Description
The next stage in live sound
Mix and record live productions of any size with ease. Avid VENUE | S6L delivers the unmatched processing power and sound clarity artists and engineers rely on to present the best show possible. From direct AAX and Waves plugin support and 128 tracks of Pro Tools recording to full system modularity and 300+ processing channels, the S6L unified platform gives you the mixing efficiency, creativity, and flexibility you need to meet the demands of any gig. And now with its newly expanded line of five control surfaces, three engines, and four I/O racks to choose from—with 100% hardware, software, and show file compatibility across all—it’s easy to configure and scale the perfect system for your needs.
Product Highlights
When it comes to mixing live sound, efficiency, sound clarity, and reliability are of critical importance. Avid VENUE | S6L is the industry’s only unified live sound platform that offers 100% software, hardware, and show file compatibility and interoperability across the entire line. It’s also the only system that offers direct Waves and AAX plugin control from the console to elevate mixes, and 128 tracks of built-in Pro Tools recording/playback with Virtual Soundcheck, saving hours of prep time. Plus, you get three years of 24×7 priority support to ensure the show always goes on.
Features
Take a giant leap forward in performance with VENUE 7
Share I/O across three S6L systems
VENUE now supports I/O sharing across three S6L systems, giving you more workflow flexibility while cutting costs and complexity. This makes it easy to add a broadcast console or second monitor console to your setup or enable fast switchover at festivals. Plus, all I/O configurations fully support True Gain technology, which automatically manages gain compensation to ensure proper signal levels are maintained for each engineer.
See more of what’s new in VENUE 7
Connect to Milan-networked devices
Milan (Media-integrated local area network) is an open standards-based network protocol, built on the AVB standard, that’s gaining traction across the Pro A/V market for its easy, reliable, and future-proof media delivery. With the new MLN-192 Milan Option Card and latest VENUE software, you can now connect S6L with Milan-enabled loudspeakers, amplifiers, and other devices and benefit from the speed, interoperability, and reliability Milan brings to live sound.
Mix more creatively and easily
Expand your creative possibilities with new mixing features. Add analog warmth and color to mix with HEAT available on every input channel. Shape sounds without constraint with unlimited graphic EQs on all output buses. Filter out frequencies with HPF and LPF on every output channel. Enable parallel mix control on built-in channel EQs and dynamics to perform parallel compression, expansion, and gating on every channel. And see your levels in their full glory with the Big Meters view.
Get quick ’n’ easy USB recording and playback
Don’t need a full Pro Tools multitrack session? VENUE 7 enables easy 2-track recording and playback using a USB flash drive connected to your S6L control surface. Perform basic live stereo recordings. Play back stereo tracks for pre-show entertainment or walk-up music. You can even integrate audio files with VENUE snapshots and events to trigger sound effects, cues, and music beds for theater performances.
Explore more processing and routing possibilities
Have access to four new post-fader plugin inserts and one post-fader hardware insert on every input channel—ideal for automixing workflows. Double your plugin fun with 400 plugin slots available across all S6L systems and engines, allowing for better VENUE show file compatibility—regardless of the system or configuration used. And with bus-to-bus routing, you have the freedom and flexibility to route any Aux or Group to any other Aux or Group.
Take better control of delay compensation
Got plugin-heavy mixes with complex routing requirements? Aligning busses and matrixes is now super simple with the expanded Automatic Delay Compensation (ADC) settings. Plus, the new Input Delay Alignment command makes it easy to align selected input channels to compensate for any plugins inserted on those inputs, giving you more granular control and visibility over how to delay gets managed across the system.
System Features
Build your perfect system
VENUE | S6L offers a variety of component options to configure and scale a system to meet any production, space, or budget requirement. Take control of your mix with a choice of five surfaces that offer from 16–48 faders. Power performances and integrate studio processing with a choice of three engines. Get all the ins and outs you need by mixing and matching any combination of four I/O rack options. And scale up or down to meet changing control, processing, I/O, and connectivity requirements, with 100% hardware, software, and show file compatibility across all components.
Meet the S6L-48D control surface
Discover S6L-24C, E6L-112, and Stage 32
Learn more about the S6L unified platform
Take intelligent control of your mix
When you’re mixing live, there are no do-overs. You have to anticipate and react fast. With Avid VENUE | S6L, you get instant access to every facet of your mix. View detailed information across high-res displays—in even the brightest outdoor conditions. Access and adjust your mix, including plugins and VCA groups, using the touchscreen and surface controls. And gain insight into every input, aux, and more through the Universe screen.
