect solution for a sound guy who is mixing different bands with the same device, I am looking for the perfect solution for my band only, where I am the keyboard player and band leader trying to make sure we have reproducible conditions on stage, a reliable setup that we are in charge of and preferably as little hardware as possible. With the presonus studiolive I have multiple keyboard/click channels which are virtually routed. Only a usb cable is required. Basically, I just have to bring 'a slightly bigger audio interface' and the band is ready to go as well. Plus, the exact same setup is used in the studio for recording. That was initially my motivation, making live and studio setup identical.

The NSB don't have usb, so they don't act as audio interface. Again, not a solution for me. Just to clarify, if the rackmixer was compatible to a midas console or our sound guy had a presonus console at hand and would be used to the workflow, everybody would be happy. I considered a Midas stage box, cause this would be in line with the hardware available for foh, but the midas doesn't work as an audio interface.

I am convinced of the idea of a rackmixer with foh control only (plus talkback,etc.). As soon as processing is done at foh, the risk of failure is considerably higher. Let an idiot cut the ethernet cable, that's it with the sound. With control only running to the foh, all that is lost is the control, and then there is the wireless backup. Midas is running 2 ethernet cables for redundancy. In my eyes this approach is technically outdated. There might be exceptions and it might also be a bit different for large scale events. Anyway, the events I am looking at are rather club style or small open air events, not the super bowl.. Now should I return the R32?? I rather force the sound guy to live with it

I think that no sound engineer refuses to mix on a tablet, if it is really needed. But I know from my own experience that mixing on glas or plastic is no fun at all (think of open-air concerts and bright sunshine...). That is the reason why I bought the CS18AI controller for my AI rack mixers. Under normal circumstances I would NEVER mix a big band like yours on an iPad. If music is, what matters, give your sound engineer a good instrument!

But that's where the problems start. As you wrote, a CS Series III controller would indeed be the best solution for your situation. My CS18AI allows me to mix up to 64 channels and 16 auxes wirelessly. If I use the WiFi dongle, I don't need to run an Ethernet cable at all and can get electricity for the CS from "anywhere" in the room. Unfortunately there is no such option in the Series III world. Everything is based on network cables and now you need to run 2 Ethernet cables, one for audio (between the mixers) and one for control (between mixers and switch).

Still I think that a combination of SL16 and 32R comes very close to the flexibility, that a CS18AI/RM32AI/RM32AI combination offers. The SL16 can handle 32 input channels plus its own separate 8 auxes, while a 32R in "Monitor Mix" mode handles 16 auxes. It's the remote contol feature, that makes systems like these so flexible. It doesn't matter, where a mixer/controller/stagebox is located - it's all network inputs and outputs.

There is just one thing I can't answer. If a 32R is used in one of the active stagebox modes (Monitor Mix, Monitor Mix + Preamps, Off) and therefore as a mixer, it does not necessarily mean that it still functions as an audio interface. It might be that USB will work only on the console.

To find this out I think you will need to open a support ticket. But who knows? Maybe somebody is following this thread and knows the answer...

Sounds like the CS18AI could be made compatible by a firmware update