Avid has introduced the new Avid S3L, a modular system, comprised of a high-performance HDX-powered mix engine running VENUE software and AAX DSP plug-ins, scalable remote I/O, a compact EUCON-enabled control surface, and Pro Tools software for integrated live sound mixing and recording.
The S3L system is designed to be easy to take on tour or install in any club, theater, house of worship, or other performance venue to efficiently and easily respond to a broad range of demands.
Features:
- Advanced, ultra-flexible system architecture–
- HDX-powered floating-point mix engine for uncompromising performance
- Fault-tolerant Gigabit Ethernet network connects all devices using open AVB Ethernet and EUCON standards
- Total modularity—system can be configured with up to four Stage 16 remote boxes (up to 64 mic inputs)
- Ultra-compact design fits anywhere and transports with ease—perfect for fly gigs and bus tours
- Pro Tools and other DAW control using the S3 control surface as a EUCON controller (feature coming soon)
VENUE software
- On-board Pro Tools AAX plug-ins from Avid and third-party developers to re-create the sound of the studio in a live setting
- 64 channels of direct recording/playback to Pro Tools (or other DAW) through a laptop Ethernet port
- Direct stereo recording/playback with any standard USB flash drive
- Total VENUE show file compatibility with all Avid live systems
System Configurations:
- The S3L System will be available in a variety of configurations for different I/O needs, from 16 to 64 inputs. All systems will include:
- S3 control surface
- E3 engine
- One or more Stage 16 remote I/O boxes
- VENUE software
- Pro Tools software
- Plug-in bundle
- Cables, accessories, and guides
Availability & Pricing
Avid S3L will be available at Avid resellers worldwide in Q3. Avid S3L starts at $17,995 GRP.
Avid is total crap …. long live Reaper.
By the way … Variety of Sound has released Thrillseeker a Free Limiter plugin thats an emulation of a “vintage broadcast limiter” following the classic Variable-Mu design principles from the early 1950?s ….. it doesn’t suck like Avid and sounds great. Get it here. http://varietyofsound.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/released-thrillseekervbl-vintage-broadcast-limiter/
In other news, Avid also announced that the Pro Tools 11.1 update would no longer support S3L systems, but current owners would be offered a generous trade-in allowance for the new S4LX systems, price TBA.
Yeah, i’m a bit upset with them about their poor customer support. 😛 on them!
Why so much anger? (Rhetorical question – I think I know why you think you have a right to be pissed off).
Actually, avid’s hardware upgrades have historically taken about 7 to 10 years. First gen HD (from 2003) is still supported by protools 10, and I’m still using my first gen mbox from 2002. They have 18 months notice about ceasing support for legacy hardware (much of which will still actually work, it just won’t “officially” work)
So, they’ve finally rewritten the code base, and made what is already the best daw for certain types of project (note the caveat, im not saying its the best for everyone or every kind of recording) a ton better.
In the facility I work at, replacing each hd accel system withh hdx will pay for itself in 6 months just because of offline bounce (yes, I know every other daw already had this, and it even worked almost acceptably well sometimes on a few of them)
Yes it’s comparatively expensive, but its also the most stable, reliable, lowest latency and has the things that are most important to commercial facilities and engineers.
There is a reason it’s the industry leader. It’s not just bs, fanboyism or smoke and mirrors. For a lot of users it is the only choice. Try recording an orchestra locked to picture with sub millisecond latency, multiple headphone feeds and stem mixes in reaper.
Since I have never worked with “an orchestra locked to picture with sub millisecond latency” I can only assume that you are right with your argument in this regard.
But I think it should also be noted that this is quite a special case of application that is only relevant for a comparatively small amount of people out there. And by that I DO NOT mean “these are the only real professionals”.
To the contrary – I’d say that the people who are really dependent on such features are a minority compared to the people who earn their money with audio-related work. I know BY FAR more studio owners who work with Logic than people who work with Pro Tools.
That being said, I do not want to badmouth Pro Tools. I say this every time, but each DAW has its strengths and weaknesses. And I really would like to like Pro Tools. But the pricing of Avids software just says “Yeah, well f*ck you!” to everyone who does not work in a large facility. I would think that a business leader should target a wider audience and not just the small minority. How else do they expect people to learn their software? Even Autodesk and Adobe understand this concept…
i totally agree about the educational pricing – £250 for a “student” version is ridiculous. i was lucky that i learnt for free on downtime when i was a tape-op but they need to reach out more to education, and actually, just make the damn thing cheaper for everyone not using their expensive hardware.
and sure, i’m not saying “they’re the only professionals” either (though i’m often in awe of them), just that that’s about as demanding as it gets for audio recording, in terms of need for stability, cost per hour, and track count.
you may be right about studios, although every facility i’ve ever worked at has had protools as it’s main system. last time i saw any data on the subject, the installed base for protools was similar to logic, but lots of the tools systems are in post, etc.
i dunno, i just think there seems to be a lot of misplaced anger about a necessary (imo) ditching of legacy support, given that fundamentally, if you have invested in an HD system in the last 5 years, it’s still going to work perfectly fine for at least another 5. a producer i work with still has a legacy system running mix-cubed to load old sessions on a 1.25Ghz G4, and it’s still solid as a rock, just not the latest, shiniest system.
Avid’s investors have hired investigators to check on how money’s are being handled within the company. They just got a new CEO and that doesn’t give me confidence in the direction that this company has been taking. They have been having huge problems with software bugs in Pro Tools and their anti-piracy systems have been creating havoc for their users. My personal experience was with a Digi 002 a mixer with automated faders. It promptly failed after purchase switching itself off due to a power harness that oxidized in all of the Digi 002s. They never replaced it. I paid out of my own pocket for a guy to replace that with non stock parts. After that I got around to learning and using Pro Tools and its midi editing facilities where inferior to many other DAW softwares. That being said I still use the Digi 002 once in a while for the reverb in standalone mode as it sounds nice. The reverb is the only thing that I can think of to say nice about this companies products. I am a Reaper user and it makes Pro Tools look very unprofessional.