Experience unprecedented power
From Broadway to broadcast, many live shows require hundreds of channels. With the VENUE | E6L engine, you have the power to support over 300 processing channels. The real-time processing engine handles all routing, channel, and mixing functions. The HDX-powered DSP engine manages all plugin processing, with full automatic delay compensation, so you can create bigger, better-sounding mixes—with no round trips to external servers. Simply put, it outperforms the competition—hands down.
Achieve pristine sound—live
VENUE systems have always been respected for their unprecedented sound quality. The clarity. The warmth. S6L is no different—yet it totally is. And it starts at the source. Every VENUE | S6L I/O rack features the exact same professional-grade build quality, with a high-performance preamp design, so they deliver the same sound quality and clarity no matter which you choose, enabling you to present even higher quality mixes, with incredible presence.
Expand your creativity
Mix with the same sound processors used in top studios to get the sounds you want. Or re-create an artist’s signature studio sound live. Because all S6L configurations support Avid and third-party 64-bit AAX DSP plugins, you’ll have far more creative choices at your fingertips than any other live mixing system. Plus, you’ll be able to use way more plugins in your mix, thanks to the system’s dedicated, scalable HDX-powered DSP processing.
Directly control Waves plugins
With the WSG-HD Option Card, you can run Waves SoundGrid systems with Avid VENUE | S6L and experience full unrivaled integration, enabling you to access and control Waves plugins directly from the S6L surface and VENUE software. Just as easily as and right alongside your AAX plugins. It’s super-simple to set up, supports Snapshot automation, and provides full system redundancy for the utmost reliability. You can even open older VENUE (TDM) show files that use Waves plugins right in S6L and have all of your settings ready to go.
Software Features
Learn once, mix anywhere
VENUE software is the common platform across all VENUE systems, speeding up all aspects of live mixing and recording. It eliminates complexity, so you can focus more on what matters most—your mix. You can even access a host of parameters and views with just a single touch, increasing your efficiency. If you’ve mixed on any other VENUE system, you’ll feel right at home.
The record shows directly with Pro Tools
Experience the most powerful live recording and playback capabilities in the industry. S6L comes with and supports 128 tracks of redundant Pro Tools recording, so you can create a backup of all live recordings without any extra interfaces or expense. Create a Pro Tools session automatically from your current VENUE show file in seconds—complete with all track names and patching. Record and playback up to 128 audio tracks through a single Cat5e cable. And control your live mixing and recording rigs as one.
Save time with Virtual Soundcheck
When sound checks get compressed or scrapped, show time becomes stress time. With time-saving Virtual Soundcheck, you can get a head start on your mix using Pro Tools recordings from a previous night’s performance in place of the live mics. Then fine-tune from there. And because it doesn’t require the presence of any performer, it’s also a great way to prep a show, from programming snapshots to experimenting with different plugins.
Tackle big productions with dual operators
With the latest VENUE software, you can now designate up to two fader zones on a VENUE | S6L-48D, 32D, or 24D control surface, enabling dual-operator mixing. It’s ideal for theater sound, live broadcast events, and other complex productions. And it offers a cost-effective way to divide and conquer FOH and monitor mixing on a single S6L surface.
Boost your efficiency
With Snapshots, you can store and recall console and plugin settings instantly. Set multiple snapshots to handle changes for every song in a set list. Or quickly switch settings for different performers or scenes. You can also trigger time-consuming but frequently performed actions using Events. And with Layouts, you can assign any channel to any fader strip in any order and save your settings for easy recall. Save up to 48 channel strips per Layout and up to 48 Layouts per show file, enabling assignments and fader settings to be preserved when moving from a larger surface to a smaller one.
Take your mix to go
All VENUE systems use the same software, so you can load any VENUE show file into any S6L system and be ready to rock. This makes it easy to transition from one console to another, like when going from a club tour to a big festival. Just copy your show files to a USB key and load them into S6L. VENUE software adapts the settings to fit within the available hardware and software feature set of the given VENUE system configuration.
Expand your sonic palette
S6L comes with an amazing collection of studio-quality plugins to get you started. But you can expand your library even further by installing renowned plugins from Avid, Sonnox, McDSP, and other top audio designers directly into the system, as well as integrate Waves plugins through the Waves SoundGrid Option Card. From unbelievable emulations of vintage and modern hardware to a wide array of compressors, EQs, delays, and other sound processors, your creative possibilities are endless.
Expand your Mix Control
Mix monitors on your iPhone or iPad
Wish you could step away from S6L and fine-tune individual monitor mixes on stage. You can with the VENUE | On-Stage iOS app, which enables you to control Aux master levels, Aux sends levels, and Aux pans remotely through its VENUE-style interface. You can even let performers control their monitor mixes using their own mobile device. Best of all, it’s a free download from the Apple App Store.
