ProStudio 2 Software User Guide

Overview

ProStudio 2 is a software-based audio solution designed for live streaming and podcasting. It supports both physical and virtual mixing, allowing you to intuitively manage all your audio inputs in a single interface. ProStudio 2 features flexible routing management, sub-mixing, as well as support for professional VST effects processing and ASIO.

 

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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 see the Physical Input Area and Virtual Input Area on the software interface, making it easy to manage all audio sources and mix outputs.

The Physical Input Area typically includes XLR and USB inputs, allowing you to import commonly used VST effects to deliver enhanced sound quality for live streaming and podcasting. The virtual audio sources let you connect audio software, chat applications, games, and other app audio, effectively enriching your live streaming and podcast content.

When the physical inputs, virtual audio sources, and SoundPad are integrated into a single interface, this software and hardware solution provides everything you need to effortlessly handle a wide range of live streaming and podcasting. In addition, ProStudio 2 also offers an ASIO technology solution with ultra-low latency.

 

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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

The above image is for illustration purposes only.

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

Device	XLR 1	XLR 2	USB	OTG
P2	✅	✅	✅	✅
P1	✅	❌	✅	✅

 

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 above image is for illustration purposes only.

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

The above image is for illustration purposes only.

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 VST3 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. Click again to restore it, and the channel will rejoin the mix.

Channel Remove

If you do not wish to display a specific channel, hover your mouse over it and an "X" will appear at the top of the channel.  Clicking it removes the channel from the main interface display. Removed channels also do not participate in mixing. 

The above image is for illustration purposes only.

 

Channel Restore

When you need to restore a removed channel, click the "Channel" menu in the upper‑left corner of the software menu bar and check the current channel status in the drop‑down list. A checkmark indicates the input channels currently displayed, while an unchecked box indicates the removed channels. Simply re‑check them to restore their display.

The above image is for illustration purposes only.

 

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. 

The above image is for illustration purposes only.

 

After linking, channels In 1 and In 2 are combined into a single In 1 channel on the main interface. An “S” icon appears in the upper‑right corner to indicate stereo. When unlinked in the control panel, they revert to two independent channels, In 1 and In 2.

The above image is for illustration purposes only.

 

Channel Name Edit

Click the channel name to enter edit mode, where you can customize the name for easy identification.

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Control Panel

 

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 the USB/OTG button; once it turns blue, it will be automatically bound. 

The above image is for illustration purposes only.

 

Knob Step

The knob stepping can be set to three modes: High Precision, Standard, and Low Precision, allowing flexible adjustment according to your daily usage habits. In High Precision mode, the volume steps are finer, requiring more rotations to reach the target volume. In Low Precision mode, the volume changes more rapidly, making it suitable for quick adjustments.

The above image is for illustration purposes only.

 

ASIO Settings

ASIO supports sampling rates from 48 kHz to 192 kHz. Under different sampling rates, the ASIO buffer will automatically be set to the optimal size. You can also manually change the buffer size; please note that an unsuitable buffer size may affect recording.

 

ASIO Status Display

The upper-right corner of the main interface displays the reference latency for ASIO input and output.

 

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

Click "Import" in the upper-right corner of the VST window to load downloaded VST3 plugins. 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 "···" to the right of a VST plugin to open the VST tool menu, then select Plugin Details to enter the VST settings window (for example, noise gates, compressors, and other effects 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

The VST effects list processes audio sequentially from top to bottom, and this order directly affects the processing result. You can adjust the order by dragging a list item or by using the plugin menu.

 

Test Tone Tool

The test tone function is located in the recording toolbar. You can use it to record a short clip of about 10 seconds, then enable different effects to audition them, making it easy to compare the processing results of different effects 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

At the bottom of the two sub‑mix channels, the “∞” button is used to link the two faders. When linked, if there is a difference in fader positions, they will always maintain that volume difference while being adjusted synchronously—in other words, when you move one fader, the other will slide accordingly.

If the initial fader positions are not the same and one fader reaches the maximum or minimum volume, that fader will stop moving while its volume stays at the limit. When the fader is moved again, it will automatically adjust relative to the maximum or minimum position based on the original volume difference.

 

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

	Physical Inputs			Virtual Inputs
	In 1	In 2	OTG In	Playback 1/2	Playback 3/4	Playback5/6	Sounds
Stream Mix	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Chat Mix	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅

On the main interface, you can freely control whether each channel participates in the two sub‑mixes: “Stream” or “Chat”. Among them, physical inputs are determined by the audio input interfaces, while virtual inputs default to supporting four input channels: Playback 1/2, Playback 3/4, Playback 5/6, and Sound Effects channels.

 

Channel Output Control

	Headphones	OTG
Stream Mix	✅	✅
Chat Mix	✅	✅

At the bottom of the main interface is the channel output control, which determines whether the current sub‑mix is output to the physical outputs. The Stream and Chat sub‑mixes can only have one output to the headphone or chat channel at a time.

⚠️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

The above image is for illustration purposes only.

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

Sound effects are played in a one-shot mode triggered by a single press, and can be paused at any time during playback. The playback mode supports custom settings.

• Loop: The current sound effect loops until you pause it.

• Continue / Replay: When the sound is paused, if the playback mode is set to "Continue", playback resumes from the paused position. If the playback mode is set to "Replay", tapping again restarts the sound 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