Punchlight Recording Lamp USB RGB

Having used other Punchlight products in the past, I bought this for a new studio fit-out because I was attracted to the convenience of installation (I was running USB into the live room anyway). When I tested it I found that it does not function like the other Punchlight units I'd used, and does not do what the description on their website said it would: i.e. it cannot show 'record ready' status in Pro Tools. I contacted Punchlight within the timeframe for returning the product to Thomann and they assured me this problem was fixed in the upcoming firmware update that was due imminently. That was five months ago. I chased them 4 months ago and received an auto-reply saying 'I'm on holiday'. Since then Punchlight have not replied to my emails. I'm very disappointed. It's too late to return this thing now but that's not the point - if I had known this was going to happen at the time I would have selected a different product before I finished building the studio. No complaints about Thomann's service. This is poor service by the manufacturer. Do not buy this model if you plan to use it with Pro Tools and want to show record-ready status. Also, the unit itself is flimsy, the USB connector is poor, and I had to replace the supplied USB cable to get a reliable connection.

Update: Since writing my review, Punchlight have sent me the firmware update and the unit is now able to show record ready status in Pro Tools. It isn't prefect - display is by a different colour, not by flashing as other Punchlight products can do - but it does work now, so I've upgraded my review to three stars. Make sure the unit you purchase has the new firmware installed; updating it yourself is a fragile process, liable to rendering the unit inoperable.

Pros:
- Nice shape and form
- Does the job very well
- The ability to fine-tune colors and brightness is great
- The included software is easy to use and does the job
- Easy integration with DAWs (I use it with Reaper)
Cons:
- Price. It's a piece of plastic and simple electronics that studio DIY fans have been building on a shoestring budget for years. It should cost a quarter of what it does.
- Flexibility. It can change color to signal pre-roll to the band if using ProTools, but not in general HUE or Mackie, like used in Reaper. The third color (Cue) is pretty much useless in Reaper, can't be easily assigned to anything.

I've been using this product for just over a year now. It's very useful in an audio recording situation, and much more reasonably priced than some competing products. Its ability to display a metronome track is a very good and useful feature, as well as changing colour in a pre- or post-roll state. the two slight drawbacks are that to use it with a cable long enough to stretch from Control Room to Studio (i.e. more than about 3m, it needs a USB booster cable. Without it it's unreliable over a longer cable run. Also, if you are using MIDI tracks in your project, do not attempt to edit events with the Punchlight connected. If you do the events re-assign themselves to MIDI note 1 and cannot be moved. Disconnecting the punchlight (or removing its output assignment) stops this. If you want a useful studio light on a budget, and can accept these workarounds, its a good piece of kit.