Take tactile control of immersive live sound mixes
Give audiences the most engaging and immersive aural experience possible with new AAX DSP plugins of Flux:: SPAT Revolution, d&b Soundscape, and L-Acoustics L-ISA that provide intuitive and deeply integrated tactile control over all surrounding parameters from the surface.
Get more details >
Remotely control S6L functions
VENUE | S6L enables you to perform up to 128 custom actions/events instantly using its function keys/switches. With the free VENUE | Function Pad iOS app, which puts wireless remote control of your S6L function keys at your fingertips, you can organize, navigate, and trigger Snapshots and Events from anywhere in the venue using your iPhone or iPad.
Specifications
| CONTROL SURFACE | S6L-48D | S6L-32D | S6L-24D | S6L-24C | S6L-16C |
| 12-inch daylight-visible touchscreens | 1 Master Touchscreen, 5 Channel Touch Modules | 1 Master Touchscreen, 3 Channel Touch Modules | 1 Master Touchscreen, 2 Channel Touch Modules | 1 Master Touchscreen | none (requires user-provided external touchscreen) |
| Faders | 48 + 2 | 32 + 2 | 24 + 2 | 24 + 2 | 16 + 2 |
| Knob Modules with high-resolution OLEDs and tri-color function indicators | 160 assignable knobs across 5 Channel Knob Modules | 96 assignable knobs across 3 Channel Knob Modules | 64 assignable knobs across 2 Channel Knob Modules | 32 assignable knobs across 1 Channel Knob Module | 32 assignable knobs across 1 Channel Knob Module |
| Master Live Module | Graphic TFTs with soft buttons; Touch and Turn assignable encoder; 2 assignable faders; monitoring, layout, and snapshot controls; transport controls and function buttons | ||||
| Metering | 30-segment meters per channel, with pre- and post-fade metering options; Nominal indicator, Expander/Gate status, and Compressor/Limiter gain reduction meters | ||||
| Analog inputs | 8 XLR mic/line inputs with 48V and signal present LEDs | 1 XLR mic/line input* | |||
| Analog outputs | 8 XLR outputs with mute and signal present LEDs | 2 XLR outputs* | |||
| Digital inputs | 4 pairs of XLR stereo AES/EBU (8 channels total) | none* | |||
| Digital outputs | 4 pairs of XLR stereo AES/EBU (8 channels total) | none* | |||
| Headphone outputs | 2 independent 1/4″ TRS stereo headphone jacks | 1 1/4″ TRS stereo headphone jack | |||
| Ancillary I/O | DVI-D video out, 5 USB 2.0 (2 rear, 2 front, 1 internal), ECx Ethernet port for wired/wireless remote control, GPIO (8 in/8 out), 2 footswitches, Linear Time Code input, MIDI I/O | ||||
| Ethernet AVB ports | 2 etherCON (copper), 2 selectable as etherCON (copper) or SFP (fiber); redundant ring topology; supports Luminex GigaCore 26i and GigaCore 10 AVB switches for redundant star configuration | ||||
| Power supply | Dual redundant, internal hot-swappable PSUs | Dual redundant, internal** | |||
| Height (front, rear) | 3.6, 15.3 inches (91, 388 mm) | 3.6, 8 inches (91, 205 mm) | |||
| Width | 76.1 inches (1,934 mm) | 51.3 inches (1,304 mm) | 38.9 inches (989 mm) | 38.9 inches (989 mm) | 26.4 inches (671 mm) |
| Depth | 31 inches (787 mm) | ||||
| Weight | 212 lbs (96 kg) | 155 lbs (70 kg) | 119 lbs (54 kg) | 84 lbs (38 kg) | 72 lbs (33 kg) |
* Local 16 Rack can supply additional local I/O
** S6L-24C and 16C power supplies are not compatible/swappable with S6L-48D, 32D, and 24D control surface power supplies, or with E6L-192 and 144 engine power supplies
| ENGINE | E6L-192 | E6L-144 | E6L-112 |
| Sample rates | 96 kHz | ||
| Input channels | 192 | 144 | 112 |
| Input processing | HEAT, HPF, LPF, 4-band PEQ, Expander/Gate, Compressor/Limiter, Delay, 4 plugin inserts, hardware insert | ||
| Mix busses | 96 + LCR | 64 + LCR | 48 + LCR |
| Output processing | 7-band PEQ, Compressor/Limiter, Delay, 4 plugin inserts, hardware insert | ||
| Matrix | 24 x 24 | 16 x 16 | |
| VCAs | 48 | ||
| Stereo solo busses | 2, with independent control | ||
| Graphic EQs (31-band) | 32 | ||
| Digital signal processing | Supports up to four HDX-192 DSP Expansion Cards for plugin processing; includes one card | Supports up to two HDX-192 DSP Expansion Cards for plugin processing; includes one card | |
| Plugin support | 64-bit AAX DSP; also supports Waves SoundGrid systems through the WSG-HD Option Card for full integration with S6L, or over MADI | ||
| Plugin slots | 400 | 400 | 400 |
| Pro Tools integration | Record/play back up to 128 audio tracks via Ethernet AVB | ||
| Expansion Option Card slots | 4 max | 2 max | |
| Ethernet AVB ports | Includes two AVB-192 Ethernet AVB Network Cards with two ports (per card), selectable as etherCON (copper) or SFP (fiber), with redundant ring topology; supports Luminex GigaCore 26i and GigaCore 10 AVB switches for redundant star configuration | ||
| I/O sharing | Supports up to three S6L systems, up to 192 inputs total (requires two AVB-192 Ethernet AVB Network Cards to share I/O) | ||
| Word Clock I/O | Clock I/O BNC, 75 Ohm coaxial | ||
| USB ports | 5 USB 2.0 ports (2 front, 2 back, 1 internal) | ||
| Power supply | N+1 redundant, internal hot-swappable PSUs | Dual redundant, internal* | |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 8.6 x 16.9 x 19 inches (218 x 430 x 483 mm) | ||
| Rack spaces | 5U | ||
| Weight | 74 lbs (33 kg) | ||
* The E6L-112 power supply is not compatible/swappable with S6L-48D, 32D, and 24D control surface power supplies, or with E6L-192 and 144 engine power supplies
| I/O | STAGE 64 | STAGE 32 | STAGE 16 | LOCAL 16 |
| Maximum I/O | 64 input channels, 32 output channels @ 96 kHz with one Stage 64 rack; up to 192 inputs/96 outputs supported (depending on the E6L engine in use) with three Stage 64 racks (64 ins/32 outs each) | Total of 32 input/output channels @ 96 kHz with one Stage 32 rack | 16 XLR mic inputs/preamps, 8 XLR line outputs, 4 channels of AES3 output | 8 XLR mic/line inputs, 8 XLR outputs, 4 pairs of XLR stereo AES/EBU inputs (8 channels total), 4 pairs of XLR stereo AES/EBU outputs (8 channels total) |
| I/O card slots | 12 | 4 | n/a | n/a |
| Sample rates | 96 kHz | 96 kHz | 96 kHz** | 96 kHz |
| Ethernet AVB ports | 2, selectable as etherCON (copper) or SFP (fiber), with redundant ring topology; supports Luminex GigaCore 26i and GigaCore 10 AVB switches for redundant star configuration | 2 Gigabit Ethernet AVB ports, etherCON (copper), with redundant ring topology; supports Luminex GigaCore 26i and GigaCore 10 AVB switches for redundant star configuration | 2, each providing etherCON (copper) or SFP (fiber optic) connections | |
| Maximum cable length | Copper: 100 meters (328 feet); Fiber: 500 meters (1,640.4 feet) | 100 meters (328 feet) | Copper: 100 meters (328 feet); Fiber: 500 meters (1,640.4 feet) for Multi-Mode, 10,000 meters (32,808 feet) for Single Mode Fiber | |
| MADI | Dual MADI output offers direct split of all 64 inputs | Single MADI output offers direct split of up to 32 inputs | n/a | n/a |
| Headphone confidence monitor | 1/4″ TRS stereo headphone jack with volume control; display for channel selection | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Word Clock I/O | BNC, 75 Ohm coaxial | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Power supply | Dual redundant internal PSUs | Single internal PSU | Dual redundant internal PSUs | |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 17.5 x 17 x 12.2 inches (445 x 432 x 310 mm) | 8.7 x 18.5 x 18.9 inches (220 x 470 x 480 mm) | 6.9 x 19 x 8.1 inches (175 x 483 x 206 mm) with ears/handles out (rackmount configuration) | 5.2 x 17.4 x 11.0 inches (132 x 442 x 278 mm) |
| Rack spaces | 10U | 5U | 4U | 3U |
| Weight | 69 lbs (31 kg) | 49 lbs (22 kg) | 15.8 lbs (7.1 kg) | 16.3 lbs (7.4 kg) |
The specifications listed above are provided for informational purposes only and subject to change without notice.
* Option cards are available as separate purchases and not included with core systems.
** When connected to Avid VENUE | S6L—operates at 48 kHz when connected to Avid VENUE | S3L-X.
